International Studies

This course studies the origin and evolution of national, ethnic and supranational identities, social and economic determinants of attitudes towards immigration, and the process of changing cultural values. Ethno-territorial conflicts in the contemporary world and the debate on the clash of cultures are covered, as well as the cultural dimension of regional integration processes, such as the case of the European Union.

This course provides a study of the main theories of conflict and violence, the evolution and determinants of interstate wars, intrastate conflict, and terrorism, conflict resolution, and peace keeping.

This course covers global issues and the impacts of the globalization on the East Asian countries. It examines the concept of globalization and discusses international and transnational Issues in East Asia. Topics include the globalization of world politics; its distinction from internationalization; the driving forces behind globalization; state sovereignty; environmental Issues; sustainable development; 1992 UN Conference; nuclear proliferation; properties that distinguish nuclear weapons from conventional forms; changes in the motivations for acquiring nuclear weapons; nuclear proliferation concerns that have stemmed from the dissolution of the Soviet Union; humanitarian intervention and values; European and regional integration; and the spread, function, and implications of nationalism.

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. This course examines: the conceptual and theoretical foundations of cybercrime research; the cutting edge empirical research on cybercrimes; the main tools and practices related to the prevention and countering of cybercrimes, and to their harm mitigation; the social challenges and implications of digitalization and datafication in the context of cybercrime research and investigations; and develops an approach to cybercrimes that recognizes the cross-disciplinary nature of the area. The course discusses topics including approaching and researching crime in cyberspace; crimes against devices; crime against persons; crimes of deception and coercion; intellectual property infringement; market-based crimes; political offences; cyberterrorism and radicalization; information pollution; disrupting and preventing cybercrimes; crimes of the present, crimes of the future; and researching crime in cyberspace.

This course examines fundamental questions about the nature of wars and conflicts in international politics through an interdisciplinary perspective. It incorporates insights from political science, anthropology, psychology, and history to better understand the current security environment and make sense of the phenomena of wars.

This course reflects on how the institutions, issues, actors, and practices of global environmental governance have evolved over the past half-century since the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, the first global conference on the environment. In addition, it explores the potential of current environmental governance systems to accelerate the social, economic, political, and ecological transformations for a sustainable future.

This course provides an overview of the academic field of international security. It is designed to provide students with a foundation in security studies with the aim of helping them develop their understanding of what international security is and think critically about explanations of international security. The course emphasizes peace and war among states, beginning with examining the realist paradigm (as a baseline argument) which has significantly influenced the discipline and policymakers. Reviewing key concepts and analytical perspectives, the course considers state behavior and security policy in the complex reality with reference to the Japanese case (and the Ukraine war as well).

This seminar provides students with an overview of international relations research with an emphasis on contending theoretical perspectives and some of the key empirical findings in the major issue areas of international politics. The readings include classics as well as more recent publications that illustrate ongoing areas of inquiry. The seminar’s primary purpose is to introduce and evaluate the main theories, arguments, and claims made and empirical findings produced by leading international relations scholars. Students also learn to identify interesting and important questions in the field, to think about ways in which research can be designed to get at these questions, and to ground their own research interests within the context of the broader theoretical and methodological issues in the field.

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. This course introduces the analysis of conflicts and international interventions providing an overview of major theoretical approaches and empirical applications in those fields. The course deals with the conceptual and methodological tools provided by academic literature and applies such concepts and methods to analysis of major conflicts and experiences of international interventions. The course starts by introducing the major strands of research that analyzed conflict onset and dynamics. Then, an overview of scholarship on interventions is presented and discussed. Finally, 6 seminars are devoted to the application of theories to the analysis of wars (and interventions) in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Colombia, the Sahel region, and Syria.

The diaspora of Chinese migrants is evident in the “Chinatowns” in major cities throughout the worldwide.  Their success have led others to describe Chinese migrants as “cosmopolitan” or “global citizens.” However, it is also true that Chinese migrants are an ethnic group that has involved in international politics and the volatility of national regimes. This course looks at Chinese migrants through different case studies and analyzes their narratives from political, economic, legal, and cultural angles to understand their relationship with global issues. Comparative studies with other diasporas are recommended.