International Studies

This course will seek to present the current state of health in the global health field, its role in improving the health of the population, and its future prospects with detailed data and  case studies. It covers global health-related concepts, including global health, global health governance, global health research, health diplomacy, etc. It introduces pecific practices in global health governance and global health practice in diffferent areas.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. At the end of the course, students:

• Understand the evolution and current state of BHR in international law.
• Assess the scope of States' obligations with respect to corporate activities.
• Explore the nature of corporate responsibility with respect to human rights and environmental standards.
• Evaluate corporate strategies for human rights due diligence.
• Develop skills to implement BHR frameworks in corporate governance.

The course content is divided into 9 parts:

I. Introduction to Business and Human Rights

II. The International Normative Framework: Framing State Obligations, Unfolding the Status of Companies in International Law

III. International Law Efforts to Regulate Corporate Activities

IV. The Role of Multi-Stakeholders Initiatives

V. State Obligations to Regulate Corporate Activities

VI. Corporate Rights Due Diligence (HRDD)

VII. Business, Human Rights and Climate Change

VIII. Business and Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

IX. Companies Operating in Conflict-Affected Areas

This course explores the causes of underdevelopment and the models of development. It offers a study of the international cooperation system for development while considering its dynamic nature and its evolution from 1945 to the present day. This course discusses the actors (primarily donors and recipients) and forms of cooperation involved. It considers why problems in areas such as food, health, education, democracy, and human rights exist and what solutions development cooperation offers. This course examines the main issues affecting current cooperation while taking into consideration the Millennium Development Goals.

This course offers an in-depth empirical analysis of key issues in contemporary world politics. It examines challenges of international cooperation in response to various growing global issues in the 21st century. Topics include: China and US relations; Post-Soviet Russia and the reconfiguration of Eurasian geopolitics; the European Union and the challenges of a common foreign and security policy.  

This course explores the intricate relationships between media, culture, and public discourse across global contexts. It delves into the concept of the public sphere as a foundational element of democratic societies, examining how media platforms and political actors shape public discourse and influence public opinion. Through a critical examination of both historical perspectives and contemporary challenges, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how global media operates within and impacts the public sphere.

This course introduces students to the forces that made, upheld, and unmade empires in modern global history (c. 1780-present). The course approaches empires in a global historical perspective, looking at them as frameworks of power and resistance, and identifying connections and comparisons. Transformations in world order is a central concern. The course begins with imperial expansion, resistance and independence movements during the global period of revolution and global war in the 1780s. It traces the growth and consolidation of formal and informal empire through conquest and trade in the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific, examining how changing conceptions of identity, race, nation, and belonging intersected with modes of political and economic power. The course also examines the impact of European imperial expansion on the empires of Asia and their transition from empire to nation-state in the international society of the 19th and 20th centuries. 

This course examines comparative political theories about political institutions and the characteristics of each type of institution. The main topics covered in the course are the presidential system, the parliamentary cabinet system, and the mixed system, as well as the working mechanisms of various electoral systems and their political impact. 

This course surveys political institutions—the “rules of the game”—in various democracies around the world.  An institution is a set of incentives/constraints that affect actors’ preferences and choices.  In order to investigate political behaviors and outcomes, it is essential to understand the effects of institutions.  

The course first introduces students to scientific approaches to analyzing the consequences of institutions.  Then, we discuss constitutional designs to solve the principal-agent (delegation) problem in representative democracies.  Next, we compare the varying effects of different political institutions, including parliamentarism versus presidentialism, federalism versus unitary government, majoritarian electoral system versus proportional representation, two-party versus multiparty systems, unicameralism versus bicameralism, direct versus representative democracy, and majoritarian versus consociational government. We also consider institutions in dictatorships.  Finally, given the consequences of institutions, we deliberate over the origin or the choice of institutions.    

This course examines the foundations of the modern Human Rights regime, and address important controversies for Human Rights, including, accusations of Western-Centrism; protections for gender and sexuality; and issues of self-determination.

This course introduces a comprehensive reflection on the Palestinian Question, taking into account the unique characteristics of each of its constituent issues, so that students gain clarity on how Palestine has been territorially and demographically constituted over the last two centuries, its place on the world political map before the establishment of Israel in 1948, and the subsequent progressive territorial and demographic transformations.

This course offers a multidimensional introduction to the global poverty challenge, examining how poverty is defined, measured, and addressed within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students explore poverty's intersection with global risks such as education disparities, gender inequality, migration, climate change and skills development among others. The course encourages students to investigate real-world poverty reduction projects by international organizations and features projects by the World Bank, UNESCO, etc. to address poverty in the areas of education and skills development.  

Students should expect to form groups and lead a session at a hypothetical international conference titled: “Global Conference on Poverty Solutions: Linking Practice and Evidence.” Each group will be responsible for organizing a panel discussion session to highlight a project implemented by international organizations to address global poverty among other goals.  Students will also write a policy brief based on international organizations’ projects or research related to poverty reduction.