University of Bologna

The course offers an introduction to Italian culture and history and focuses on both the city of Bologna and Italy as a nation. The course emphasizes basic knowledge of crucial aspects of the Italian cultural heritage across different disciplines and an awareness of the complexities of Italian history and society. The course is interdisciplinary in nature with weekly guest lectures on a variety of topics. The course is graded pass/no pass only.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale Program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. Strategic Studies is an established field within the International Relations discipline. Specifically, the course covers both theory and practice of war and warfare, with emphasis on the contemporary era. It is subdivided into two sections. The first part, “Strategic Theory,” examines some principal theories of war. The first part provides students with the relevant analytics tools to attend the second part, “the Tools of Warfare,” which is devoted to the application of those theories to modern warfare as well as an examination of the principal military doctrines, the weapons of mass destructions, and irregular warfare (insurgencies, guerrilla, and terrorism).

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intrended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by concsnt of the instructor. The course provides an overview of the different approaches and institutions available to identify the rules governing banking, financial, and insurance relationships, given the existence of relevant differences in national legal systems. In this regard, it provides an overview of the following topics: the regulation of financial conglomerates; the multi-level and multi-source model of the regulatory framework; the fundamentals of corporate governance and corporate compliance in financial institutions; special characteristics of the banking and insurance sectors in the light of systemic risk; the new regulation of the insurance market according to the Solvency II directive; the effects and characteristics of the 2007-08 global financial crisis; banking and insurance contracts; basic notions of Risk Management and Compliance; the single European market and third countries; supervision at national level and supervision of cross-border activities; insurance intermediaries; policyholder protection; and international insurance programs. Some insights on data protection and privacy in commercial disputes is provided, as well as on Fintech, Insurtech, smart contracts, and blockchain.

The course has 2 parts A and B. Students must take both parts. No partial credit is possible. Students who complete a paper on a pre-approved topic are awarded 1 extra quarter unit per part. Maxim units for this course are 12. (6 units per part.) The course focuses on 20th century Italian literature with special attention to sociological, anthropological, and philosophical questions. The course highlights general notions in critical theory and textual analysis including formal, structural, and compositional elements as well as the question of reception. Special attention is placed on a selection of modern and contemporary literary texts related to Italian and European traditions. The course examines topics including like animated magic, music in 20th century Italian literature, and the presence of music: structural, thematic, and stylistic elements. Course Part A focuses on poetry, including works such as THE FLAME by Gabriele d'Annunzio, LYRICAL FRAGMENTS by Clemente Rebora and Frammenti lirici, WAR VARIATIONS by Amelia Rosselli and Variazioni belliche, and THE WALL OF THE EARTH, THE FREE HUNTER, and THE COUNT OF KEVENHÜLLER by Giorgio Caproni. Course Part B focuses on prose, including works such as A PRIVATE MATTER by Beppe Fenoglio, and A POSTMODERN WEEKEND CHRONICLES FROM THE EIGHTIES by Pier Vittorio Tondelli.

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course provides a historical overview of the major figures of Italian Renaissance architecture from 1400 to 1600—including Brunelleschi, Alberti, Bramante, Raphael, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Michelangelo, Peruzzi, Giulio Romano, Sanmicheli, Sansovino, and Palladio, as well as an outlook on a selection of European Renaissance architects. The architects are analyzed within the cities or countries they operated and are compared with the cultural, social, and political local context. The second part of the course is an overview on a selection of European courts and on the role of humanistic architecture at the dawn of colonialism. Issues such as local antiquities, revival and survival, rules and license, theory of architecture, drawings, and graphic conventions are addressed throughout the course.

The course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. Combining the fields of migration studies and labor studies, the course introduces students to social issues connected with the Chinese presence in Africa and the African presence in China. The relationship between China and African countries is at the center of heated debates with Chinese investments, infrastructure construction, job creation, and raw material appropriation in Africa often portrayed in binary terms: China is either pitched as a predator and the new imperialist power in Africa, or else celebrated as a friend offering to the African counterpart a win-win cooperation. This takes place against a global background in which scholars and pundits alike are increasingly forced to take a stand as non-partisan analysis is in vertical decline and views on China have rapidly polarized. Using images and videos, the course offers a nuanced discussion of the many facets of the Chinese presence in Africa. At the same time, it delves into the action of African states, and agency enacted by African elites and the populace in relation to the Chinese presence and activism on the continent. The Chinese presence in Africa is not analyzed in isolation but is discussed in the framework of the “global China” phenomenon, visible in China's increasing outward flows of investment, loans, migrants, infrastructure, media, and international engagement. Additionally, the course also offers an introduction to visual sociology as a tool that enables students to elaborate sociological interpretations of the visual materials presented. Specific topics include: racialization and intersectionality in Africa-China Encounters; China in Africa; Chinese Soft Power; Chinese and African Labor in Africa; the gold rush in Ghana; China as a model for Africa; the African Perspective; development, aid, and the reproduction of dependency; and Africa in China.

Please note course extends into January, available for year students only. The course focuses on the relationship between plants and environment and the implications for society. Different aspects of the modern or alternative use of plants is analyzed. Special attention is placed on associating structural and functional characteristics of plants with their influence on environmental and economic sustainability as well as human health. The laboratory associated with the course focuses on how science (in particular plant biotechnology) is the basis for technology and knowledge regarding the use of plants in modern society. Students are encouraged to pursue personal interests connected to the course. The course discusses topics including cell cultures of plant tissues and organs, transgenic plants, plants and food, alimurgic plants, dyeing plants, phytoremediation, the plants as bio-indicators of pollution; urban plants as bio-indicators of climate change, positive and negative interactions of plants with human artifacts (monuments and architectural works), palynology, plants as a source of energy., biorefineries, and bioplastics. To be able to attend the laboratory, students must possess laboratory safety certification (completion of Modules 1 and 2 of the laboratory safety certification) at Unibo.

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 year.

At the end of the course students understand and apply the main financial principles and concepts: they understand why and how financial intermediation exists, how the basics of mathematical finance should be applied in the evaluation of financing contracts and financial instruments; how to invest in a portfolio, taking into account both expected returns and risks; and how the monetary policy is related to what they learn in this course, and how to interpret the current issues on financial markets. The course addresses the following topics: principles of finance, financial equivalence, banking services, mortgage evaluations and amortization, principles of valuation, basic financial instruments and their pricings, uncertainty and risk measures, risk and return relation in financial markets, capital asset pricing model, and investment portfolios and performances.

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course explores the genetic, epigenetic, and genomic mechanisms governing microbial physiology in a changing environment which includes selective pressure by antibiotics, vaccines, pollution, and climate. The molecular basis of the virus-host interaction is also discussed. The laboratory activity familiarizes students with molecular approaches to generate recombinant organisms, and assesses the impact of viral activity on the host’s metabolism.