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. At the end of the course unit students have acquired awareness of the concept of universal history centered around Europe and Western Civilization as well as with the ways through which this narrative has been deconstructed by means of alternative and peripheral critical stances. Students are able to understand the relevance of different traditions of critical thought such as cultural Marxism, anti-imperialist and Afro-American thought, cultural and postcolonial studies. At the end of the course students demonstrate a sound theoretical framework within which specific research interests can be developed. The course is divided into two main parts. The first part is devoted to the critical analysis of narratives of the world history from ancient times: Narratives of Universal History: classic, medieval, and early modern patterns; From the Enlightenment philosophy of history to the nineteenth century imperial history; The crisis of the western image of world history. The second part focuses on socialist and communist internationalism as actors and networks of nineteenth and twentieth century world history and particularly focuses on the first phase, the years of Comintern (1919-1943). The second part focuses on the following topics: The First and the Second Internationals: revolutionary strategies, universalism and the colonial question; First World War, Soviet Revolution and the birth of the Comintern in 1919; Perspectives of internationalism after the First World War: Wilson vs Lenin; Revolutionary perspectives in the peripheries; Space, time, culture rethinking the socialist transition; Race, language, translation and socialist transition; The Second World War and beyond: communism as an actor of twentieth century globalization.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have basic knowledge of African history and a strong background in political theory. The course focuses on the main policies and institutions of the European Union partnership in the fields of security and development cooperation, within the framework of the international debate on these topics. In particular, the course offers an analysis of contemporary literature on the political and military relations between the European Union and Africa. Special attention is placed on the main global and regional transformation processes governing the relations between the EU and Africa. A section of the course is devoted to the historical evolution of EU-Africa security and increased cooperation in the area of development. The course is divided in 4 main parts. Part 1 focuses on the historical framework of African-European relations since the late nineteenth century. Emphasis is placed on patterns of colonial domination and the decolonization process. Relations between African and European countries during the Cold War are also examined, and specific attention is devoted to the evolution of Africa-France relations and the role of the Western countries in the decolonization of Southern Africa and the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Part 2 focuses on the aims, instruments, and outcomes of development cooperation between African governments and the European Union since the early 1960's. Part 3 focuses on relations between Africa and Europe in the post-Cold War era. In particular, European policies aimed at promoting democracy and human rights, the prevention and resolution of violent conflicts and the promotion of economic development and poverty reduction. Part 4 focuses the "new scramble" for Africa's natural resources and its complex political and economic effects. Required readings: FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN AFRICA. FROM THE COLD WAR TO THE WAR ON TERROR by E. Schmidt, THE EU AND AFRICA. FROM EUROAFRIQUE TO AFRO-EUROPA by A. Adebajo, K. Whiteman, TERRORISM AND COUNTER-TERRORISM IN AFRICA by H. Solomon. Assessment is based on an oral examination on lecture materials and the required readings.

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 analyzes different aspects of spatial imaginaries in the context of colonial and post-colonial history. The main focus of this course concerns visions of international order after empire in the twentieth century. The course is divided into five parts. The first part of the course concerns an introduction to the category of ‘space’ in historical studies in order to provide an analytical framework to imperialism and colonialism. The second part of the course focuses on the spatial dimensions of the colonial and imperial rule. In the third part, students discuss nationalist and federalist visions for post-colonial order, analyzing the relations between nationalist movements and supra-national political spaces. The topic of the fourth part is about the idea of pan-regionalisms, looking at three specific case studies. The last week is dedicated to the connections within and between the imperial and colonial spaces and visions of international and global order. At the end of the course students reach an understanding of the social and cultural history of areas of the world that have been subject to modern colonial rule and that, in most cases, experienced a subsequent phase of political decolonization. Students will be able to critically engage in the study of different kinds of sources, using a comparative perspective. They will acquire the analytical tools needed to properly investigate the complex social, cultural, and political realities of colonial and postcolonial spaces. At the end of the course, students will also be able to deploy their analytical skills in professional activities linked with the popularization and public use of historical knowledge.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale in innovation and organization of culture and the arts. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the elements of marketing within the service sector that are applicable specifically to cultural organizations. This course introduces, discusses, and analyzes several key topics in the area of service. The course explores topics including challenges inherent in marketing and managing services; developing and delivering quality service; strategies and tools for addressing the challenges of services management and marketing, the “services marketing mix,” and the complexities of service design, delivery, and communication aimed at building sustainable service brands. Students discuss producing and delivering services, the servuction model and its implication for theory and practice; customer behavior before and during the service experience; the role of employees in service delivery; the Servicescape; service quality and customer satisfaction; measuring customer satisfaction; and pricing. The course includes traditional lectures, presentations, and interactive teaching regarding concepts and theories as well as in class discussions of case studies. Assessment is based on a written exam based on essay questions.

The course provides a systematic review of the psychobiological bases of the main psychotic spectrum disorders (in particular Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders). Results from genetic, electrophysiological, neurochemical, and structural/functional neuroimaging are discussed for all disorders. As much as possible, the principal models proposed to explain the pathogenesis of each disorder are presented, to integrate information from the multiple approaches of neurosciences. The course discusses topics including a brief introduction to Psychotic Spectrum Disorders, methods and experimental techniques in psychobiological research, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Cluster A Personality Disorders. This advanced level course is at the second cycle degree, or masters degree level at the University of Padua. Students are required to have knowledge of cognitive processes and anatomo-physiological bases of the central nervous system as a prerequisite.

This course covers the most important areas of financial economics and investments. The course explores how financial markets work and how they price financial securities and assets. As witnessed in the recent 2008-2009 financial crisis, financial market risks can have spillovers to the whole macroeconomy. Therefore, to understand macroeconomic risks, it is important to have a solid understanding of how financial markets work. The course discusses topics including portfolio selection, equilibrium asset pricing, arbitrage, fixed income securities, and derivatives. Students are required to have completed courses in calculus and statistics as a prerequisite for this course.

This is course is a study of cross-cultural issues in personnel psychology. The course discusses topics including an overview of recruitment and selection (methods, cognition, personality, motivation), job performance (appraisal and management), training, and career development (career calling); key concepts, theories, and issues of the cross-cultural approach to the study of personnel: effect of culture on organizational process (recruitment, selection and assessment) and individuals’ characteristics (personality, cognition, values, motivation and career calling); applying personnel psychology, cross-cultural psychology, and diversity management to real-world contexts and issues (e.g., diversity training, staffing and selection bias); and reflecting on the role of culture in working with culturally diverse personnel. The course requires a basic knowledge of personality traits, motivation, intelligence, psychological testing, and industrial and organizational psychology as a prerequisite.

The course focuses on the relationship between literature and film and the connections between the two languages through the in-depth study of a selection of historically relevant and exemplary works. A section of the course is devoted to the question of the historical adaptation of literary texts to the screen–from early works to the present. The course focuses in particular on the construction of the fictional movie character through a comparative approach between literary studies and film studies that places emphasis on the peculiarly cinematic element: the human factor linked to the role of the actor. The course focuses on the construction of a particular cinematic character, the history of Hollywood production (divas and audience) and the cultural role played by Hollywood in its historical context through its role in the production of film adaptations of literary works. Required film screenings: QUEEN CHRISTINA (1933), CITY LIGHTS (1931), GONE WITH THE WIND, (1939), CITIZEN KANE (1941), NOW VOYAGER (1942), WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), REAR WINDOW (1954), WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956), THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1957). Assessment is based on a written exam that covers the required readings, the critical analysis presented in class and the required film screenings.