University of Bologna

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. The course is graded P/NP only. The course covers the main skills related to data communication: design of a data communication product, from the sourcing and interpretation of data to their graphic representation; and the creation of data visualizations, charts, and dashboards using the main tools of the industry. For both of these points, there are practical exercises, to gain mastery in specific data visualization tools or to favor a creative design process. The course discusses key topics related to these two skills, such as: evaluating accessibility and inclusivity of data communication products; the elements of visual and info design; audience-driven design; perception and bias, and their influence in data communication; exercises of creativity in the representation of data; a focus on maps and geo data; and a critical evaluation of data visualizations, to improve the efficiency and clarity communication products.

This course focuses on the principles of micro-economic analysis, particularly, the concept of economic rationality as it applies to individuals and firms, and the analysis of how price and quantity are set under different market structures. Moreover, students are introduced to topics addressed in more detail including the form of utility and production functions, and rational decision making and intertemporal choice in the face of uncertainty. Implications for the behavior and organization of firms is highlighted throughout. The course covers 5 topics: introduction to the concepts of market and economic rationality, consumer theory, market equilibrium, producer theory, and the concepts of externalities and public goods.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. At the end of the seminar the student obtains good knowledge of the Italian grammar and good abilities of oral exposure and writing. The student is able to make appropriate linguistic choices in every kind of communicative situation. The student is be able to understand the academic Italian in relation to the degree course and to actively participate during the lessons. The seminar is structured in the following activities: improvement of Italian grammar and language; analysis of literary texts and essays, and reading and analyzing in Italian language; improvement of the oral exposure (comprehension and production); production of "professional" writings (self-presentation; letter of reference; institutional e-mail; presentation of cultural projects; and papers and essays); and comment and analysis of books, movies, shows and art exhibitions. Students must have completed the equivalent of two or more years of university-level Italian language study as a prerequisite for this course.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. This course focuses on advanced and comprehensive knowledge of the main, up-to-date econometric methods for the analysis of economic and financial time series data. In terms of inference techniques, emphasis is given to up-to-date bootstrap methods. The course discusses how to analyze the application of advanced econometric models to economic time series data, and how to implement and make use of proper (asymptotic and bootstrap) inference methods in dynamic environments. The course is divided into two parts: part I introduces stylized facts of financial time series and conditional volatility models including estimation, inference, and applications; and part II discusses asymptotic and Bootstrap inference in time series.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. At the end of the course, students know basic numerical methods for evolutive ordinary and partial differential problems, together with their main theoretical and computational properties. In particular, students are able to analyze the properties of numerical methods; constructively examine corresponding computational results; advance their scientific computing education in higher level courses; and employ the acquired numerical skills in a variety of application areas. The two main topics covered are: 1) numerical solution of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs): Initial Value Problems; and 2) numerical solution of ODEs: Boundary Value Problems.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. The course aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the complex phenomenon of climate change, as well as an understanding of the main interdependencies between the economic and political aspects and the local, supranational, and global dimensions. At the end of the course, students are able to: a) identify the main consequences on some areas of the economy, society, and international politics; b) describe the origins and evolution of international agreements and programs aimed at addressing the problem of climate change; c) understand the impact of climate change on different regions/areas of the world; and d) critically analyze the effects of climate change on political and economic development, with particular attention to the impact on poverty. Course contents include: an introduction to development and climate change; observed and projected impacts of climate change; climate change diplomacy: history and development of international climate change agreements; climate change mitigation; vulnerability to climate change and adaptation; climate action in the context of the Sustainable Development Agenda; and climate justice and equity: intergenerational and gender perspectives.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides in-depth knowledge of European legal foundations, their origin in Roman law, and their subsequent development in Common law and Civil law. Under this framework, the Roman Law's heritage in modern legal systems is investigated, working backward in search of the common legal bases on which the harmonization projects in the European law lays on. In this context the course investigates the persistence of rules and principles of roman law in the present system, working backward in search of the common legal bases that are the basis of the unification of the private projects in contemporary law. At the end of the course, students understand the roots of the European legal traditions, and in particular, they the legal rationale of institutions such as contracts and obligations and their differences under various national contexts.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. The course discusses the fundamental principles of the relational data model and of the relational database management systems. In particular, the course examines the structure of a relational database, the integrity constraints on data, and the SQL query language. Course contents include: data modelling, database management, language to query databases, and data analysis.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. This course explores the main theories, concepts, and approaches developed by social studies of science and technology (STS), and analytically compares them and discusses their pros and cons. The course examines basic issues about the materiality of and governance by data infrastructures, and their social and philosophical implications. Students develop experience in designing research on data infrastructures. Throughout the course, interactive moments are devoted to developing empirical research design skills, ranging from research question design to research methodologies. Such moments are finalized to support the STS research design to be submitted as part of the course assessment. The last week of the course focuses on data infrastructures and addresses some sociopolitical implications of data infrastructures. All topics are tackled by reading, presenting, and commenting on leading international literature and empirical case studies.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. This course explores the prominent concepts and theories of competitive and corporate strategy. The study of the core elements of strategic management is 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 develop their collaborative skills in a role game as consultants to advise the management of a corporation. At the end of the module, students develop an understanding of the most relevant models of company competitive analysis and strategy and are able to identify key factors for organizational performance. Students learn how to set up necessary actions to attain organizational goals in international markets.