Italy

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the basic concepts of Criminology as they apply to the relationships between migration, deviance, and social control; the “new” prevention of crime in urban settings; and the sociology of social control and punishment. The course highlights the sociological theory of crime and punishment and in particular the relationship between such theories and the broader framework of migration in the European Union. What is the connection between processes of European unification (legal, political, economic and social) and migrants' criminalization -- in the two aspects of criminalization, i.e. migrants' participation in criminal behavior, and the construction of migrants as criminal subjects? Theories discussed include the ecological theory of the Chicago School, differential association theory, the theory of anomie, labelling theory, and the theories of “everyday life.”

The course focuses on the fundamental issues of the political and social history of contemporary Africa. Emphasis is placed on the colonial period, decolonization paths, and the processes and dynamics involved in independent state formation. Using an appropriate methodological apparatus, the course highlights the formation of the main political systems on the African continent, and especially the relationship with international politics and the political and developmental crises of the last decades. The course addresses the evolution of African political systems from the last phases of the pre-colonial period up through the contemporary period. Particular attention is placed on sub-Saharan Africa. The first part of the course focuses on Africa's history in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first part discusses topics including the end of the slave trade, the development of international trade, the colonial penetration, and the scramble for Africa by European powers; the main characteristics of the various colonial administrations and the impact of colonial domination on African societies; the decolonization process in the changing international context after World War II; the independences of African states, the nation-state, and the different policies and ideologies of the independent governments; the debate on the heritage of the colonial State; and the crises of the African State and economic development policies. The second part focuses on Africa's political systems and discusses topics including the political and economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s; democracy, the fight against poverty, and conflicts in post-cold war Africa; the challenges of the third millennium; and recent and current events. The course includes weekly lectures and in class discussions of pertinent issues related to the topics presented. A special introductory section is devoted to the use of internet in the study of African history and its political systems. Slides and maps are also included. Assessment is based on a final oral examination.

Thiscourse that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program in Health Economics and Management. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on how health services research can be used to support health care policymakers in shaping how health care is delivered and paid for, and to improve clinical practice through innovation. The course familiarizes students with the set of tools used to conduct Health Services Research and, through the use of case studies, underscores the need for an interdisciplinary approach to be able to identify the pros and cons of existing and new financial and organizational mechanisms. Specific topics may vary but include the organization of primary and managed care under the paradigm of patient centered healthcare systems, the issue of appropriateness in clinical practice, and the role of hospitals and medical research in evolving healthcare systems. Students analyze current and new models in healthcare financing and delivery and their implications for access, cost, and quality of care; model the links between organizational settings and economic and health outcomes; and apply different evaluation methods to systematically evaluate innovations in health programs and policies. Specific topics include: long term sustainability of health care systems, population health management, the organization of primary and intermediate care, the role of clinical governance tools, and the development of hospital networks. The course includes video materials presented in class. The course is based on traditional lectures and in class discussions. Assessment is based on a final oral exam during which the student can discuss a presentation on one of the themes dealt with during the course. Those who do not choose to give the presentation must take a written test to assess their ability to critically evaluate the themes of the course. In the written test, students are given outlines to develop two short essays in two hours. Students can choose the approach that is best given their experience and background. Students are expected to address the proposed themes with rigor and appropriateness and to keep in mind the interdisciplinary nature of the issues at stake.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the debate regarding pension’s policy and how it affects individuals, a debate which interests policy and academic audiences. The lifecycle model is employed as a key tool for analyzing the issues of interest and for understanding existing analyses. Finally, the course addresses topical policy questions and the recent contributions to academic literature about how individuals are affected by, and respond to, public policy. The course focuses on the role for government intervention in the economy (why should government intervene?), and on some principles that might guide the design of economic policy. The course focuses on public policy regarding pensions / social security, and how this affects the decisions of individuals regarding consumption and savings. Topics include motives for government intervention in the economy, raising government revenue, and pensions and social security.

Bullying: Beyond common examines the phenomenon of youth bullying. The course focuses on both traditional bullying that usually takes place on school premises and cyberbullying, which occurs via information and communication technologies. With a social-ecological perspective, the first part of the course explores the boundaries of these phenomena, and analyzes the characteristics of youth involved and the social-psychological processes that underlie the different roles youth play in bully-victim-bystander dynamics. The second part of this course covers the prevention and intervention strategies available at the international level. The course recommends students have previous knowledge of theories and methodologies from developmental psychology and social psychology as a prerequisite.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the global challenges that the planet's population has been facing since the second half of the twentieth century. Among these, the critical relation with natural resources and with the concept of development and, above all, climate change, with its connections to territorial development, ecological risk, food security and the consumption of natural resources. At the end of the course, the students have acquired the theoretical and empirical tools to critically analyze the global strategies of climate resilience and cooperation and the relation between climate change and tourism. They also have acquired the ability to work in groups and develop class discussions. They are able to communicate both in expert and non-expert groups the global dynamics connected to climate change, globalization, poverty, development and tourism. Climate change offers the opportunity for a multidisciplinary analysis and, during the course, the many topics connected to the phenomenon are discussed, using mainly a geographical approach which means having a focus on territorial impacts, policies, and responses. The course concentrates on three main aspects of the phenomenon. PART 1 introduces climate change as a global phenomenon, with its natural and anthropogenic root causes, positioning it inside the wider perspective of environmental degradation and pollution and analyzing the global debate between climate change activists and deniers. In this respect, several activities are carried out, such as group work, presentation, and class discussion. PART 2 analyzes the Kyoto Protocol and the Post Kyoto adaptation and mitigation strategies, with a focus on the policy-making process but also trying to include it in a theoretical framework of adaptation, PART 3 covers climate change and mobility, including the connections between climate change and environmental crisis with migration and tourism.