Political Science

This course examines Australian politics with an emphasis on what makes Australia unique and how its democratic institutions have developed over time. It concentrates on formal political institutions, including the constitution, parliament, the executive, the bureaucracy, federalism and the High Court. It also examines the role of political parties, the Australian electoral system, voters and voting behavior, lobby groups, social movements and the media. It considers the benefits and limitations of the Australian political system in the face of major policy challenges such as climate change, asylum seekers, gun control, marriage equality and economic crisis.

This course provides an opportunity to examine current youth policy debates and how they have been framed and organized in different cultures, particularly in East Asian and Western contexts. Students focus on various social problems and challenges experienced by young people, compare welfare systems and how they are shaped by different cultural values, and discuss policy measures and welfare organization in a range of topical youth issues, including housing, poverty and inequality, work and education, and social connections in the "digital age."

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach by introducing contemporary development issues in the Global South. It draws on literature from Political Science, Economics, History, and Sociology. The module explores and analyzes the intersection of politics, history, sociology, governance, and economics in relation to development in the Global South. It does so by investigating the influence of colonialism, governance, culture, institutions, conflicts, and external forces on the development trajectories in the Global South. Empirically, the course addresses important questions such as: What is the connection between colonial history and development in the Global South; Why have some countries within the Global South developed faster than others since the WWII; What has been the impact of institutions on development in the Global South; What has been the impact of natural resources on politics and development in the Global South; Are there forms of corruptions compatible with development in the Global South; What is the role of foreign aid and foreign direct investments in development, including the China-effect in the Global South? e module also introduces students to important political economy theories such as Neo-patrimonialism, Corruption and Clientelism, Developmental state, Decoloniality. It achieves all the above by offering space for a diversified body of literature and perspectives.
 

This course surveys the history and contemporary practice of public administration (or public bureaucracies) around the world. Some of the key questions that are answered include what is the proper place and role of public administration in a democracy? What are the benefits and potential risks of public administration in democratic government? What impact does public administration have on our lives as citizens? How can we construct effective working relationships between elected politicians and unelected administrators. And finally, what role can public administration play in responding to global policy crisis? Although this course adopts a comparative perspective, particular attention is paid to the role that public administration has played in democratic transitions in South and Southern Africa. Course entry requirements: POL1004F and POL1005S.

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 focuses on the most influential theories regarding the causes of war. Drawing on literature from political anthropology, social psychology, strategic studies, diplomatic history, sociology, political theory, and international relations, it identifies key variables and causal pathways that illuminate war as a recurring phenomenon, as well as specific conflicts. Historical examples are used throughout to illustrate the theoretical material and help students develop critical perspectives. The course equips students with a comprehensive "toolbox" of applied knowledge, enabling them to conduct their own analyses of international conflicts.

The course includes content such as: deciding for war; political institutions and war; interest groups and lobbies; diversion and war; capitalism and war; strategic interaction and bargaining; military technology; international anarchy and the security dilemma; polarity and stability; power transition and hegemonic war; the liberal international order and its crisis; the rise of China and the end of unipolarity; and the Ukrainian War.

This course introduces the comparative study of European politics, a comparative analysis of political institutions, and political behavior in Europe. On successful completion of this course, students are able to: Analyze politics in a comparative manner; Describe the differences between the political systems in operation across Europe; Identify the role played by political parties in parliamentary democracies; Assess the necessity of political parties and the functions they fulfil; Evaluate the merits of different electoral systems; Differentiate between the workings of different political systems; Assess whether politics can be analyzed via comparative methods; Evaluate the role of non-party actors in parliamentary democracies.

This introductory course explores how political scientists and social analysts approach modern-day issues with modern-day methodological tools and explanations, delving into issues related to the empirical and theoretical causes and consequences of democracy and dictatorship.  The course also projects future institutional design and the change in relationship between actors. 

This course provides students with the tools needed to understand how domestic violence and abuse was and is now understood in public debate and what the key theoretical underpinnings are to understand domestic violence from a social science lens. The course explores how legislation within different jurisdictions has evolved to reflect new research evidence and changes in public debate, and it critically reflects on what the social policy response to domestic violence is and has been in different settings. The course focuses primarily on the UK context with potential for exploring other countries as case studies.

This course provides a panorama of how behavioral approaches can help to understand key issues in the political and social sciences. It examines the central cognitive and behavioral processes relevant to the analysis of social and political dynamics. Through a combination of formal lectures and class discussion, the course provides the tools necessary to apply a behavioral perspective to political and social issues. Furthermore, the methodological and theoretical limitations and challenges of these approaches are discussed throughout the semester in order to enable students to think and apply these approaches critically.

This course examines the role of popular distrust (e.g., perceptions of government corruption, waste, abuse) in contemporary democratic and electoral-authoritarian regimes. It probes contradictions in how scholars approach distrust within democracy. It explores how distrust gets politicized and interacts with institutions and inequalities to drive participation and political violence; reactions to public spending, taxation, public-health risk and conspiracy theories; and voting behavior among groups who feel threatened (economically, culturally). By foregrounding questions of power and state capacity—and what remains of them—in the minds of voters facing new social risks, this course offers a path to harness the mobilizing force of distrust within a neo-republican framework.