Italy

This course focuses on some central topics and arguments in the philosophy of mind and language in the tradition of analytic philosophy. The main aim is to engage in detail with arguments and texts that have played a central role in contemporary discussions. Topics include: the nature of linguistic and mental content; the nature of thought and its relation to linguistic understanding; what is reference and meaning and what are their relations to intentionality and concepts; the relation between our inferential and representational abilities and the nature of our rationality; the nature and our knowledge of our mental states; the relation between the physical and the mental domains. Students acquire an understanding of central topics in the philosophy of mind and language and they will be in a position to explain and to engage competently orally and in writing with these problems. More specifically they will be in a position to: master the central concepts in the theory of language and mind; understand the philosophical positions involved on the debates; understand the arguments in favor or against the relevant philosophical theses; have some appreciation of the significance of these issues for other areas of philosophy.

This course examines some central topics in the philosophies of language. We discuss core concepts such as that of truth, meaning, validity, inference. We then focus on the normative role of truth and validity in relation to reasoning. Although this course does not presuppose any specific competence in formal logic, some basic acquaintance in elementary formal logic may help.

This course is designed as a comprehensive survey course of theory and research in social psychology. The goal is to explain how human thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other people and cultural background. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to critically think about how research in social psychology can shed light on events going on around the world and in their own lives and how it can help to better human existence. The main topics include: the self; social perception; social cognition and information processing; attitudes and persuasion; conforming; prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination; social influence and group behavior, and romantic, aggressive, and helping behavior; and applied social psychology.
 

This is a semester-long course organized by the UCEAP Bologna Study Center that offers students a chance to practice and improve oral communication skills in Italian. The course is open to all students. Small groups are organized to accommodate all linguistic levels - from beginners to advanced. The course is taught by experts in the field of language acquisition. P/NP grading only.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its strategic implications in terms of: sustainability of business models; the need for innovative managerial paradigms based on stakeholder engagement and cooperation; measurement of the economic, social, and environmental impact of business activities; life cycle assessment; strategic planning of the United Nations 2030 agenda; and communication and reporting methods. The course focuses on the application of these topics to companies, public administrations, and non-profit organizations. The course is divided into two portions, closely linked and integrated: the institutional portion examines the theoretical and methodological bases of CSR, with specific references to the international framework, documents produced by the OECD, and the relationship with social innovation. The course introduces students to the most up-to-date methodologies in the design and development of corporate CSR and accountability systems. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between CSR management systems, communication, and a company's external relations. The monographic portion of the course focuses on the relationships between corporate CSR, environmental sustainability, and consumer demand for ethical and environmentally friendly products and services. It also highlights new service experiences related to corporate welfare and emerging concepts of local social responsibility. Case studies are presented in relation to companies with significant and innovative experiences of CSR, capable of determining managerial evolutions and organizational improvements in a company's managerial structures and in its relationship with the market. A specific section of the course is dedicated to the relationship between CSR, social and environmental sustainability, and circular economy. The final portion of the course is dedicated to designing corporate and local CSR systems capable of producing effective changes in the external perception and communication of businesses. The aim of projects and experiments is to closely and effectively link social and environmental sustainability in businesses. 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program in Economics. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have a strong background in economics. The course focuses on corporate and investment banking activity, with particular attention on venture capital and private equity financing. Topics covered include: investment banking, private equity, venture capital buyouts, structured finance, the venture capital cycle (fund-raising, screening and valuation, deal structuring, monitoring, divestment), financial tools needed to evaluate investments, and financing decisions in high-growth potential firms. Required Reading includes: OPTIONS, FUTURES, AND OTHER DERIVATIVES by J. Hull. Assessment in based on a written in class final exam. Students are offered the option of solving a case study and delivering the solution to the instructor as an additional optional assignment. Students are required to solve the case study as a group.

This course introduces students to the grammatical structures and vocabulary necessary to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases in Italian. Students learn to express themselves using verbs in the present tense. They introduce themselves and others and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know, and things they own. They engage in simple interactions as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly. They ask for or pass on personal details in written form and produce short and simple texts like postcards, greetings messages, isolated phrases, and sentences. Attention is given to the correct pronunciation of the language. All four abilities (writing, speaking, listening, reading) are developed in the class, also with the support of authentic audiovisual materials such as Italian movies, short videos, tv programs, and songs. The course uses a communication-based approach: students engage in daily role-plays, group activities, games, and class discussions. Out of class activities are designed to take advantage of the opportunities for interaction and language practice, as well as immersion in Italian culture, that the city provides.

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 examines how in different historical moments ranging from the 16th century to the end of the 20th century some of the most renowned Italian thinkers have figured out the people and the multiple facets this notion has assumed in modern politics. In doing so, this course also explores some important specificities of modern Italian history, society, and culture. After a short methodological and theoretical introduction that provides some basic elements and concepts to frame the overall issue, the course is structured in four parts. The first part of the course focuses on Niccolò Machiavelli’s ideas on popular republic and civil principality, and Giovanni Botero's theories on the reason of state intended as a tool for achieving a firm domination over peoples through a careful government of the population. The second part of the course discusses the way in which 19th century writers such as Giacomo Leopardi and especially Alessandro Manzoni represented the Italian people and envisioned the role of literature in the development of a modern and national consciousness in the aftermath of the French Revolution. The third part of the course discusses Antonio Gramsci's analysis of the shortcomings of the Italian process of national unification and its efforts to reckon with the emergence of modern mass societies and develop new strategies aimed at the involvement of the subaltern classes in political life. The final part of the course examines the critical positions of contemporary thinkers such as Mario Tronti and Giorgio Agamben, who have both challenged the image of the people intended as a unitary and homogeneous political subject in one case from a heterodox Marxist viewpoint, in the other from a biopolitical perspective.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Students will know the effects of global climate change on key organisms, biodiversity, and ecosystems, particularly on marine species, including the effects on human societies and economies. Models and forecasts are presented considering different scenarios predicted by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Students will know how organisms interact, as components of the structure and function of ecosystems, including the consequences of human interactions with the environment. Marine organisms are traced from the Earth’s primordial oceans, to their response to the warming and acidifying oceans.

The course content is divided into two modules:

MODULE 1: 

• Conflicts and Security Risks of Climate Change in the Mediterranean Region - Projections and Impacts of Future Climate Change in the Mediterranean; Impact of Climate Change on Water Supply and Water-Related Conflicts; Consequences for Food Security; Population and Migration in the Mediterranean; Human Security, Environmental Conflict and Climate Adaptation; Energy Security as Field of Conflict and Cooperation; Political and Economic Frameworks for Cooperation in the Mediterranean.
• Socioeconomic Aspects: Human Migrations, Tourism and Fisheries - Coastal Commercial Fisheries and Aquaculture; Tourism; Migrations.
• Ecological and evolutionary considerations regarding corals in a rapidly changing environment - Comments on the Evolution of Corals in the Atlantic Versus the Pacific Oceans; Climate Change, Changes in the Oceanic Climatic Zones, and Their Effects; Comments on Evolution of the Immune System in Corals.
• Coral population dynamics - Ecological modes in corals; Why study population biology?; How to model population dynamics?; The introduction of an age-based population dynamics model into coral reef ecology: the Beverton and Holt model; The case study of mushroom corals at Eilat; Correlations between demographic characteristics, environmental parameters, and implications with climate change; Relationships between growth, population structure and sea surface temperature in temperate solitary corals; What about calcification and temperature?; What about non-zoox corals?; Zoox coral versus non-zoox coral; The Panarea underwater crater: a laboratory for the study of ocean acidification and warming effects; The ocean acidification; Calcifiers and ocean acidification; Coral biomineralization and calcification; The Panarea transplant experiment; Long term effects of acidification on growth of corals naturally living along a pH gradient.

MODULE 2:

• Strategies of acclimatization to ocean acidification in Mediterranean corals - The carbon dioxide volcanic vents of Ischia Island; Community shifts at Ischia Island; Impact of ocean acidification on the morphology of non-zooxanthellate corals; The problem of age determination in colonial organisms; Impact of ocean acidification on polyp and colony growth in non-zooxanthellate corals; Different acclimatization strategies to ocean acidification in zooxanthellate vs non-zooxanthellate corals; the impact of ocean acidification on coral-associate microbial ecosystems.