Political Science

This seminar offers a survey of the intellectual tradition that takes for its object the interrogation and theorization of systems of power whereby inequality is associated with gender, sex, and sexuality. A range of key work are explored, mainly from western authors, that exemplify the intellectual history of feminist and queer theory. Through works of philosophy, political, and psychoanalytic theory about gender and sexuality, the course traces the foundations and development of some major strands of recent and contemporary thought about gender and sexuality including: liberal feminism, with its emphasis on sameness and equality; cultural, separatist, and lesbian feminisms with their focus on difference; radical, Marxist, socialist, and anarchist feminisms with their political and material analysis of gender; intersectional feminisms with their questioning of such identity categories as woman; postcolonial and transnational theories of gender and sexuality; queer theory and its mobilization of deconstructive modes of thought; and trans theory with its shift of emphasis back to embodiment and identity.

This course presents and discusses contemporary new propaganda techniques and their applications in various political and national conditions. It introduces the basic concepts of classic propaganda, beginning with an explanation of the classic definitions, and continues with the recent studies in which propaganda is identified as non-consensual, not informed, and/or not free organized persuasive communication. The course covers the history of propaganda using the perspectives of both war and peace times, including the establishment of the influential department of the Curia in Catholic Church in 1622 (Propaganda Fide), the 20th century phenomena of fascist and communist propaganda, as well as more recent information warfare and hybrid wars in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Propaganda techniques are analyzed using the examples of, among others, the information-psychological operations from Russia and the American public diplomacy. Additionally, the propaganda operations that accompanied the military conflicts in Middle East and North Africa are covered. The course discusses the role of the traditional and new media, especially social media, in propaganda wars, as well as the relationship between marketing, public relations, and propaganda.

This course introduces the workings of politics from the perspective of citizenship. Topic questions include: What constitutes citizenship? What are the roles, duties and obligations of being a Singapore citizen? How do citizens interact and impact politics and decision making in Singapore? How have changes over the years, including perspective of Singapore's political history, imperatives shaping national politics, the political system, its key structures and approaches to nation building, affected national politics and in turn, led to the political elites responding to changing demands of citizens? The course also discusses the role of civic and civil society.

The Internship Workforce course provides students with an overview of working in the United Kingdom. The course looks at the changing organizational structures of work in Britain. It examines the social and economic changes that affect the workplace in the UK. Topics covered include: sociology of work, trade unions, oppression at work, generational changes at work, and the future of work. An internship while studying in London provides an opportunity to experience a “hands on” working situation and a different perspective on the workplace and working practices, while developing professional skills.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have basic knowledge of African history and a strong background in political theory. The course focuses on the main policies and institutions of the European Union partnership in the fields of security and development cooperation, within the framework of the international debate on these topics. In particular, the course offers an analysis of contemporary literature on the political and military relations between the European Union and Africa. Special attention is placed on the main global and regional transformation processes governing the relations between the EU and Africa. A section of the course is devoted to the historical evolution of EU-Africa security and increased cooperation in the area of development. The course is divided in 4 main parts. Part 1 focuses on the historical framework of African-European relations since the late nineteenth century. Emphasis is placed on patterns of colonial domination and the decolonization process. Relations between African and European countries during the Cold War are also examined, and specific attention is devoted to the evolution of Africa-France relations and the role of the Western countries in the decolonization of Southern Africa and the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Part 2 focuses on the aims, instruments, and outcomes of development cooperation between African governments and the European Union since the early 1960's. Part 3 focuses on relations between Africa and Europe in the post-Cold War era. In particular, European policies aimed at promoting democracy and human rights, the prevention and resolution of violent conflicts and the promotion of economic development and poverty reduction. Part 4 focuses the "new scramble" for Africa's natural resources and its complex political and economic effects. Required readings: FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN AFRICA. FROM THE COLD WAR TO THE WAR ON TERROR by E. Schmidt, THE EU AND AFRICA. FROM EUROAFRIQUE TO AFRO-EUROPA by A. Adebajo, K. Whiteman, TERRORISM AND COUNTER-TERRORISM IN AFRICA by H. Solomon. Assessment is based on an oral examination on lecture materials and the required readings.