Italy

This course provides an overview of the history of law in Europe. The course sketches the history of a common civilization, to which people contributed coming from different and faraway lands, cities, kingdoms, and towns. A special focus is on the sources of law: legislation, legal doctrine, and legal practice. The relevance of each of these sources varied over time. In order to shed light on the common features throughout the history of Europe, the course focuses on a selection of the institutions of private and public law which are most representative of each epoch and each country. A special emphasis is on the correlation between the laws and the role played by professional jurists. All topics in the course are dealt with particular attention to the exchange of normative bodies, legislations, doctrines, judicial decisions, and customs within Europe, including English Common Law. Overall, the course introduces students to the complexities of European legal history through in-depth analysis of the sources of the law, from the middle ages to the present time. The course recommends students have background knowledge with the fundamentals of Private Law and Public Law.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have a strong background in political science or international relations. The course is an overview of international relations of the East Asian region and focuses on the economic and political issues surrounding the Asia-Pacific rim. Topics covered include: historical and contemporary patterns of state relations in East Asia, US security alliances in East Asia and the new Asian Pivot, the rise of China, the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes, regional multilateral institutions, East Asian development models and economic integration, environmental challenges, energy security, and other related issues. Required readings include: THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF ASIA-PACIFIC by M. Yahuda and POLITICS IN EAST ASIA: EXPLAINING CHANGE AND CONTINUITY by T. Lim. Specific readings are assigned on the following topics: The Korean Peninsula, The People's Republic of China, China-EU Relations, Nationalism and Territorial Disputes, Japan's Domestic and Foreign Policy. Assessment is based on a final oral exam.

This course offers an introduction to Italian culture and Florence's rich history and traditions through a hands-on approach. Florence is a complex city with many identities. It is known as the cradle of the Renaissance, but its structure was shaped in the middle ages, in the 19th century, and in recent times. It is an international place, visited by tourists from all around the world, but still maintains a sense of pride in its own traditions. In the Culture section of this course, students explore the city through a series of on-site lectures, understanding its structure and its development through the centuries up to today, discovering the significance of its beautiful monuments and the scars left by its fascinating history. The Language component of the course provides students the tools and skills to navigate the city and complete tasks in real-life situations and specific contexts. Through small-group works they acquire basic communicative structures and learn to react effectively to authentic communicative situations.

The aim of this course is to inspire students about the possibilities of entrepreneurship. The Italian context will prepare students for the creative chaos of the entrepreneurial world.  There is no better international context for exploring this phenomenon.  From the Medici, who made a fortune and lost it again within a century, to Ferrari, the consummate entrepreneur; from Armani, Ferragamo and Gucci to Luxottica and Del Vecchio’s sunglasses empire, we investigate the essence of Italian entrepreneurship.  In addition, we scrutinize great examples of family businesses, in which each new generation exhibits entrepreneurship (FIAT, Ferrero etc.) as well as instances of entrepreneurships where it all went wrong (e.g. Parmalat). The world of entrepreneurship is evaluated from the perspectives of management, finance, and marketing as well as sociology in order to understand these enterprises.  The course is delivered using a large array of texts and academic sources that the students assess in real life case studies. We visit a wide range of entrepreneurial contexts and have the opportunity to interview at first hand a number of entrepreneurs and those that support entrepreneurship.  Students also critically evaluate major issues such as globalization, sustainability, and ethics, which affect entrepreneurship today. Each class is based on a set of readings, and it is crucial that students keep up with the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class. Some lectures directly engage our readings while others provide contextualizing historical and theoretical information. Lectures and class discussions are supplemented by visits in which we explore the structure, philosophy, values, and methodology of Italian entrepreneurs. Emphasis is placed on taking the theoretical approach and applying it directly to the Italian context. This course is designed for undergraduate students of business, communication, international studies, management, economics as well as students with an interest in entrepreneurship.  

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course examines the history of contemporary Italy and its main historiographical interpretations. After completing the course students can communicate the knowledge acquired using the specific terminology peculiar to the subject and in line with its scientific principles, find their bearings in the historiographical debate; have learned the methodologies for researching the social classes and the tendencies of the same; and have gained an understanding of mass culture and the processes of consumption.

This course has three main components. First, it discusses a coherent analytical framework for understanding some of the key ideas and issues informing the debate about the environment and about sustainability today. It examines the principles and practices of sustainable development in the context of urban development. More than half of the world's population are already living in cities and by the middle of this century that figure will rise to more than 65 percent. With rapid urbanization, cities face environmental, economic, and social challenges that pose threats to sustainability of urban development. Second, the course investigates the historical conditions for the contemporary debate about sustainability, reviewing the evolution of different approaches towards the environment from the earliest farming societies to present (post-) industrial societies. The course adopts a ‘Big History' approach to see the overall picture, seeking out common themes and patterns that can help to better address the multiplicity of socioeconomic and environmental issues faced today. The third and major part of the course looks at Tuscany and at Florence in particular, on the basis of the fruitful concept of ‘Urban Metabolisms' to focus attention on the interdependence between cities and their environments. Tuscan cities such as Florence and Siena are often considered ideal models of sustainable urban and rural development as well as of landscape preservation. This ‘Under the Tuscan Sun' image of Tuscany is contrasted by an analysis of the more complex historical realities. Students deconstruct these idealized images of the Tuscan space and to rethink the complex relationship between ‘città and contado' (city and countryside) in the Tuscan past and presence. A variety of key thematic issues and sustainability challenges are explored in the context of Tuscan urban environments, including transport, tourism, water, waste, and food issues. A variety of outdoor activities including a daytrip to the Tuscan countryside offers unique opportunities for students to engage with local community.

This class covers the field of judgment and decision-making, which is the collection of cognitive, social, and emotion studies that analyze how people make decisions and evaluate the alternatives available. In particular, the class covers dual-process models of thinking, which distinguish between automatic information processing and conscious, deliberative processing. Related to these theories is the understanding of the pivotal role emotions have in driving our everyday actions. Finally, the class covers a series of applications of judgment and decision-making in different economic fields.