Italy

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale Program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. This course offers an introduction to genetics. The course discusses topics including: the basis of heredity: Mendel's laws, monohybrid crosses (dominance and segregation), dihybrid crosses (independent assortment), and predicting the outcome of genetic crosses; structure and replication of DNA: DNA double helix; gene expression, the central dogma: from DNA to RNA, from RNA to protein, transcription, translation, and the genetic code; the eukaryotic cell cycle, cell division, mitosis, and meiosis and the transmission of chromosomes; chromosome theory of inheritance; sex determination and sex-linked inheritance, Dosage compensation in mammals; organization of the human genome: genome projects and sequencing; genetic variability, mutation and polymorphisms, types of genetic variants, point mutations and their consequences, structural genomic variation, copy number variation, and genotype/phenotype relationship; and genetic analysis of human traits: basic Mendelian pedigree patterns, complications to the basic pedigree patterns, and extensions and modifications of basic mendelian principles.

This course introduces the study of development economics. The central aim of the course is to present key theoretical models and related empirical evidence that shape our thinking of economic interactions and policy-making in developing countries. The course begins by giving an overview of growth theory in order to identify potential drivers of economic growth and to provide a benchmark for analyzing the role of market imperfections. The course then analyzes markets and institutions in developing countries, with a focus on how they have developed to make up for market imperfections in developing countries. In particular, the structure of labor and credit markets in developing countries is introduced with a view towards understanding how imperfections in these markets affect the lives of the poor and the economy at large, and shape economic policy-making. The course also explores issues related to education and gender in development, with a particular focus on the methodology of field experiments to provide insights into these topics. The course has a strong applied focus. For each topic, simple theoretical models are introduced to derive testable predictions, followed by a review of the empirical results and their implications for policy. The course discusses topics including: facts about development and growth; growth via factor accumulation; inequality and growth; foreign aid, development, and corruption; impact evaluation; education; gender and ethnicity; informal institutions; financial markets and microcredit; private sector development and entrepreneurship; and labor markets. Students are expected to be comfortable with econometrics and microeconomics to feel at ease with this course.

The course explores the world of fashion and luxury by providing an overview and general framework of the sectors, the companies, and brands, then delving into two key areas: the sustainability and circularity management focus and the merchandising process (from the point of view of brand building of the seasonal offerings). Both topics are strategic today: sustainability has become a key factor for the fashion system; collection development has to be adapted to the industry evolution and the omnichannel approach. The course discusses topics including an overview of the fashion system and a detailed industry analysis; analyzing the main business logic and business models in fashion; an overview of opportunities and challenges related to sustainability and circularity management in fashion; key tools to manage sustainability and circularity in fashion, to create a competitive advantage based on differentiation; the concept of the fashion cycle and innovation, the pipeline and its timing; the seasonal strategies at the level of the product, with relation to distribution and communication; and the role of merchandiser, the collection plan, the sales campaign, and the role of buyer.

This introductory studio course presents photography as a medium of documentation, critical communication, and personal expression related to social issues and intimate involvement. It builds photography skills including composition, light, and technical expertise. Alongside developing skills, the course considers questions of identity and expression in photography and examines how photographs have been used as markers of cultural identification. The course challenge students to question, explore, and express their own identity through photography and to take inspiration from their host city environment, in synergy or contrast with their own identity. It deepens the ability to think critically and express thoughts through images and related texts by analyzing and interpreting experiences in Italian society. Through various photographic exercises and assignments, the course explores digital photography as a tool to interpret and narrate different aspects of the city and one's personal experience of and with it, reflecting on identity in a visual way. Lectures cover technical aspects related to shooting and editing, conceiving and amplifying projects, and addressing different audiences. The course also offers an overview on Italian and international photographers and different approaches in contemporary photographic practice. Classroom discussions, assigned readings, and photo responses, combined with the personal experience of the photographic medium, help to develop critical skills to understand how photographs work aesthetically and conceptually in various contexts, how they are used in contemporary society and culture, and how they become means of personal exploration.

This course aims to enhance students’ ecological and holistic understanding of education, in close consideration for the aesthetic experience. The course discusses topics including: the theoretical framework and the main operational directions of the Holistic approach applied to pedagogy and educational practice; the concepts of well-being, in its complex relationship with health and personal growth; the design of educational and training processes responsive to physical, personal, social, emotional, and spiritual needs; strategies and tools for generating self-reflection, expressiveness, communication, and cooperation skills; how to make use of the tried learning methods and of the acquired analysis tools for the development of students’ personal and professional growth; and giving value to artistic and non-verbal expressive languages.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course offers a study of electric drives. The course discusses topics including fundamentals of electromechanical conversion systems and fundamentals of electrical machines; DC machines; brushless machines with trapezoidal back emf; brushless machines with sinusoidal back emf; and principle of static conversion. The course discusses: the fundamentals of static and electromechanical conversion systems; the configuration of basic power electronic conversion systems, of main electrical machines, either direct current (DC) or alternate current (AC), and of electric drives used in automotive sector; the topology, control principles, input, and output characteristics of main DC and AC electric drives; modeling power electronic converters, control system, electrical machines, and full drive systems with reference to application for torque and speed control; and how to represent an electric drive in terms of energetic conversion system, for the integration in a multiphasic model of a vehicle.

The course examines how the mass media and political elites structure public opinion and political behavior, both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. While the majority of the course focuses on advanced industrial democracies, specific attention is given to media, elite and mass linkages in the developing world. Topics such as the persuasive effects of the media, strategic agenda setting of political elites, and electoral campaigning are covered from a multidisciplinary approach, covering work from economics, political science, and communication science. Special attention is devoted to social media and social media effects are put in a historical context. The course introduces students to a basic toolkit used by researchers to understand the relationship between the media, strategic political elites, and the public. The course covers the following topics: a historical and comparative look at political communication; media coverage and bias; political elites and electoral campaigns; the persuasion effects of the media: agenda-setting, framing, and priming; empirical analysis of media effects; and the use of social media in politics.

The course discusses topics including: the theoretical framework of the Ecological Approach to the Social Inclusion, and Inclusive Education and the Quality of Life Model (QOL); the main operational directions of the Ecological Approach underlying the processes of social inclusion, education, and well-being; the main theoretical and cultural references related to the construct of resilience in relation to fragility and vulnerability aimed at the development of a Life Project in the community; how to promote processes and practices of social inclusion and inclusive education in the community and at global level according to the approach of Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL); how to promote cultural and practical tools to develop a Life Project to enhance the Quality of Life in the community; and how to use of the universal design tried learning methods and of the acquired analysis tools for the development of students’ professional growth and for the educational design.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course introduces fundamentals in economic evaluation theory and modeling methodology in healthcare. Students learn how to structure a medical decision model and how to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs), how to interpret results, and how to draw policy implications. Students are trained in critically reviewing HTA-studies, in order to judge their validity and applicability. The course discusses topics including CEA/CBA analysis; uncertainty and decision-making in healthcare; fundamental concepts of economic evaluation theory; theoretical foundation of modeling; types of models; development of decision trees and Markov models; an sensitivity analysis and the interpretation of the results. The course consists of ten classes. Classes are lectures which last three hours, with breaks where necessary. At least three classes are Excel workshops carried out in the computer lab. The course requires a reasonable level of understanding of basic mathematical concepts and basic probability theory. Students should also be comfortable with the basics of spreadsheet software such as MS Excel.

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is subdivided into two parts. Part one discusses topics including an introduction to the study of the history and culture of the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations (Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians); and introduction to the cuneiform writing; elements of the Sumerian language; a guide to the electronic resources for the study of Sumerian; and reading, translation, and grammatical analysis of elementary Sumerian texts in cuneiform writing. Part two of the course discusses topics including Sumerian royal inscriptions: typology, structure, and contents; and reading, translation and historical-philological comment of Sumerian royal inscriptions in cuneiform writing.