University of Bologna

The course investigates how the cultural and creative industries (CCI) work and their capacity to generate economic value for all the stakeholders involved in conceiving, financing, producing, valorizing, releasing, and preserving the cultural goods. The analysis of the CCI business models and organization is integrated by the analysis of the public policies (at supranational, national, and local level) that regulate and support culture and the companies working in this sector.

The class includes meeting with professionals working in cultural companies or institutions and group work with final presentations during the final lectures. Student groups are asked to develop a crowdfunding campaign for a cultural initiative. At the end of the course, the student: knows the principles that regulate the demand and the supply of culture in the contemporary scenario; knows the mechanisms of private and public financing of culture; and is able to reconstruct the policies of support for cultural activities. 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. At the end of the course, the student: is able to understand the fundamental philosophical issues raised by law and their significance; has knowledge of legal-philosophical conceptions in their historical development, from their origins to contemporary perspectives, and can reconstruct how these conceptions provide answers to these issues; can critically evaluate the theoretical advantages and limitations of the various conceptions; possesses basic notions of legal theory and the theory of legal interpretation. The course consists of two parts:

• The first part (Conceptions of Law) introduces the three main conceptions of legal theory – natural law theory, legal positivism, and legal realism – and discusses their theoretical implications; then, some contemporary trends (law and economics, critical legal studies, and legal feminism) are introduced and discussed, also in connection with the traditional views.
• The second part (Hart: The Concept of Law) discusses in details H. L. A. Hart’s masterpiece “The Concept of Law” and its Postscript, also in the light of some contemporary debates in legal theory that derived from it: particularly the Hart-Dworkin debate, but also the debate on inclusive and exclusive legal positivism (Raz on authority).

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. 

At the end of the course the student understands the health-related behavioral determinants and has an overview of some recent policies aimed at improving the population's lifestyles. He/she has adequate knowledge of: 1) the demand for health and health capital; 2) the behavioral determinants leading to unhealthy outcomes such as obesity and addiction; 3) the trade-offs between health and welfare objectives; 4) the policies aimed at changing health-related behavior and lifestyles. The course combines theoretical analysis and discussion of case-studies on the following topics:

• The demand for health and health capital;
• The behavioral determinants leading to unhealthy outcomes such as obesity and addiction;
• The trade-offs between health and welfare objectives;
• Policies aimed at changing health-related behavior and lifestyles.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. By the end of the course, students are aware of the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of the European colonization of America and of its relationship with the early modern globalization. Students will be able to recognize the active role played by indigenous groups and individuals in the shaping of the emerging global world. At the end of the course, the student is able to contextualize the European conquest of America within a global historical and cultural framework, as well as to independently engage in the critical analysis of historical sources and early modern ethnographic records. The students are also able to deploy such analytical skills to professional activities linked with the popularization and public use of historical and anthropological knowledge. This course examines the cultural processes that unfolded during the European colonization of the Americas and their role in fostering Early Modern globalization. A special attention is devoted to the Mesoamerican cultural area.

Week 1 introduces the course and provides an overview of the European colonization of the Americas. Week 2 examines the impact of the conquest on early modern globalization, focusing on phenomena such as the Columbian Exchange, the international trade of American resources and the transatlantic slave trade. It also introduces Mesoamerica as a cultural area and, more specifically, the Late Postclassic Nahua world. Week 3 describes the Conquest of Mesoamerica and the political and economic structures of New Spain. One session this week is dedicated to a collective discussion of selected articles and book chapters provided by the instructor. Week 4 addresses the so‑called "spiritual conquest", the emergence of mestizaje across social and cultural domains, and the epistemological dimensions of colonialism, which at the same time extracts and downplays local indigenous knowledge. Week 5 considers the role of missionary‑ethnographers like Bernardino de Sahagún, the colonial origins of anthropological practices, and early modern conceptions of human difference as a formative stage in the development of racism and coloniality. 

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 focuses on the new digital techniques to investigate, document, analyze, and publicize monuments, sites, and archaeological landscapes. Students learn how to use GIS and Web-GIS systems, integrating information sources and mapping techniques. They will appreciate the value of the systematization and computerized management of archaeological data, databases, and interpreted restitution. They study the potential of digital applications for archaeological research, toward a three-dimensional documentation of contexts, serving also for dissemination purposes and public use. Students use digital techniques and tools appropriately in archaeology and are able to choose the most correct approach in relation to the case study or archaeological goal. The course discusses relevant aspects of digital archaeology, i.e., archaeological research conducted through methodologies and technologies derived from the digital revolution, with a critical perspective entrusted from time to time to the analysis of the most up-to-date scientific work.

In the first part of the course, the main basic elements of digital archaeology are discussed:

• Data in Archaeology: the archaeological record.
• Dealing with attribute data: the Database.
• Spatial data acquisition: survey in archaeology.
• Digital maps and the concept of scale.
• GIS

In the second part, some of the areas in which the elements discussed in the first part make a decisive contribution to the creation of new knowledge are presented through case studies based on the most recent scientific literature or currently ongoing projects:

• GIS between the Landscape and the Intra-site level
• GIS and Legacy Data Management
• 2D, 2.5D, 3D, 4D: the many dimensions of digital data
• Digital publication: WebGIS, multimedia publications of large excavation contexts
• Open Data, Big Data, FAIR Data
• Virtual Reality, immersive archaeology, gamification
• Reflexive archaeology

At the end of the course, the student possesses in-depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying genome editing methodologies in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and the main applications in biotechnology. In particular, the student is able to: 1) analyze and discuss topics concerning the basic mechanisms and applications of these methodologies; 2) understand and critically analyze the biomolecular literature.

This course covers: basic concepts concerning nucleic acids in the cell; chemical structure of nucleic acids; physical structures of DNA and RNA molecules; genetic code, genes and genomes; physical structure of genetic material: bacterial chromosomes (chromatin), eukaryotic chromatin, higher order chromatin structures; DNA recombination; the biological role of homologous recombination; molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination in bacterial cells and in eukaryotic cells; non-homologous recombination; site-specific recombination; mechanisms of DNA repair; types of DNA lesions; pathways and mechanisms of DNA repair: DNA photolyase, Nucleotide Excision Repair, Base Excision Repair, Mismatch Repair; repair mechanisms of DNA double-strand breaks: Nonhomologous end-joining and homologous recombination repair; conventional approaches used for genome-editing: homologous recombination, chemical methods and approaches based on homing endonucleases; genome-editing approaches based on modern methodologies using sequence-specific all-protein nucleases: mega-nucleases, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs); and genome-editing approaches based on methodologies using RNA-guided nucleases: Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-CAS systems).

The course includes an individual laboratory activity where the CRISPR-Cas9 system is used to specifically target and cleave a gene sequence of interest. The aim is to evaluate how introduced mutations affect target recognition and cleavage efficiency by the endonuclease.

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 is a problem-based introduction to probability and stochastic processes. No previous knowledge of probability is assumed, but knowledge of calculus in one or more variables is required.

The course is divided into 6 parts:

1. Axiomatic definition of probability. Uniform probability spaces. Counting methods: replacement, ordering. Conditional probability. Independence for events. The law of total probability. Bayes' rule.
2. Discrete random variables. Independence for random variables. Joint, marginal, and conditional densities. Common random variables and their interpretation: Bernoulli, discrete uniform, binomial, hypergeometric, geometric, Poisson, Pascal.
3. Expectation of discrete random variables. Variance and its properties. Expectation and variance of common random variables. Covariance and correlation. Variance of a sum. Null correlation and independence. Linear prediction.
4. Conditional expectation and its properties. Conditional Variance. Sigma-algebras, Continuous Random variables. The Uniform and Exponential distributions. Distribution functions and densities.
5. Marginal, joint and conditional densities. Gamma, Normal and Cauchy distribution. Derived Distributions: monotonic and general case. Conditional Expectation. Law of total expectation. Markov and Chebishev Inequalities.
6. Convergence of Random Variables. The Weak and Strong Laws of Large Numbers. Characteristic Functions and their properties. CF of a sum. CF of common random variables. The Central Limit Theorem.

At the end of the course the student has good knowledge of probability theory of discrete and continuous random variables. Particular attention is paid to the theory of stochastic processes, both diffusive and with jumps. The student masters the main techniques of stochastic calculus applied to finance, such as stochastic differential and integral domain and change of measure techniques.

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 advances students' knowledge in: 

• Developing knowledge and critical understanding of the most relevant models and theories of competitive and corporate strategy;
• Conducting structured strategic external and internal analyses considering both organizational performance, resources and capabilities, and the features of the competitive arena;
• Identifying and developing strategic options, applying appropriate models and frameworks, and evaluate their limitations;
• Evaluating contemporary and ethical issues that may impact upon strategic choices;
• Working collaboratively to develop, evaluate and present strategic recommendations to an international senior audience.

This course enables students to understand the prominent concepts and theories of competitive and corporate strategy. The study of the core elements of strategic management are combined with the development of the skillset to apply strategy models and tools to case studies from different industries, such as finance and banking arena, including the emergent fintech and digital companies. Students will have the chance to develop their collaborative skills in a role game as consultants to advise the management of a corporation.

Upon completion of the course, the student is able to: Understand the chemical and biological composition of soils and their importance for ecosystem functioning; explain the role of microbial biodiversity in biogeochemical cycles (C, N, P, S) and soil health; analyze the interactions between soil microorganisms, soil fauna and plants; assess the effects of global changes on soil biological functioning; use scientific concepts and terminologies to describe soil biological and biochemical processes and their environmental implications; and relate theoretical knowledge to case studies applied to sustainable management and climate change mitigation. Topics include: 

Soil Biochemistry and Functionality:
- Soil composition: organic and inorganic components.
- Chemical properties: pH, cation/anion exchange capacity, adsorption.
- Microbial enzyme activity and nutrient cycling (C, N, P).
- Role of organic matter in regulating ecosystem services.
- Strategies for soil management and climate resilience.
Soil Biology and Global Changes:
- Microbial biodiversity and interactions with soil fauna.
- Microbial regulation of biogeochemical cycles (C, N, P, S).
- Impacts of climate change, land use and pollution on soil biology.
- Role of soil in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage.
- Soil-climate feedback mechanisms.

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 provides students with an advanced knowledge of cellular neurobiology and molecular mechanisms of brain functions, as well as to make students able to apply this knowledge to specific aspects of nervous system physiopathology. This course is an overview of advanced topics in neurobiology and is designed to introduce and discuss the biological models, the techniques and the research strategies employed in this research field, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying the structure and function of the nervous system. The course is divided into three general topic areas: cell biology of the nervous system, molecular mechanisms in the brain functions, and their alterations in neuropathologies. At the end of the course, the student is able to: understand and discuss properly main aspects of nervous system physiopathology; read and comprehend scientific articles; use this neurobiology background for advances experimental purposes. The course content is divided as follows:

1. Advanced Methodological Approaches in Neurobiology: From optogenetics to neuroimaging, brain atlas.
2. In Vitro and In Vivo Models in Neurobiology: From primary cultures to brain organoids, with an introduction to related ethical issues.
3. Cellular Neurobiology: Cells of the nervous system, their interactions, and communication systems. Biology and physiology of neurons. Oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheath. Astrocytes and microglia.
4. Molecular Neurobiology: Biochemical, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying cognitive brain processes, such as synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory (from invertebrates to mammals).
5. Developmental Neurobiology: Molecular mechanisms underlying the origin of various CNS cell types, cell migration, axonal formation, synapse stabilization, activity-dependent CNS development, critical periods, and neural plasticity. Neural stem cells and adult neurogenesis.
6. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Brain–Environment Interaction: Gut–brain axis and circadian rhythm regulation.
7. Alterations in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology in Neuropathologies: Neurodegenerative diseases, prion disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neuropsychiatric diseases.