Political Science

In the discipline of International Relations, there are different perspectives on how and why war occurs. This course takes students through different perspectives on different conflicts, from interstate war to civil war to insurgencies and beyond. Students also consider some developments in warfare – for example the introduction of drones or the violent potential of cyberattacks – and how these affect war.

This course analyzes the processes, systems, structures, events, and actors from the Second World War to the present. It focuses on understanding the meaning, evolution, dynamics of the Postwar world, as well as identifying the main causes, consequences and implications. 

The course is an introduction to politics in a globalized world, with a focus on how political science tries to understand and explain cross-country and cross-time differences. The course begins by introducing students to some of the main empirical variations in political behavior, political institutions, and outcomes across the world, focusing mainly on democratic and partially democratic countries (in both the developed and developing world), and introduces students to some of the basic theoretical ideas and research methods in political science. Each subsequent week is devoted to a substantive topic, where a more detailed analysis of political behavior, political institutions, or political outcomes are presented and various theoretical explanations are assessed.

This course tackles a central political and social issue of our times: the role of emotions such as hatred, anger, patriotism, shame, and offence in our politics and society. Students investigate questions such as, what is the social and moral value – or disvalue – of these emotions? When are these instrumentally beneficial, and when are they corrosive of our democratic culture or society? Informed by contemporary work in psychology, ethics, feminist philosophy, and political philosophy, this course explores a range of emotions. 

This course examines liberalism, socialism and nationalism as a complex set of very powerful ideologies that have influenced the political, economic and cultural development of Europe, and, subsequently, the world. It explores the intellectual mainsprings
of these movements through excerpts from their writings, as Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Smith, Rousseau, Burke, Montesquieu, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Tocqueville, Marx, Lenin, Nietzsche, Schmitt, Heidegger, Kojeve, Strauss, Schumpeter, Keynes, Friedman, Hayek, Nozick, Rawls, Marcuse, Foucault, Isaiah Berlin and Mark Lilla. 

This course examines the government and politics of Europe. Particular attention will be given to the relationships between the largest European countries, the European Union, and the rest of the world. It will examine European policies in relation to a range of important contemporary issues including policies relating to international trade, climate change, Artificial Intelligence and international security. Throughout the course, an institutionalist perspective will be taken. It will examine the main formal and informal institutions at the national and international levels, as well as the main actors that shape policy outcomes.

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 is organized in two sections:

Section A: lectures that introduce students to the key conceptual tools. This section analyzes the relationship between the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and the international community within the framework of the prevailing development issues in the following periods: independence and the Cold War; Washington consensus; democratization; the third millennium; and the new international consensus on 'stability' and 'security'.

Section B: seminar classes for in-depth discussions of the Part A framework in view of a selection of country case-studies in sub-Saharan Africa, and for debating the new research questions that will come to light during classes. The main focus is the challenge of democracy in the 2000s: they are examined considering the local and international political priorities, the emphasis on security and the role of international cooperation policies.

At the end of the course, the student has acquired, in a critical manner and with reference to international academic research literature, a good knowledge of the political history of contemporary Africa in its international dimension. In particular, the student is able to: A) analyze and discuss the main elements of the political development and transformations of the political systems of contemporary Africa considering the internal, regional, and international context; B) analyze and discuss the main factors defining the role and location of Africa in contemporary global politics and international relations; C) analyze and evaluate empirically the development strategies and governance reforms, also in relation to the role of the international policies of the major donors; D) find and arrange documentary and bibliographic sources using libraries, databases, and websites, and organize, both verbally and by written essays, the knowledge acquired during the course.

This course provides a foundational understanding of international relations theories. It discusses how these theories are applied to cases throughout history, establishing a thorough knowledge of the explanatory capabilities and limits of each of the major theories. Prerequisites include introductory coursework in political science and international politics. 

The course introduces students to the major theoretical traditions and conceptual frameworks used to make sense of international politics, including relations between states and interstate institutions as well as a range of global political processes. It shows how to use theory to make sense of the complex issues, developments, and events. The key objective of the course is to introduce students to the rich diversity of theoretical approaches - from orthodox to critical - within international relations and to offer them key analytical skills to compare and engage with theories and to use theories in their further research and studies. 

The course focuses on issues of post-conflict reconstruction and security - arms proliferation, drug trafficking, mercenaries as well as institutions of transitional justice - International Criminal Court, Truth Commissions, Special courts and tribunals.