Political Science

This course covers the key institutions, actors, and issues shaping Taiwan’s contemporary politics. The class introduces how Taiwan’s democracy operates, how it manages its complex relationship with China, and how it positions itself globally. The first half covers the structure and everyday workings of Taiwan’s political system, while the second half examines current political debates and challenges through weekly topics and guest speakers. Students gain a clear understanding of how Taiwan’s vibrant democracy functions and why it matters in today’s world.

This course examines the rise of human rights discourse and its relationship to other discourses on suffering and social justice. It focuses on the experience of victims of human rights abuse and the politics of meaning. Students will engage in critiques of law as a reductionist discourse on the social by exploring the relationships between human rights and cultural differences such as gender, ethnicity, religion and indigenous cultures. The embodied self, social interdependency and the architecture of social institutions are the backdrop through which the course explores the tensions between universal and relativist understandings of human rights and their realization. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of human rights, the global human rights machinery, and the ethics of humanitarian intervention, and will consider how sociologists have studied and written about human rights.

This course focuses primarily on the study of French diplomatic actors, their practices, and their interactions with their counterparts in various contexts, including international crisis management, multilateral negotiation processes, and power relations within the French state. At the same time, it encourages students to produce an analysis, to generalize where possible, and to propose theoretical explanations for the social phenomena studied. Designed as an interactive seminar, this course provides participants with an opportunity to refine their understanding of the issues involved and sharpen their critical thinking skills by reading selected texts and meeting with key players in the field. Thus, diplomats with varied profiles are invited to at least two sessions to allow the group to compare academic perspectives with practitioners' experiences and, for those particularly interested in careers at the Quai d'Orsay, to gain a concrete understanding of the profession. The approach draws mainly on political science, but also on sociology and history, in a multidisciplinary perspective to shed as much light as possible on the subject in all its complexity.

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.