Political Science

What is Zionism and in what context did it emerge as an ideology? Who promoted and who opposed it within Jewish communities before the creation of the State of Israel? What are the political, diplomatic, religious and cultural dimensions of Zionism? Is a study of the plurality of Zionism and its internal conflicts possible? Do Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism have anything in common? What happened to Zionism after the creation of Israel? What does it mean to label oneself a Zionist or Anti-Zionist in 1917, 1948 or 1967? What approaches and strategies did Palestinians adopt regarding Zionism? This course is at the intersection of history and political science. It addresses these impassioned and complex questions by reading and discussing primary documents (manifestos, leaflets, diaries, international declarations) and secondary sources each week.

This survey course focuses on the political dynamics of populism in contemporary European countries. The course begins by examining how social science researchers define and conceptualize populism, with a focus on identifying its boundaries - what is and is not considered populist.  Despite the widespread use of the term populism, disagreements over its definition and usage, as well as a general lack of clarity surrounding its meaning, hinder our understanding of populist politics and their causes and consequences. The course assesses competing academic definitions, explores subtypes of populism, and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of existing categorizations. The course addresses a number of key political dynamics and how they relate to populism, including attitudinal change, organizational formation, voting patterns, electoral performance, and protest and riot behavior.  We explore theorized causes such as economic downturns, political competition, migration, inter-cultural group tensions, global trends, and international relations.  In addition to examining its causes, the course studies the effects of populism, including its impact on democratic institutions, inter-group relations, and international relations. 

This course explores a variety of both qualitative and quantitative social science research to develop the skills for explaining causal mechanism in political phenomena. In particular, the class focuses on the logic of scientific inference, research design and measurement. This course also explores the uses and abuses of statistical reasoning in social and political studies. Students learn the basic rules of data analysis and the logic of statistical inference. It is a prerequisite for Research Methods B, which covers more advanced statistical techniques and research methods.

This course examines the emergence, institutionalization, and electoral dynamics of Green parties in Europe, from their roots in protest movements to their current place in national and European party systems. It explores their organizational models and electoral strategies through a combination of historical, sociological, and comparative approaches. The course analyzes the diversity of Green parties and their interactions with voters, social movements, and other parties. Particular attention is paid to the sociology and geography of the Green vote, as well as to methodological tools from comparative politics and electoral analysis. Students work with data from elections and surveys, conduct comparative research, and engage with case studies to understand how Green parties operate and evolve within contemporary democracies marked by climate urgency and political transformation.

This course introduces students to the main institutions of the American political system: Presidency, Congress, Judiciary. In the process, we learn about the way in which the members of these institutions are selected, the functions played by each of these institutions, and the way in which they interact under the checks and balances system of the United States. Special attention will be given to the historical development of these relationships. The course also covers the institutional structure of the US, such as the Constitution, the federal system, and the party system.

By the end of this course, students have a critical understanding and comprehensive knowledge of the government and politics in the US, as well as the processes through which policy making takes place. Through discussions of current and past events and a close following of the Congressional electoral campaign taking place during the term students are familiarized with examples of how these institutions and processes interact.

This course teaches students an understanding of human rights as embedded in specific historical circumstances, and looks at their codification in international law as the product of heated political debates and struggles. In order to do so, it articulates itself in three interlocking learning units. The 1st unit is historical: it traces the genealogy of the concept and focuses on the birth of the “human rights regime.” Unit 2 looks at specific cases and rights, and Unit 3 examines critical readings of human rights as an instrument for “Western hegemony,” or as inadequate in other ways. The course covers the historical development of human rights, civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, the right to health, women's rights, intervention, LGBTQ rights, and critiques of human rights. 

This course traces the evolution of political ecological thought by linking major philosophical and political theories with the social movements and concrete practices that have emerged from them. It considers how ideas transform reality, how critiques of productivism have given rise to new forms of collective action, and how political ecology has attempted to construct a response to current economic, social, and environmental impasses. Drawing on theoretical texts, case studies, contemporary controversies, and experiences of engagement, the course emphasizes the connection between academic knowledge and practical experience in the field.

This interdisciplinary course is divided into two parts. The first part explores the history, theories, and realities of democracy. If, from Ancient Athens to the Modern Revolutions, democracy was associated with direct self-rule, the invention of the representative government puts elections at the core of politics. The theory of representation is complex, and its concrete practices are plagued by crisis: elitism, corruption, and backsliding. The second part of the course analyzes, from a comparative perspective, the role of democratic innovations in renewing democracy and shaping public policy. It focuses on five types: referendum, participatory budgeting, e-democracy, collaborative governance, and deliberative mini-publics.

The course investigates how the cultural and creative industries (CCI) work and their capacity to generate economic value for all the stakeholders involved in conceiving, financing, producing, valorizing, releasing, and preserving the cultural goods. The analysis of the CCI business models and organization is integrated by the analysis of the public policies (at supranational, national, and local level) that regulate and support culture and the companies working in this sector.

The class includes meeting with professionals working in cultural companies or institutions and group work with final presentations during the final lectures. Student groups are asked to develop a crowdfunding campaign for a cultural initiative. At the end of the course, the student: knows the principles that regulate the demand and the supply of culture in the contemporary scenario; knows the mechanisms of private and public financing of culture; and is able to reconstruct the policies of support for cultural activities. 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. At the end of the course, the student: is able to understand the fundamental philosophical issues raised by law and their significance; has knowledge of legal-philosophical conceptions in their historical development, from their origins to contemporary perspectives, and can reconstruct how these conceptions provide answers to these issues; can critically evaluate the theoretical advantages and limitations of the various conceptions; possesses basic notions of legal theory and the theory of legal interpretation. The course consists of two parts:

• The first part (Conceptions of Law) introduces the three main conceptions of legal theory – natural law theory, legal positivism, and legal realism – and discusses their theoretical implications; then, some contemporary trends (law and economics, critical legal studies, and legal feminism) are introduced and discussed, also in connection with the traditional views.
• The second part (Hart: The Concept of Law) discusses in details H. L. A. Hart’s masterpiece “The Concept of Law” and its Postscript, also in the light of some contemporary debates in legal theory that derived from it: particularly the Hart-Dworkin debate, but also the debate on inclusive and exclusive legal positivism (Raz on authority).