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 requires basic knowledge of organic chemistry, general chemistry, and physical chemistry concepts as a prerequisite. The course explores topics including polymers and production processes from renewable sources, processes of recovery and recycling of polymeric materials, depolymerization and degradation of polymeric materials, production of biodegradable polymers, membranes and polymeric technologies, and composite materials for the environment and energy. The course includes a lab session where students work with biodegradable materials in order to understand their properties. Students prepare a lab report about this experience.

This course focuses on the basic elements of the history of anthropological research in the Americas. It provides a general overview of indigenous America and the tools to begin to undertake an ethnographic analysis of the indigenous Americas. The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, the topic of colonization is discussed, the category of “indigenous” is defined, and the issue of indigenous rights is exposed. In the second part of the course, some contemporary ethnographies are presented to understand the ethnographic analysis of the indigenous Americas.

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 offers, through theoretical references and case studies, the basic knowledge on the implementation of a complex urban project. The adopted design approach consists in working on urban space starting from the recognition of the structuring value of open spaces. The perspective assumed is that of the "reverse city" (Viganò) or the "soil project" (Secchi), and the design tools adopted in the urban dimension can be traced back to consolidated international experiences such as "landscape urbanism" (Waldheim) or "ecological urbanism" (Mostafavi and Doherty). Within this theoretical and methodological framework, the laboratory engages with the "Bologna green footprint" proposal, focusing on the dimension of open spaces and the structures of ecological networks across scales. Tools and materials are provided to the students for studying in-depth themes and sites assigned to each group, and developing the urban project. In the end, students learn the adequate knowledge of the principles, tools, and rules of urban planning and they are able to develop protection and transformation plans and projects in urban contexts, identifying the actions to be implemented by the subjects involved. Teaching methods include series of lectures, design exercises, and seminars.

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 will help students to develop a general vision of the relationships between Italian Literature and other Arts, from the nineteenth century to present, with a focus on painting. The course discusses the most relevant works of literature which interact with images and analyzes critical, theoretical, and literary texts regarding visual arts. In addition to the interactions between literature and the arts, the module introduces students to the following themes and areas for in-depth study: 1) the interaction between literature and the visual arts; 2) the issue of the gaze in literature; 3) iconology, the "visual turn" and the “pictorial turn;” and 4) literature and visual arts facing the crisis of modernity and postmodernity. In particular, the course delves into the intermedial influence of the visual arts (painting, illustration, and photography) and the reflection on the gaze in some works by Italo Calvino and Gianni Celati in the last decades of the 20th century.

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.