aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

International Politics
POL 288 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course aims to introduce the basic concepts of International
Politics and to get acquainted with the most important events
in the world and the structure of international relations since
the Peace of Westphalia (1648), outlining the main differences
between the traditional inter-state system and the present
global order, with the growing importance of international
organizations and of the principles related to peace, democracy
and human rights. This aims to give students a general
overview and an understanding of contemporary world politics,
according with the idea that international politics are not distant
from ordinary people, but the contrary a matter that concerns
and can be influenced by the citizens. It is therefore important
that students are aware of what is happening around the world
and of how the same event can be perceived differently by
different peoples. In the first part of the course we will examine
the importance of studying world politics and the methods to
do it. We will also cover the difference between nationalism
and globalization, and the growing emergence of international
organizations. At the end of this part we will analyze the role
of international law and diplomacy. In the second part we will
focus on the globalization of economics by studying the main
economic organizations and the process of regional integration.
Special attention will be given to human rights protection and
to international terrorism and the way it is affecting present
international relationships.
Prerequisites: POL 150 Introduction to Political Science, or
equivalent
International Conflict Resolution
POL 292 F; Dual listed: PST 290 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course presents concepts and theories related to the
peaceful transformation of international violent conflicts,
illustrating them with examples driven both from global peace
initiatives and Italian experiences in the field. Approaches to
International Conflict Resolution have become widely used and
discussed in the last decade. New roles and tasks have emerged
for international organizations such as the United Nations and
the OSCE. At the same time, civil society organizations have
increasingly played an important role in conflict resolution,
through “second-track” or citizens’ diplomacy, conflict sensitive
approaches to development, as well as third party nonviolent
intervention. In Italy, several peace organizations have their
roots in Christian Catholic values. The strong tradition of selfgovernment
has also encouraged Municipalities and Regions to
work on development and peace issues. At the end of the course
participants will have a clear understanding of international
conflict resolution and will have gained an insight into concrete
examples both of global and Italian organizations.
Modern Italy
POL 296 F; Dual listed: HIS 296 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The main goal of the course is for students to gain a general
understanding of the way Italian history and culture has
developed in the last 50 years, especially in the arena of
public policies and social interactions. The course will be
loosely divided in three main segments. The first one, relying
mainly on historical data and information, aims to provide a
general background about Italian politics and culture. In the
second part, we will focus on the current changes that have
occurred in Italy during the past 20 years, focusing especially
on the breakdown of the traditional political system and on the
decreased relevance of the Church in State and public matters.
Finally, we will examine how the last 10 years – during which
there has been a great transformation in the way media affects
the distribution and spread of information – have brought an
apparent, but possibly not real, upheaval in the way politics,
culture and information are received and debated among
Italians.
Prerequisites: an introductory course in History or Political
Science
War and Media
POL 301 F; Dual listed: COM 301 F / PST 301 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course analyses the role played by the media in the
evolution of national and international wars. We will investigate
the extent to which the media either influence decision-making
about military interventions or serve as tools in the hands of
government officials seeking to influence public opinion. A
number of media-related phenomena will be studied including
the CNN effect, agenda setting, real time policy, media diplomacy,
media war, news management and propaganda, through the
examination of key international conflicts, especially since
1950. Several different topics will be explained to understand
the intersection between war and media: the proliferation
of satellite technologies and the internet; the importance of
the international TV networks (like CNN and al Jazeera); the
role of still and moving images; the importance of journalists
and journalistic routines; the relevance of press conferences,
briefings, and official statements; the representation of war
in movies and artists’ works; the media gap between “North”
and “South”; the emergence of “non-Western” media; and also
the spread of ethnic conflicts and terrorism, and the more and
more asymmetric nature of war.
Prerequisites: COM 180 Mass Communication, or HIS 130
Western Civilization, or POL 150 Introduction to Political
Science, or equivalents
The European Union
POL 305 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Europe is at the forefront of international regional integration:
no other group of nation states has proceeded further in pooling
sovereignty. This advanced course gives a broad overview of
developments in the European Union (EU) from the aftermath
of the Second World War to the 2004 wave of expansion that
admitted countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the 2009
ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. The approach of this course is
political and aims at helping students to understand the nature
and the peculiar characteristics of European integration. The
course is organized in three parts. First, it reviews the ideas,
events, and actors that led to the foundation of the European
Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic
Community (EEC) and to its enlargement from 6 to 27 countries.
Second, the course takes an in-depth look at EU institutions and
policies, casting a critical eye on the crucial period from 1985
to 1993 that led to the acceleration of European integration
through the Single European Act, further enlargements, and
the Maastricht Treaty. Finally, the course reflects on three major
questions facing the EU in the new millennium: What is the EU
as a political subject? What is its purpose? What should be
its role in a global world? To explore the resonances of these
questions the course considers practical policy dilemmas that
the EU faces in various fields such as economic and monetary
policy, regulatory and distributive questions, the democratic
deficit, the challenge of enlargement to the East, the Lisbon
Treaty, and common foreign and security policy.
Prerequisites: POL 288 International Politics, or equivalent
Religion and Politics in the Middle East
POL 314 F; Dual listed: PHR 314 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is a study of the role of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam in the history and politics of the Middle East. The course
will address critical issues in the Middle East such as land,
water, language, community, and sacred sites from multiple
perspectives including a cross section of resident populations
(Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, recent immigrant populations
and Palestinians) as well as key interested “outsiders” (USA,
Arab League, etc.). Starting from the consequences of the
fall of the Ottoman Empire – which can dramatically improve
the understanding of events today – the course will cover
the main events of the area, addressing critical issues such
as the formation of cultural and religious identities, the role
of political ideologies, and the logistics of land partition.
Through the analysis of documents, political plans, religious
manifestos, maps and statistical data, students will better their
understanding of the relationship between systems of beliefs,
political interests, and cultural norms.
School of Arts & Sciences FLORENCE
LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014
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