Italy

This is a graduate level course that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. Students who complete a research paper on a pre-approved topic are awarded 1 extra unit. Maximum units for this course are 8. The course has 2 parts: A & B. Students must take both parts. No partial credit is possible. Part A of the course focuses on the history and development of non-European literature in French, with particular attention to the relationship between literary texts and the historical, artistic, and linguistic context. Special attention is placed on the different methodologies useful for the analysis and interpretation of literary texts. Part B of the course focuses on the issues of diversity and inclusion in French-speaking migrant literatures with particular attention to Quebec, Lebanese, and Senegalese literatures. Special attention is placed on literature written  by migrant authors and literature written by those born in exile. Voluntary or forced mobility generates a literature with a dual focus: towards the country of origin and towards the country of adoption. Migrant writings, in a French-speaking context, give rise to a third space in which identity is renegotiated through writing, a space for the elaboration of diversity in search of similarities. Principal texts by Marco Micone, Antonio D'Alfonso, Fulvio Caccia, Amin Maalouf, and Wajdi Mouawad.

This course explores the theoretical background of the development of the neural basis of cognitive function, and basic knowledge of neural development of cognitive functions and methods to study the neural mechanism of cognitive development. The course considers questions such as: What is the nature of developmental change? What are the brain mechanisms underlying cognitive, perceptual, social, and emotional development during infancy and childhood? The course evaluates implications of findings from developmental cognitive neuroscience for broader scientific issues including nature vs. nurture, critical periods in development, and the modularity of mental functions. An integral part of the course is careful consideration of the major methods of developmental cognitive neuroscience including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), recordings of evoked response potentials (ERPs), and behavioral marker tasks. The course devotes particular attention to the unique challenges of applying these methods to the study of infants and children in typical and atypical development. The course requires students to have basic knowledge on general cognitive functions such as perception, attention, language, and memory as a prerequisite.

The course examines the notion of “Made in Italy” as an intangible asset and traces its evolution in time, starting from its creation in Florence in the 1950s up to the current global success of Tuscany-based icons such as Vespa, Gucci, Ferragamo, and Chianti. The main aim is to explore the appeal of “Made in Italy” as a global brand and the marketing of “Italian Style” throughout the world. To this purpose, students analyze important Italian companies in specific sectors – fashion, food, wine, leather, design and art – and discuss their innovative branding practices. The focus is on key Italian cultural products, their significance and symbolism, as well as the concept of “Country Branding” within the industrial, leisure, lifestyle, food, and fashion industries. An array of educational tools – lectures, class discussions, fieldtrips and visits to food and fashion retailers, corporate museums, design studios –allows students to acquire an in-depth knowledge of trendsetting communication strategies and gain first-hand experience with some iconic products commonly associated with the idea of “Italianness”, from concept to consumption.

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 founding principles of international criminal law and justice; the historical evolution of international criminal justice and their current mechanisms; how to critically assess the impact and effectiveness of the different responses to international crimes. Students are expected to acquire the skills necessary to identify the problematic issues of criminal law, both from a political and juridical viewpoint, arising in different contexts and related to different mechanisms (whether retributive or restorative and both at the national or international levels). The objective of the course is to provide students, through a comparative and international perspective, with an understanding of: the criminal justice system and its changes introduced through the processes of internationalization and Europeanisation, at the same time highlighting the importance of the comparative approach; the constitutional principles in criminal matters and the foundational concepts of criminal law, the structure of its main principles and categories, the punishment and the classification of different penalties; the European criminal law developments, both regarding the legislation and the case law, as well as its influence on national criminal justice and law systems. Throughout this course, the theoretical framework is analyzed in the light of judicial decisions of national Constitutional Courts, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and, finally, the International Criminal Court. The course has 3 Parts. Part I: Internationalization of Criminal Law; Part II: International Criminal Law; Part III: Leading Case Law Analysis.

This course goes beyond the fundamentals of public relations emphasizing the concepts, theories, and techniques relevant to the Italian practice. The course explores three key areas of public relations: first, communication: its models, their evolution and what happens in Italy; second, cross-cultural perspectives/realities of communication media, public relations, and mass media; and third, marketing and advertising approaches, news writing, press releases, and social media management of Italian companies. The course presents a cross-cultural perspective and focuses on European and Italian attitude toward public relations, providing evidences and a hands-on experience. An additional concentration is on the business aspect of the label, in particular, on marketing, branding, and consumer behavior seen from both Italian and international perspective. Business case studies and site visits are part of the course. The course includes topics such as evolution of communications models and techniques, public relations, social media, communications and public opinion, ethics, organizational structures, tactics and strategies, employee relations, media relations, government relations, and public relations research.

This is a special studies course involving an internship with a corporate, public, governmental, or private organization, arranged with the Study Center Director or Liaison Officer. Specific internships vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. A substantial paper or series of reports is required. Units vary depending on the contact hours and method of assessment. The internship may be taken during one or more terms but the units cannot exceed a total of 12.0 for the academic year.

The course covers the main topics of social psychology and of the psychology of communication, modernized by reference to social relations mediated by new technology. The course addresses the classic, most influential concepts and models in social psychology and communication; the pioneer, landmark studies that made the history of these disciplines; and recent approaches to mediated communication. The course discusses topics including the main theoretical and methodological frameworks; social perception and reasoning; self-schemas, self-esteem and self-presentation; models and measures of attitudes; persuasion and social influence; group processes; prosocial behavior; and mediated interaction. The course requires students to have basic knowledge of research methodology in psychology as a prerequisite.