International Studies

This course focuses on the representation of Hispanic culture in Japan.  The course widens knowledge of artistic, sociological and political issues  in Spain and Latin America. The course offers the opportunity not only to revisit familiar topics, such as the Spanish Inquisition, the Spanish Civil War, and flamenco, but also to gain new knowledge of little-known literary works, such as the Spanish versions of Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare’s Spanish contemporary, Lope de Vega.

This course examines Korean development and capitalism from the political economy perspective, exploring how Korean capitalism emerged, what pathway it has taken, and how it will continue to evolve. This course covers various topics in the international and domestic political economy such as economic growth, culture and network, international investment and trade, democratization, globalization, the currency crisis in 1997 and the economic crash of 2008, institutional change and economic reform, restoring democracy in 2016-2017, global pandemic, social justice, and fairness. The main focus is on the roles and interests of governments, businesses, civil society, and foreign investors.

The course is designed to provide fundamental knowledge of International Relations (IR). This class would be an essential pre-requirement for other advanced IR courses. For instance, the course covers key concepts like the three-isms in IR theory and strategic interactions, to enable understanding and analysis of international relations. The course also provides an overview of basic international history and background information to comprehend ongoing international conflicts and cooperation.

Thomas Friedman predicted in his famous book “The World is Flat” that the advancement of IT would blur the borders and boundaries on this planet so everyone in the world, wherever they are and whatever they do, would be locked into the global supply chain and therefore the global competition, whether they like it or not.

His prediction seems accurate in that now everyone is a part of a so-called globalized economy. Business processes are being standardized across borders, and people have begun to speak a common language, i.e., English. The world would be a much more homogeneous place if globalization continued at this pace.
 

But are we really living in such a monotonous world? Despite globalization, our life, both professional and private, is full of surprises, discoveries, misunderstandings, and even conflicts, arising from cultural differences worldwide. This is partly because globalization has brought in more participants than ever to the world arena, and each participant behaves upon the values of their own home culture. Indeed, there are a variety of cultures in play in this seemingly globalized world.
 

This course tries to address the issue of globalization in two aspects: 1) English as a Lingua Franca, and 2) cultural diversity. The first half of the course examines how the business world is linked by the global common language, i.e., English, from a standpoint slightly different to the traditional one. In the second half, the course explores the world as a culturally diverse place, that will hardly cease to exist in the coming future.

This seminar provides students with an introduction to the study of contemporary Chinese political economy. The early sessions of the course will place China’s economic development in global historical context before examining the characteristics of the Maoist command economy as well as reformers’ approach to marketization after 1978. Later sessions will focus on current issues relating to the state’s efforts to establish a sustainable, equitable and innovative economy. The final sessions examine China’s role in an increasingly turbulent global economy. Working closely with the instructor, students will write a research paper on a topic related to the contemporary Chinese political economy.

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 provides an understanding of key issues involved in environmental politics, from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Environmental issues are critically discussed, with particular reference to the role and responsibilities of great powers in the international politics of climate change, power inequality, and the global ecological crisis. Students acquire and learn: 1) the essential conceptual, theoretical, and methodological tools necessary to tackle and understand environmental issues; 2) knowledge regarding the major interpretations of environmental security; 3) basic knowledge about major environmental powers (United States, China, European Union, India, Brazil, Russia) and international institutions and issue areas (UN Security Council, multilateral environmental agreements, international climate leadership, coal politics); and 4) how to apply the acquired tools to the analysis of concrete cases.

This course examines transnational global climate change developments through the lens of broader debates about transnationalism in world politics. It explores how and under what conditions sub-national and non-state actors such as cities, corporations, NGOs, and Indigenous peoples have become central to global efforts to address climate change. The course also considers the diverse forms of transnational governance led by these actors and the relationship of these initiatives to multilateral treaties and other state-based forms of climate change regulation. It reviews efforts to assess whether transnationalism contributes to a more effective global response to climate change and reflects on the normative issues raised as transnational actors and forms of governance become more deeply embedded in global climate politics.

This course is designed to assist students who seek to bring cross-cultural theory and research into their business practices in order to develop the intercultural competence necessary to interact confidently and successfully with Japanese businesspeople. Theoretical discussions and intercultural sensitivity workshops are included in this course to achieve these goals. The comparative approach allows for examining how people practice business differently, depending on explicit and implicit sets of general cultural assumptions, rules, norms, and values. The course aims to understand cultural differences in businesspeople’ s attitudes towards work, companies, and the relationship between individuals (colleagues or co-workers and clients/customers) and organizations (counterparts or partners). The course also seeks to understand possible cultural roots of Japanese business practices and behavior, highlighting phenomena that are only indirectly observable, such as harmony, loyalty, discipline, patience, respect for senior staff, and the importance of moderation.

A good mixture of lectures, class discussions, and workshops comprise the activities of this course.

The institution and the development of international organizations constitutes a major phenomenon of contemporary international society. This course introduces the law of international organizations including their constituent treaties; the role of states within them; the functioning of their components; and the methods of production and implementation of the law they offer. The course also reflects on the functions of international organizations within contemporary international society to discuss if they are places of governance, regulation of the international community, or simple mechanisms structured by coordination of the interstate relations.

This interdisciplinary course explores classic literature and contemporary perspectives on reproduction from the perspectives of history, sociology, anthropology, and law. It examines the crucial role reproduction plays in how relations between nations are negotiated, both symbolically and materially. From colonial to metropolitan households, notably via military contexts, the “domestic” has been re-signified by the transnational: nannies, international adoption, and gestational surrogacy have historical links with 19th and 20th centuries' wars. Focusing on the exchanges and connections between the economic, the political, and the intimate, it examines how these increasingly global processes affect individuals, families, and (imagined) communities from multiple lenses: ethnicity and race, nation, class, and gender. It considers how notions of kinship, citizenship, and human rights have become the subject of intense scrutiny, notably through public debates on private and state management of collective life through (bio)technologies of measurement and intervention. Case studies range from analysis of gender dynamics of armed rebellions in Africa to reproductive politics in the United States. Key concepts and policies pertaining to biopolitics, birthing, welfare programs, domestic labor, marriage, and care work are discussed.