Political Science

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. By the end of the seminar the student is able to read and discuss scientific essays in comparative politics and history and is able to interact appropriately in a seminar situation. The Seminar consists of participation in a series of lectures given in English by the lecturer and visiting professors on the main topics of European history, politics, and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Seminar introduces students to international research. By the end of the workshop, students will have improved their ability to discuss research topics, to explore the topics studied in depth using international literature as well as to conduct small comparative literature searches and to translate this knowledge into a short paper written using word processing systems. Part of the lectures are given by historians and political scientists mainly coming from foreign universities such as university of Trier, Sciences Po Lyon, Berlin Humboldt, Potsdam, and Dresden. The lecturer coordinating the seminar explains to the students how to write the paper according to a historical perspective.

The course examines Spanish and Catalan politics, focusing on democratic institutions, political parties, elections, territorial organization, nationalism, and Spain’s relationship with the European Union.

The course aims to transcend traditional experiential descriptions and value debates, focusing instead on revealing the scientific principles and inherent logic underlying modern state governance. Adopting an objective perspective, the course delineates state governance as a core process comprising "agenda setting - public decision-making - resource allocation - policy implementation," which is further deconstructed into four logically interconnected instructional modules. This systematic approach facilitates a comprehensive analysis of the general principles of state governance. The course endeavors to establish a clear analytical framework to help learners understand how efficient and orderly governance systems are designed and operated, with the dual objectives of cultivating scientific political literacy and guiding students interested in this field through the knowledge framework and research frontiers of public administration and political science.

Is waging war ever morally justified, and, if so, when? Do affluent states and individuals harm the global poor? How should New Zealand deal with historic injustice and the legacy of colonialism? What is the fairest and most effective way of addressing climate change? This course investigates these questions and others that lie at the intersection of international relations and moral philosophy.

The course examines the politics of migration and border management in the European Union, focusing on immigration and asylum policies, border securitization, refugee management, and the externalization of migration control. Students analyze the political and social implications of these policies, including debates over European identity, xenophobia, and anti-immigration discourse.

The course examines the relationships among peace, justice, and security in an increasingly interconnected world. Students explore theories of conflict, violence, global justice, human rights, and peacebuilding. The course analyzes contemporary security challenges, including armed conflict, terrorism, migration, environmental change, and inequality, while examining the role of international organizations, legal institutions, and global governance in promoting peace and stability.

This course delves into the key concepts and elements of public policies. It focuses on policy implementation, including the tools needed to implement it, paying special attention to policy management in decentralized contexts and in a multilevel government. This course evaluates public policy as a tool for better governance. It also discusses the basic concepts and issues of evaluation theory as well as the study of public systems and evaluation cultures, the actors and decision-making involved in implementation, and public policy evaluation.  

This course covers both major theoretical and practical perspectives of exploring Chinese Political Economy. It utilize theoretical perspectives from political science, economics to systematically analyze the key theoretical and practical issues of China's reform. It will clarify the core logic and mechanisms of China's development and governance. 

Historicizing the Cold War in Southeast Asia, this course examines the regional conflict in its entirety while analyzing the pivotal events and developments that altered its course.