University of Padua

This module provides a general understanding of the history of tourism and history of infrastructures from the 15th to the 19th century, using primary sources and in particular travel accounts by foreign travelers in Italy. The course covers the following topics; pilgrimage, practices of travel between the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, travel infrastructures, Humanism and Renaissance: tourism before tourism, the birth of modern tourism, Venice as a case study, travel diaries and travel accounts, and spas and the birth of contemporary tourism. A section of the module (6 hours) will be dedicated to British travelers in Italy in the 16th-17th century, with a particular focus on the eclectic English architect Inigo Jones and his influence on the British and American cultural contexts and beyond.  

This course is broken up into five modules. Module one: Environmental Neuroscience; Defining "environment" and "natural environment;" how the brain perceives and responds to different environments, methodological and conceptual limitations of neuroscience in studying the human–environment relationship. Module two: The Impact of Environment on Humans; the concept of the exposome and cumulative environmental exposure, effects of environmental factors on brain function and neural processes, how environmental conditions shape brain structure over time, special populations: environmental effects on infants, older adults, and individuals undergoing neurorehabilitation, the consequences of pollution and climate change on physical and mental health,  psychophysiological responses to ecological crisis: eco-anxiety and related conditions. Module 3: The Human Impact on the Environment; psychosocial factors influencing pro-environmental behavior: social norms, diffusion of responsibility, stress, empathy, and perspective-taking, climate change and the limits of rational behavior: understanding cognitive and emotional barriers to action. Module 4: Environmental Sustainability and the Brain; neural correlates of sustainable behavior and reward processing, decision-making mechanisms in environmentally responsible choices, environmental activism: cognitive and emotional effects of engagement and advocacy. Module 5: Rethinking the Relationship: Environment as Subject, "plant blindness": cultural and perceptual neglect of plant life, plant cognition and behavior: emerging evidence of intelligent systems, bioethical and legal frameworks recognizing nature, ecosystems, and plants as subjects of rights. 

This advanced course addresses the ongoing theoretical and scientific crisis in psychotherapy research. It begins by presenting and critically discussing the evidence-based treatment (EBT) framework, its historical development, recent meta-analytic findings, and its epistemological and methodological limitations. Particular attention is given to the historical, cultural, and methodological challenges of studying psychodynamic psychology within this framework. On these grounds the course  introduces the current effort in literature of pushing the field from its current state of caucus-race, toward individualized treatment and prevention practices. These efforts emphasize repeatable phenomena, causal evidence, and falsifiable theories, while remaining compatible with the unique demands of studying interpersonal relationships between reflective, self-updating individuals. To this end, the course offers a critical reinterpretation of core psychodynamic constructs, such as conflict, resistance, and defense mechanisms, reframing them in light of leading paradigms in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, and infant research. These contemporary perspectives are used to revise and extend Freud’s theory based on decades of experimental evidence. Central attention is given to Karl Friston’s Free Energy Principle and the Bayesian brain model built upon it, as well as computational semiotics, the Dynamic Complex Systems framework, and recent advances in Attachment Theory, particularly regarding epistemic trust and mentalization. The course provides students with foundational knowledge of scientific literature in the field of psychotherapy, as well as the ability to engage with it critically. Furthermore, students are equipped with conceptual tools to develop a critical stance toward clinical models, their effectiveness, integration, and application in clinical practice. Students acquire advanced theoretical tools from an interdisciplinary framework and are trained to apply them to clinical cases, particularly in the context of case formulation. 

The course consists of two parts: General and Thematic. The general part, will answer the question "What is global history?" and will critically discuss the methodological approaches that belong to the realm of global history. Specific topics will be examined from this perspective, including labor, social and women's movements, migration, empires, cities and global events such as the First and Second World Wars but also the 1968 and 1989. The thematic party, focuses on part on the global history of genocide, mass crimes, and war crimes in order to understand the dynamics, differences and complexities of mass violence in the 20th century. The first section of this part will be devoted to the “invention” of the concept of genocide, its difference with war crimes and mass crimes, while the second section will be devoted to an in-depth study of some case studies. 

The course deepens the understanding of how genetic factors and experience with the physical and social environment, acquired throughout development, interact in shaping the brain's neural circuits, as well as the mind and behavior. This course covers, the main theories of the development of the human mind and brain, behavioral and neuroimaging techniques and methods for developmental research, recent empirical findings on the development of perception, learning, social cognition, and other aspects of development, artificial intelligence models such as Large Language Models as models of learning (similarities and differences with human learning), and relevance of scientific findings for policy and decision-making in families and schools. Students should be familiar with General Psychology, Cognitive Developmental Psychology and the basics of Cognitive Neuroscience. 

This course explores the role of English as a global language and its impact on communication, culture, and identity, with a specific focus on plurilingualism. Students will critically examine the historical, social, and linguistic aspects of English as it has spread worldwide. The course will also address the challenges and opportunities plurilingual speakers encounter in using English as a tool for international communication. By the end of this course, students will understand the historical development and global role of English, including key theoretical frameworks such as World English's and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Develop intercultural communication skills and critically reflect on how English interacts with cultural identity, multilingualism, and power dynamics in diverse global contexts. Analyze the sociolinguistic, political, and educational implications of English’s global spread, and reflect on its impact on local languages, language policies, and future trends.

The course provides an introduction to Linguistics, the scientific study of language, with the objective to allow student to better understand the dynamics involved in verbal communication. In particular, students acquire basic knowledge about speech sounds and their mental representation, words' morphological structure, word-formation processes, semantic relations, and the composition of the lexicon, with examples relating primarily, but not exclusively, to English and Italian. In addition, students are given the tools needed to recognize and classify linguistic variation, and to identify the main factors involved in transmitting and decoding non-literal meanings. Finally, some essential linguistic profiles are drafted, and in doing so students learn to recognize salient linguistic features and learn methodologies useful to critically analyze texts. 

Prerequisite: A fair understanding of psychological constructs like intelligence, cognitive functions. General knowledge about neuropsychological assessment.

At the end of the course students have critically understood: how to compare the major approaches to the study of cognitive functions from an individual differences perspective; the experimental methods used to study individual differences, and more specifically intelligence and cognitive functioning at individual level; the importance of individual differences in different cognitive domains.

Course topics include: Introduction to the study of individual differences in cognition. Must-know concepts in personality, intelligence, neuropsychology & research methodology; The paradox of individual differences: study what is common to understand what is not. Difference between nomothetic and idiographic approach; Relation between individual characteristics and cognitive functioning; "hot" intelligence and performance; Evolutionary approaches to the study of human cognition; Individual specificities in cognitive functioning. Single case studies and group studies. The role of normative data for determining normal performance. Premorbid intelligence. Cognitive reserve; Role of culture, personality, education, age and lifelong experiences on individual cognition; Graphical representation of individual differences; Domain-specific and domain-general individual differences.