Political Science

The UN is a paradox of international relations. It is made up of independent states, but it is supposed to limit their excesses. It is based on the principle of equality, but it is controlled by the most powerful capitals. It is engaged in military operations, but it does not have an army. It was born from the ashes of the Holocaust, but it treats dictators with deference. It preaches human rights, but it cannot meddle in the affairs of its members. It preaches democracy, but it does not practice it.

This course is meant to serve as a critical introduction to the world's only universal Organization. After outlining the basic structures and functions of the UN, it focuses on the debates and controversies that have accompanied since its birth. The course considers - with frankness, without fear and in an intentionally 'undiplomatic way' - the Organization's successes as well as its failures. As current events show - from COVID to Ukraine - the United Nations is profoundly inadequate. The question is: Why? And who benefits from a weak UN?

This course provides an overview of the various theories of voting behavior in the context of the United States, as well a critical assessment of the role of U.S. public opinion in modern democratic politics. This course addresses three major questions in the context of United States politics: what is public opinion and how do people form their political beliefs, what is the impact of public opinion on the broader U.S. political system, and is the public to blame for the rise of inequalities and right-wing populism?

This course explores the connections between political economy and social policy. Political economy is about the distribution of power and money in society, whilst social policy is about welfare and meeting people’s needs. The course thus sets out to understand how the distribution of power and money affects the ability of states and other actors to meet people’s needs. It addresses this question through an everyday approach that seeks to link everyday experiences to global phenomena, institutions, and processes. The first few weeks of the course discuss various ways in which scholars have theorized political economy and social policy. Students then move on to study broad areas of international political economy and social policy, such as debt, housing, work, climate change, and race.

This course examines how British Prime Ministers have governed in the period 1979-2015, and the role of the Prime Minister in the British system. The first half of the course focuses on key themes relating to the office of Prime Minister and the machinery of government, with the second half providing specific historical case studies, onto which the frameworks and theories discussed in the first half of the course can be applied and used for analysis and evaluation. Special attention is given to the memoirs and diaries of the prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and senior officials involved in managing the central machinery of government. The use of historical sources, and debate around the historiography of the subjects being discussed are interwoven into each week’s teaching. 

This course is targeted at students particularly interested in exploring the history and development of European integration. The European Union provides an interesting topic of study for anyone interested in gaining more understanding of the ways in which European states interact politically, economically, and culturally. Within that context, this course introduces students to the history and politics of the integration process, the main EU institutions and institutional processes, the nature and effect of the law of the European Union, and some of the most prominent policies of the European Union today. More specifically, the course addresses a number of different topics starting with the history of European integration, followed by an examination of the composition, role, and powers of the institutions in the European Union. Secondly, the course takes a closer look at the law of the European Union, addressing issues such as the main areas of competence of the European Union, the decision-making process, and the unique status of EU law within the legal systems of the Member States. In addition, some of the main policy areas of the European Union are also examined. Finally, the course addresses the attitudes of the different Member States to the European integration process, the enlargement process, and the possible future of the EU integration process. The course includes a field trip.

This course examines some of the major debates in comparative political economy by focusing on the creation, evolution and reform of market institutions. The course begins with the discussion about some of the important writings in political economy. It also examines the literatures on the political economy of the developed countries, the developing countries, and the post-Communist economies.

This course is designed to explore what it takes to be a successful diplomat. The course works under the premise that many "qualified" leaders too often disqualify themselves by lacking the basic communication, presentation, leadership, empathy, and listening skills amongst many others. This workshop-style seminar highlights the most essential soft skills that are needed to make it in the world of politics. Toward that end, this course includes the teaching of advanced techniques for delivering great speeches as well as successfully taking charge and winning complex communication settings like negotiation, mediation, interviews, and debates. Media training, body language, emotional intelligence as well as negotiation strategies are the common thread underlying all lectures to practice the art of public speaking and negotiating. While this course develops these skills in a political and diplomatic setting, all techniques described and taught are applicable to any communication setting regardless of the occupation and background of the communicator. All skills reviewed in this course are presented from a theoretical point of view and taken into consideration with different layers of analysis: social, cultural, educational, religious, and generational background to name a few. In addition, the course offers a specific lecture designed for future women diplomats and political leaders to discuss the different pressures placed on them in a political communication setting and to raise awareness among male students.

This class explores several important themes in the political development of East and Southeast Asia. The first part of the course focuses on political culture, concerning the so-called 'Asian values' debate; the second part explores aspects of political information selection, and the third part covers topics of political participation.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides an advanced and critical overview and understanding of the role of victims of crime and abuse of power, social exclusion, and repression in contemporary society with regards to the main theoretical approaches in the discipline as a reflection of the changing of structure dynamics and relations at all level in the "global era". The course provides the skills to: analyze processes of victimization in contemporary societies in a broader political and socio-economic context; set the peculiar condition of victims in the frame of multiple interactions with regards to national and supra national institutions; recognize the ambivalence of victims’ role inside the judiciary and criminal justice systems in a comparative perspective; apply the “new” victimology of human rights in an original and interdisciplinary approach that transcends current official and social perspectives of victimization and its sources.

This course introduces the analysis of the foundations of public order from the perspective of analytical political theory. This basis provides the conceptual tools for approaching a central issue in political theory: the justification of political obligation and contestation. The study of the justification of public institutions reviews some of the key approaches in political philosophy (deontology; consequentialism) and analytical political theories (contractualism; utilitarianism). The course addresses questions of moral right to command and a moral duty to obey; whether individual autonomy and political authority are compatible; whether voluntarily accepting an obligation is to be bound by it; why must we obey the laws even if the personal costs of obedience are very high; whether we are ever morally justified in disobeying unjust laws; and if exemptions from the law for reasons of conscience can ever be justified.