Italy

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course is a problem-based introduction to probability and stochastic processes. No previous knowledge of probability is assumed, but knowledge of calculus in one or more variables is required.

The course is divided into 6 parts:

1. Axiomatic definition of probability. Uniform probability spaces. Counting methods: replacement, ordering. Conditional probability. Independence for events. The law of total probability. Bayes' rule.
2. Discrete random variables. Independence for random variables. Joint, marginal, and conditional densities. Common random variables and their interpretation: Bernoulli, discrete uniform, binomial, hypergeometric, geometric, Poisson, Pascal.
3. Expectation of discrete random variables. Variance and its properties. Expectation and variance of common random variables. Covariance and correlation. Variance of a sum. Null correlation and independence. Linear prediction.
4. Conditional expectation and its properties. Conditional Variance. Sigma-algebras, Continuous Random variables. The Uniform and Exponential distributions. Distribution functions and densities.
5. Marginal, joint and conditional densities. Gamma, Normal and Cauchy distribution. Derived Distributions: monotonic and general case. Conditional Expectation. Law of total expectation. Markov and Chebishev Inequalities.
6. Convergence of Random Variables. The Weak and Strong Laws of Large Numbers. Characteristic Functions and their properties. CF of a sum. CF of common random variables. The Central Limit Theorem.

At the end of the course the student has good knowledge of probability theory of discrete and continuous random variables. Particular attention is paid to the theory of stochastic processes, both diffusive and with jumps. The student masters the main techniques of stochastic calculus applied to finance, such as stochastic differential and integral domain and change of measure techniques.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course advances students' knowledge in: 

• Developing knowledge and critical understanding of the most relevant models and theories of competitive and corporate strategy;
• Conducting structured strategic external and internal analyses considering both organizational performance, resources and capabilities, and the features of the competitive arena;
• Identifying and developing strategic options, applying appropriate models and frameworks, and evaluate their limitations;
• Evaluating contemporary and ethical issues that may impact upon strategic choices;
• Working collaboratively to develop, evaluate and present strategic recommendations to an international senior audience.

This course enables students to understand the prominent concepts and theories of competitive and corporate strategy. The study of the core elements of strategic management are combined with the development of the skillset to apply strategy models and tools to case studies from different industries, such as finance and banking arena, including the emergent fintech and digital companies. Students will have the chance to develop their collaborative skills in a role game as consultants to advise the management of a corporation.

Upon completion of the course, the student is able to: Understand the chemical and biological composition of soils and their importance for ecosystem functioning; explain the role of microbial biodiversity in biogeochemical cycles (C, N, P, S) and soil health; analyze the interactions between soil microorganisms, soil fauna and plants; assess the effects of global changes on soil biological functioning; use scientific concepts and terminologies to describe soil biological and biochemical processes and their environmental implications; and relate theoretical knowledge to case studies applied to sustainable management and climate change mitigation. Topics include: 

Soil Biochemistry and Functionality:
- Soil composition: organic and inorganic components.
- Chemical properties: pH, cation/anion exchange capacity, adsorption.
- Microbial enzyme activity and nutrient cycling (C, N, P).
- Role of organic matter in regulating ecosystem services.
- Strategies for soil management and climate resilience.
Soil Biology and Global Changes:
- Microbial biodiversity and interactions with soil fauna.
- Microbial regulation of biogeochemical cycles (C, N, P, S).
- Impacts of climate change, land use and pollution on soil biology.
- Role of soil in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage.
- Soil-climate feedback mechanisms.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course provides students with an advanced knowledge of cellular neurobiology and molecular mechanisms of brain functions, as well as to make students able to apply this knowledge to specific aspects of nervous system physiopathology. This course is an overview of advanced topics in neurobiology and is designed to introduce and discuss the biological models, the techniques and the research strategies employed in this research field, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying the structure and function of the nervous system. The course is divided into three general topic areas: cell biology of the nervous system, molecular mechanisms in the brain functions, and their alterations in neuropathologies. At the end of the course, the student is able to: understand and discuss properly main aspects of nervous system physiopathology; read and comprehend scientific articles; use this neurobiology background for advances experimental purposes. The course content is divided as follows:

1. Advanced Methodological Approaches in Neurobiology: From optogenetics to neuroimaging, brain atlas.
2. In Vitro and In Vivo Models in Neurobiology: From primary cultures to brain organoids, with an introduction to related ethical issues.
3. Cellular Neurobiology: Cells of the nervous system, their interactions, and communication systems. Biology and physiology of neurons. Oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheath. Astrocytes and microglia.
4. Molecular Neurobiology: Biochemical, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying cognitive brain processes, such as synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory (from invertebrates to mammals).
5. Developmental Neurobiology: Molecular mechanisms underlying the origin of various CNS cell types, cell migration, axonal formation, synapse stabilization, activity-dependent CNS development, critical periods, and neural plasticity. Neural stem cells and adult neurogenesis.
6. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Brain–Environment Interaction: Gut–brain axis and circadian rhythm regulation.
7. Alterations in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology in Neuropathologies: Neurodegenerative diseases, prion disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neuropsychiatric diseases.

This course is separated into two parts, covering monetary and financial policies, and monetary policy and growth. At the end of the course, students are able to interpret the evolution of the economic situation on the basis of a plurality of macroeconomic frames, in order to use the knowledge acquired relating to the design of monetary and financial policies to maximize the usefulness of the information available, minimizing time and optimizing the use of one's energies; and better use two indispensable professional resources: logic and precision. Pre-requisites: macroeconomics and microeconomics. 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. At course completion, the student possesses knowledge on: the potential of biotechnology based genetic improvement to develop resilient cultivars suitable for sustainable agricultural systems; the molecular genetic control of the main features of agronomic interest including the response to abiotic and biotic stresses, the efficient use of water and nutrients, and host-pathogen interaction; genetic improvement methods that integrate assisted selection, phenotyping high-throughput, genetic engineering and genomic editing. In particular, the student possesses the skills to: participate in the management of genetic improvement programs aimed at varietal development in seed and nursery companies; evaluate and incorporate the appropriate biotechnological tools into genetic improvement programs; recognize and manage the positive aspects and critical issues of varietal innovation in agricultural systems, considering the entire production chain.

PREREQUISITES: The student who accesses this course must have a good knowledge of the fundamentals of mathematics, chemistry, plant biology, agronomy, crop biology and physiology, plant pathology, and the fundamentals of statistical analysis (sample, mean, variance and standard deviation). Most importantly, students must have already a clear and good knowledge of the fundamentals of Agricultural Genetics. 

The course is divided into two parts: Genetics for sustainable agriculture; and Plant breeding and biotechnology for sustainable agriculture. During and at the end of PART 1, exercises are proposed to the class, and evaluations are assigned. Students that: i) attended the course, ii) scored positively (>18) to the exercises for PART2, in the final exam will be asked to defend PART2 only.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the comparative dimension of the European legal space through primary institutions and principles, with a particular emphasis on solidarity. The course will lead the students to acquire and improve the following skills: techniques for reading and understanding constitutional norms, legislation and case law from different legal systems, as well as critical skills for the comparative examination of European constitutionalism; ability to find and understand legal sources of the European legal space; skills to elaborate innovative norms and policies in both the public and the private sector.

The course content is divided as follows:

• Comparative Methodology
• Practical and Theoretical Targets of Legal Comparison
• European Legal Families and Political/Territorial Systems
• European Constitutionalism and Comparative Understandings of the Principle of Solidarity
• EU and Domestic Legal Framework of Solidarity
• Solidarity in Inter-territorial relations
• Financial, Migration, and Environmental Norms and Policies on Solidarity
• Constitutional Adjudication and Interaction with European Courts

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. At the end of the course, students have the methodological and theoretical tools of 'Atlantic History,' which redefines the spatial limits of modern politics, considering Europe, Africa, and the Americas as part of one and the same global experience. This perspective, well-developed in North American universities, is extended to the history of political concepts, with a special attention to antagonistic political cultures and resistance movements, but also to the colonial dimension embedded in the great classics of modern and contemporary political thought. The course deals with the history of modern political thought, with a special focus on the development of fundamental concepts such as sovereignty, state, rights, property and war, in a global perspective, which assumes the opening of the new Atlantic political space and the problems involved in European expansion overseas as a crucial background for understanding the emergence of new discursive strategies and new political categories in the early modern age.

After an initial lecture designed to provide a general overview of the methodology, the subsequent weeks of classes are divided into three distinct but interconnected units. The first unit deals with the theoretical and methodological tools of conceptual history and its redefinition from a global and oceanic perspective. It is argued that the history of concepts has provided an essential framework for understanding and criticizing the foundations of modern politics, but the Eurocentric coordinates underlying the traditional versions of this approach must be radically revised in order to grasp the genealogy of our global present. The second unit addresses the emergence of the Atlantic space and its distinctive phenomena and actors as a decisive factor of historical transformation that radically displaced the traditional coordinates of politics. On this basis, the development of a new political framework and the modern theory of state sovereignty is understood as a response to this crucial challenge. This is illustrated through a close reading and discussion of relevant passages from classical thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Thomas Paine. The third unit offers a spatial reading of the work of the legal scholar Hugo Grotius in the light of the perspective outlined in the first two units. Grotius – who has been traditionally considered one of the founding fathers of modern international law and modern maritime law, but who was also a crucial figure in the context of the creation of the Dutch "seaborne" empire in the East and West Indies – constitutes a compelling case study because his legal and political theory can be situated in a transitional moment between the medieval and humanist tradition on the one hand and the emergence of a modern outlook on the other, while reflecting the entanglements between states and colonies, land and sea, the territorialized order of sovereignty, and the fluid power of commercial empires and trading companies. An analysis of his work can therefore allow us both to grasp the complex origins and characteristics of modern political space and to elucidate the global genealogy of European modernity.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides students with notions of comparative grammar, which allows them to recognize the main differences between east-Slavic (Russian in particular), west-Slavic (Polish) and south-Slavic (Bulgarian) languages. The course also provides an accurate knowledge of Slavic medieval history, within the broader context of European and Mediterranean culture and civilization. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to read and comprehend short Slavonic texts.

In Fall 2025, the course concerns the figure of Michael Trivolis, a Greek monk who lived between the end of the 15th and the middle of the 16th century, known in Russia as ‘Maximus the Greek’ (Maksim Grek). Born in Arta, in the Epirus region of Greece, pupil of John Lascaris in Corfù and Florence, collaborator of Aldo Manuzio in Venice, at the service of the court of Mirandola, once again in Florence as Dominican monk, Michael Trivolis trained at the school of Italian humanism. When he was about 35 years old, he returned to his fatherland and entered the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos. After 12 years, in 1518, he was sent to Muscovy with the task of correcting the church-Slavonic translations which were in use there (with particular reference to the Psalter). In the Rus’, the first half of the 16th century was a time characterized by the struggle against heresies on one hand, and by an harsh debate on church properties on the other. Maximus the Greek’s friction with the political and ecclesiastical power earned him imprisonment and ostracism: up until the moment of his death, which took place almost 40 years later, he has never been allowed to leave the Rus’. It’s been written that Maximus “had been prepared for a mission to Muscovy, but Muscovy was not yet ready for him”. Nevertheless, besides being one of the most prolific writers in the entire Slavic Middle Ages, Maximus the Greek has been read and loved by many people, to the point that he became very soon worthy of veneration (but the Russian Church canonized him only in 1988).

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course consists of two modules: Marine Renewable Energy and Bioenergy, Hydrogen, and Heat Recovery Systems. 

For Marine Renewable Energy, students acquire the ability to assess marine renewable energy potential and to conceptually design energy devices. They are able to assess marine energy potential (wind, waves, tides, currents, etc.) and have knowledge about devices for marine energy harvesting and technological challenges, and assessment of environmental, social, and economic impacts. The module covers the following topics: Marine renewable energy: sources (wind, wave, tide) and variability; Type of marine renewable energy converters; Environmental impact and cost of MRE devices; Optimal mixing of MRE; Multi-use marine areas and integration of different economic activities: MRE, aquaculture, tourism, maritime hubs; and Re-purposing of O&G platforms.

Bioenergy, Hydrogen and Heat Recovery Systems module provides the student with knowledge and understanding about: Biomass and alternative fuels for energy application: production, treatment and storage, thermochemical conversion, environmental and economic aspects; Hydrogen for energy and transport applications: characteristics, production, gas-to-power (G2P) and power-to-gas (P2G) systems, technologies for upgrading fuels (synthetic methane), fields of application, integration into the existing infrastructure; Heat recovery systems: cycles and working principle of the main heat-to-power (H2P) technologies (Organic Rankine Cycle and Stirling engine). After completion of the course the students should (i) gain general competence related to bioenergy and hydrogen-based systems and their potential in future energy supply; (ii) working with cross-cutting problems related to bioenergy and hydrogen; (iii) analyzing potential and characteristics of Organic Rankine Cycle systems heat recovery from medium and low-temperature heat sources.