Political Science

This course studies the nature of immigration policy and politics in Japan. In comparative immigration literature, Japanese policy is characterized as highly restrictive, reflecting a preference for an ethnically homogenous society. However, large-scale migration flows to and from the Japanese archipelago occurred under the Japanese empire, and more recently, immigration has increased ethnic and cultural diversity in some local communities. As Japan faces the demographic challenge common to advanced industrial societies of a shrinking labor force, management of immigration and the social integration of foreign residents/immigrants assume an even greater importance for public policy. While retaining a comparative perspective, we discuss immigration in Japan in terms of legal framework; policy making; public discourse, and views of immigrant communities themselves.

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 focuses on the basic concepts of Criminology as they apply to the relationships between migration, deviance, and social control; the “new” prevention of crime in urban settings; and the sociology of social control and punishment. The course highlights the sociological theory of crime and punishment and in particular the relationship between such theories and the broader framework of migration in the European Union. What is the connection between processes of European unification (legal, political, economic and social) and migrants' criminalization -- in the two aspects of criminalization, i.e. migrants' participation in criminal behavior, and the construction of migrants as criminal subjects? Theories discussed include the ecological theory of the Chicago School, differential association theory, the theory of anomie, labelling theory, and the theories of “everyday life.”

This course addresses the state of relations between the three world superpowers which are the European Union, the United States of America, and the People's Republic of China. The course addresses the subject of these triangular, complicated relations by developing China-United States relations, European Union-China relations, and European Union-United States relations. Each of these parts begins with a historical reminder and then explores the reset of these relations today. A large part of the course is also devoted to cross-cutting issues within this G-3, such as climate change, trade policy, digital technology, soft power, human rights, defense strategy, et cetera. This course adopts new perspectives to the understanding of the G-3 dynamics. A decentered perspective from each superpower's points of view (Brussels, Washington, or Beijing) is adopted.

Reflecting on the causes and consequences of war involves some of the most fundamental questions facing any student of conflict, and this course is an introduction to thinking about them. Students explore the theoretical and methodological questions that arise when studying the causes of war. They consider the definition of war, and examine the role of theory in explaining and understanding its causes. Students utilize historical case studies, explore contemporary international politics and explore political change over time. This is the fall-only version for study abroad students.

This course helps students understand how business regulation operates in domestic and global contexts. Students examine the foundational reasons for why government intervenes in market economies, as well as how regulatory agencies are designed, created, and maintained.  Students look closely at the nature of regulatory standards and how they are shaped, and they examine how business organizations understand and comply with regulations.  Additionally, students examine environmental regulatory tools, such as carbon taxes and cap and trade programs to understand how they are designed and how effective they are in reducing the incidence of pollution.  Finally, on the domestic front, students learn about regulating innovation and technological challenges, such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and social media on tech platforms.