University of Bologna

The course focuses on the methods of gender studies and applies them to the context of medieval historiography. For this purpose, the course highlights narrative sources, legislation, treatises, literature, and iconography. Students are required to write a short paper demonstrating the use of the tools of historical research and communication, and the ability to customize one's own learning path. This course covers the multiple aspects of female monasticism in the Early Middle Ages through the analysis of narrative sources, charters, and iconography. The course illustrates the problem of the representation of female monasticism during the Early and Central Middle Age period. The use of conceptual tools in gender history allows students to identify the shapes assumed in the specific historical contexts through the construction of the social identity of individuals, both male and female.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have a strong background in media studies and communication. The course focuses on mass media products using the specific tools of semiotic analysis. The course offers an introduction to the notion of the semiotic gaze applied to the media and the role of this gaze as a cultural phenomenon. The course includes a description of the main elements of contemporary media textuality and the increasing, yet ambivalent, process of media convergence, integration and transformation of media contents and forms. Attention is placed on the semiotic mechanisms able to generate links and connections between media objects and environments (games and videogames, TV series, fandom), and to activate a semiotic crossover that expresses itself in narrative, discursive and interactive dimensions. The course concentrates on concrete examples of audiovisual media texts and practices that are analyzed with different semiotic tools and concepts (from the specific dimensions of media textuality to the notions of media genre and format). The ultimate aim is the development of a semiotic gaze on both media-specific elements (the construction of the visible, the audible, rhythms and the syncretism of languages), as well as the relation between media textuality and experience. A special section of the course is devoted to the ways in which contemporary media texts and genres construct gender identities and the intersectionality with elements of race, color, class, age, and disabilities. Required readings include: SEMIOTICA DEI MEDIA. LE FORME DELL'ESPERIENZA MEDIALE and LA CONDIZIONE POSTMEDIALE. MEDIA, LINGUAGGI E NARRAZIONI by R. Eugeni, I MEDIA: STRUMENTI DI ANALISI SEMIOTICA by P. Peverini, MULTI TV. L'ESPERIENZA TELEVISIVA NELL'ETÀ CONTEMPORANEA by M. Scaglioni and A. Sfardini. After the first introductory week, students are invited to prepare class presentations based either on theoretical/methodological questions (related to the required readings), or on the application of different semiotic tools to specific case-studies. Assessment in the course is based on an oral exam and a paper on one of the topics discussed in class (i.e. forms of textuality and media practices, format and genres relating to gender and intersectional identities).

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The student is expected to master the urban transformations in Europe in the 19th century. In particular, the student is expected to: learn theories and methods for reading and planning the historic cities and cultural landscapes; understand about the preservation of the historic cities as an asset for cultural and economic development; understand how the historic cities and landscapes can be objects of interest for cultural institutions.

This course explores the conservation and regeneration of urban heritage within a broader urban and planning framework. It focuses on two interrelated thematic axes:

• The recognition of historic cities and settlements as cultural heritage, where conservation and revitalization have gained global relevance in planning and development agendas. These heritage assets increasingly serve as catalysts for cultural tourism, the creative economy, and related activities.
• The reciprocal relationship between urban heritage conservation and regeneration, and the role of cultural institutions and practices as key drivers of community-based and sustainable development.

The examination of these themes offers a platform for critical reflection on the evolving definitions of heritage and value, and the implications of these shifts for conservation planning. These planning approaches—adopted by national and local governments and supported by international agencies—are critically assessed in light of the growing demand for a holistic, integrated understanding of heritage, particularly in response to environmental change. In addition to establishing a solid theoretical foundation, the course provides an overview of prevailing methods and tools in conservation planning. These are contextualized through relevant case studies drawn from Italy and other international settings. Key topics will be addressed through lectures and seminars, including: Urban Planning and Heritage Conservation; The "Patrimonialisation" of the Historic City; The Landscape Approach in Urban and Territorial Planning; Urban Heritage and Sustainable Development; International Frameworks for Urban Conservation; Methods of Value Assessment; Public Engagement and Participatory Planning; Urban Heritage in Contexts of Crisis; and Culture as a Driver of Urban Regeneration.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course content is divided into three distinct parts. The first part of the course discusses the evolution of the discipline from Human Computer Interaction to User Experience Design, focusing on the human, the computer, and their interaction. The second part of the course is on usability analysis and design, topics include a systematic discussion of the techniques and standards for the management of the process of user experience design, with particular attention to the phases of usability analysis (with and without the participation of users), and the user- and goal-oriented usability design methodologies. The third part of the course examines the guidelines, patterns, and methods for usability design. During this section the course discusses, with historical aspects, the framework on which the concrete aspects of usability design is based, and strong attention is given to the problem of usability for web applications and mobile apps.

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level student. Enrollment is by consent of instructor. This course provides an overview of the basic tools used by health economists for their empirical investigations, the linear regression model for the analysis of cross-sectional data, and under what conditions the estimated relationship has a causal interpretation. Drawing on critical discussion about some micro-economic applications, the student receives specific data to practice at the computer and learn the basic skills to perform empirical work using the software STATA. At the end of the course, the student is able to understand scientific articles using the linear regression model and is also able to perform their own analysis with this tool. The course discusses topics including an introduction to econometric methods, data, and STATA; simple and multiple regression models (advanced); and a variety of data issues.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who already have a strong background in literature and critical theory. The course focuses on the institutions of literature, the relationship between text and context, and the dynamics of literary communication and its political, ideological, socio-economic and editorial influence. The course explores the use of critical tools and forms of investigation that belong to the field of sociology and applies them to literature. Emphasis is placed on the thematic and sociological components of literary texts. The topic for the Spring 2018 semester is: The Other Nation–The Italian Migration. The course is divided in 6 sections with assigned readings: history of migrations, migration and literature, novels, new migrations; the question of Brain Drain, narrations. The course includes visual materials and a guest speaker series with international experts in the field of migration and authors who have addressed the question of migration in their writings. Assessment in the course is based on a final oral exam.

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 historical development of consumer capitalism, the fundamental elements of contemporary sociological theories of consumer action, and the main issues related to the politics of consumer culture. Emphasis is placed on how theories work in practice, by addressing key contemporary empirical phenomena in the sphere of consumption, with particular attention to social boundaries and social identities, commercial institutions, and the new challenges posed by environmental issues and the process of globalization/localization. The course aims at providing a theoretically informed sociological understanding of contemporary consumer cultures and practices. While adopting an interdisciplinary outlook, it deals mainly with the sociology of consumption, concentrating on contemporary social phenomena of global relevance. The course begins with a discussion of the historical development of so-called consumer capitalism, highlighting the relevance of urbanization, colonialism, changes in social stratification (class, gender) and international commerce. It then focuses on the most important theories of consumer action, considering how economics, sociology, and anthropology have provided several distinctive perspectives on the functions, meanings, and mechanisms of consumption. Finally, the course considers the politics of consumer culture and addresses cultural industries as a vehicle for hegemonic views of the “consumer,” commercially mediated spaces as institutional contexts for a variety of dominant or alternative consumer practices and identities, and the process of globalization/localization that takes place through the global standardization of commodity chains and alternative, locally grounded market circuits.

The course provides fundamental and exhaustive knowledge regarding the main aspects of astronomy and astrophysics, including up-to-date topics (e.g. extrasolar planets and astrobiology, black holes, dark matter, dark energy). The course focuses on the following main topics: from positional astronomy to the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. Topics covered include: basic spherical astronomy (solid angle, great circle, spherical triangles, shape and size of the Earth, Eratosthenes experiment), terrestrial coordinates (latitude, longitude), celestial coordinates, Doppler effect, perturbation of coordinates (precessions, nutation, parallax, proper motion, aberration), the motion of planets (including historical background), the Kepler laws, the Earth (properties, seasons, tides), the Moon (properties, motion), solar and lunar eclipses, the Solar system (planets), and notions on extrasolar planets, the electromagnetic spectrum, astronomical observations (terrestrial atmosphere, astronomical sites, seeing, adaptive optics), telescopes (reflection and refraction optics, submm-mm, radio, space telescopes, HST, Herschel, Planck, X-ray telescopes), astronomical data (images, spectra), radiation from astrophysical objects (luminosity, spectra, flux, 1/r^2 law), apparent magnitudes and Pogson law, color indices, extinction and atmospheric extinction, absolute magnitudes, black-body radiation, Planck, and Wien laws, relation between black-body and color indices, Stefan-Boltzmann law, atoms and radiation (electronic transitions, hydrogen atom, types of spectra, emission and absorption lines, continuum spectra, emission nebulae, 21 cm transition, basic thermodynamics), the classification of stars and relation with black-body, types of stellar spectra and absorption lines, luminosity classes, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, binary stars (visual, photometric, spectroscopic, astrometric), mass of visual binary stars, the luminosity-mass relation, the four equations of stellar structure, energy transfer mechanisms, energy production in stars and timescales, thermonuclear reactions, proton-proton chain, CNO cycle, triple-alpha reaction, stellar evolution (HR diagram, time on main sequence, mass and internal structure), open and globular clusters, age estimate with HR diagrams evolution of low-mass stars, evolution of high-mass stars (Novae, Supernovae, Pulsars, Black Holes), interstellar medium (gas phases, composition, types of nebulae, H II regions, molecules, dust, star formation, chemical enrichment), our galaxy (properties, structure, components, observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, stellar populations, spiral structure, star formation, differential rotation, bulge, rotation curve, dark matter, central black hole, the local Group), galaxies (Hubble classes, colors, spectra, Schechter function, luminosity functions, spirals, ellipticals, starbursts, merging, large scale structure, groups, clusters, galaxy formation), supermassive black holes and active galaxies, basic cosmology (Hubble law, age of the Universe, Big Bang, cosmic microwave background, large scale structure, density parameter, dark matter, dark energy, possible destiny of the Universe). Required reading: FUNDAMENTAL ASTRONOMY by H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen.

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.

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 principles of health care organization and policy in a comparative perspective. The course analyzes the evolution and contemporary state of health care systems in different Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The course covers the following: the evolutionary path of OECD health care systems; main models of health care funding including the differences between tax based models, SHI-models, and models based on voluntary insurance; models of health care provision; health care reforms over the last decades; and health policy and politics.