International Studies

This course provides an overview of the history of international relations from the Napoleonic Wars to the eve of World War I. The main objective of this course is to assist students in understanding the key elements of diplomatic history necessary to study contemporary world politics. The course also prepares students for upper-level courses in the Political Science and International Relations department. 

This entry-level course covers statistical analysis related to survey methodologies and statistical analysis tools such as R, Stata, and Python for data analysis as a general topic of international studies.  

Students learn various data analysis methodologies in the fields of international economy, international development cooperation, and international relations, and how to generate, interpret, and critically judge quantitative analysis results on major topics covered in those fields. 

This course is ideal for undergraduate students in international studies who want to apply econometric principles to real world data. It is particularly suited for those seeking to develop skills in R programming, including data cleaning, visualization, statistical modeling, and interpretation, to support independent research and future academic or professional endeavors. 

This course explores issues of economic development in a globalizing world. Today, trade policy is at the forefront of the development agenda, and it is a critical element of any strategy to fight against poverty. This renewed interest in trade liberalization does not come from dogma, but instead is based on a careful assessment of development experience over the last 50 years. This course examines how multilateral trade cooperation in the World Trade 2 Organization (WTO) helps developing countries create and strengthen institutions and regulatory regimes that will enhance the gains from trade and integration into the global economy. The course also surveys how the growth of regional trading blocs affects developing countries that are turning to regionalism as a tool for economic development. 

Prerequisite: Principles of International Commerce (Highly Recommended).

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. International Security (a.k.a Strategic Studies) is an established field within the International Relations discipline, focusing on the role and functions of military forces in international politics. More specifically, the course covers both theory and practice of war and warfare, with emphasis on the contemporary era. It is subdivided into two sections (of different lengths). The first part ("Strategic Theory", shorter) examines some of the principal "theories of war" (e.g. Sun Tzu & Clausewitz ). The first part provides the participants 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).

By the end of the course, students are able to: 1) Appreciate variation in conceptions of international security theories. 2) Understand the origins and evolution of mainstream theories on military strategy. 3) Understand the significance of alternative conceptions of national security for states' policies. 4) Develop an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of modern warfare in strategic international events. 5) Develop analytical skills to be applied to international security issues.

This course explores the origins, contemporary manifestations, strategies, impacts, and responses to extremism in Europe and the Americas, with a focus on right-wing examples. It examines the political, social, and cultural dimensions of these movements. The course also distinguishes extremism from related phenomena such as populism and nationalism, explores the motivations and ideologies behind extremism, and assesses the consequences for democracy and social cohesion in these regions. The course begins with a brief introduction to the definitions and distinctions surrounding extremism. In Section II, it takes a closer look at how extremism has developed in contemporary European and American contexts. Section III focuses on analyzing extremist ideologies and discourses, including propaganda and online strategies, through various case studies. Finally, in Section IV, it reflects on the social and political impacts of extremism, as well as the responses from governments and civil society. In terms of methodology, the course is taught through lectures, cross-sectional analysis, group discussions, and the use of primary and secondary sources alongside case studies. 

Throughout history, but more so in recent years, forced displacement has been one of the most difficult challenges facing the international community. To be effective, any efforts to address forced displacement need to be multi-sectoral. While refugee and forced migration studies have evolved over the years, contributing to a range of philosophical, political and interpretative theories, this course focuses on the protection and assistance of displaced persons in multilateral setting, through the lens of a former UNHCR staff member.  

As "Refugee and Forced Migration Studies" I and II are closely interlinked, it is strongly recommended for students to take both courses. These courses are useful for students who wish to pursue a career in the humanitarian field (UN, NGOs, NPOs etc.) in the future.

This course is an introduction to the theories and issues in the international public policy, focused primarily on economic policy, given how critical this issue is to domestic and international cooperation. In particular, the course examines the political, economic, and social conditions conducive to the development of cooperative behavior on a global scale. The main questions and puzzles in this sub-field, and the discipline's best answers to date, will be covered.

This course covers the concepts, paradigms, and explanations needed to become effective practitioners in culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse classrooms and schools. An important of goal of this course is to help future educators attain a sophisticated understanding of the concept of culture and to view race/ethnicity, gender, and class as interacting concepts rather than as separate and distinct. As a result, intersectionality, i.e., how race/ethnicity, gender and class are fluid variables that interact in complex ways is an overarching concept in this course. In doing so, the course integrates the content of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide students an opportunity to explore issues of inequalities and injustices related to race/ethnicity, gender, and class within their communities from a global perspective.  

The course collaborates with National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) through online interactions and Project-Based Learning (PBL) to facilitate participants’ understanding of local issues and current circumstances pertaining to race/ethnicity, gender, and social class in South Korea and Taiwan. Through PBL focusing on student-selected topics, participants from both societies will actively engage in intercultural collaboration and knowledge exchange, promoting social inclusivity and advancing SDGs grounded in principles of multicultural education and sustainable development. 

This course offers an in-depth exploration of quantitative text analysis methods for studying international relations. Students engage with advanced computational techniques, including text classification, topic modeling, and network analysis, to systematically examine textual data. The class places emphasis on methodological rigor, critical interpretation of results, and the application of these tools to address key research questions in the field. It is designed to equip students with the skills needed to conduct independent research using text as data.