Political Science

Since the 1970s, countries have undergone democratization around the world: Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, and Greece), Latin America (Brazil and Chile), East Asia (Korea, Taiwan), Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Africa (South Africa), and Middle East (Tunisia).  Why does democratization occur in some countries but not in others? Why does the democratic regime survive after democratization in some countries but not in others?

To answer these questions, this course explores the determinants of democratization and democratic survival, based on the major theoretical arguments and empirical findings in comparative politics. The course covers both classic and cutting-edge works in the literature. The course is divided into three parts. The first part explores the determinants of democratization (transition from authoritarian regime to democracy). The second part examines the determinants of democratic survival (whether democracy collapses or not after democratization). The third part is for the student presentations, in which students are required to make a group presentation on the case(s) of democratization or democratic survival/collapse of their choice. 

The course covers issues such as citizenship and representation in political institutions, changes in women’s participation in the labor force, sexuality and the social welfare state, masculinity studies as well as gender and social change. Integral to the course is learning to use critical theoretical understandings in analyzing how models of gender equality are affected by social relations such as race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and class. The course is directed towards international exchange students who wish to acquire knowledge of the Swedish/Scandinavian societies from a gender perspective, and it is also open for regular students at Lund University.

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. At the end of the course, students are able to: identify and critically analyze the major research traditions and theories in the study of collective violence; distinguish the major forms of collective violence, identifying the causes and dynamics; link theory with empirical analysis on the subject of collective violence. The course examines different types of collective violence, including violence occurring in civil wars, instances of state repression, mafia and gang violence. The course is divided in three sections. The first section explores classic types of “political violence” (such as civil wars, revolutions, and terrorism) looking at their origins and dynamics. The second section deals with violence perpetrated by states (such as repressions and genocides) and violence that occurs within states that does not challenge their existence or regime (such as that perpetrated by organized crime and gangs). The third section looks at the organizations that “produce” violence, and namely at insurgent and mafia groups, discussing their emergence, their internal functioning, their relations with violence, and their demise.

This course provides a core of knowledge of Italy's post-Unification history, grounding students in the political, economic, and social development of the country. Commencing with the nation-state's formation, the analysis of issues surrounding Italy's early identity, society, and political structures reveal many of the problems that subsequent regimes have sought to address. After developing a solid grounding in the formation and establishment of the new nation state, the course explores the impact of World War One upon the interwar period of Fascist Italy. After establishing what Fascism was and what it meant for Italian people, consideration turns to the Second World War, the fall of Italian Fascism and its longterm legacy upon the postwar republic. Examination of post-1945 Italy considers the influence of America and the Cold War upon the internal battle for political control between the Left and the Catholic Right. This period also focuses on Italy's economic recovery and re-entry into "normal" diplomatic relations that was rubber-stamped by the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. With the country's foreign relations stabilized, attention turns to the internal crises of insurrection, terrorism, mafia activity, and corruption that led to Tangentopoli, the collapse of the old political order, and the rise of Silvio Berlusconi. The course concludes by examining the rise of the contemporary political phenomenon of the Five Star Movement and the Lega.

This course provides an analytical framework for understanding Turkey's foreign policy in its geographical environment from 2002 to the present. The regions covered are the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean basin, and the Black Sea. The course is divided into two chronological phases: from 2002 to 2011, when Turkey based its power strategy primarily on soft power; and from 2011 to the present day, when the outbreak of the Syrian civil war has seen the militarization of Turkish foreign policy. The course is transversal and addresses many themes related to history, geography, economics, sociology, and international law as tools for the analysis of international relations.