45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
The aim of this course is to read Italian and European literary texts of the 20th century, by both male and female writers, from a feminist perspective. Our starting point will be the following definition of the “feminist reader”: The feminist reader assumes that there is no innocent or neutral approach to literature and that all interpretation is political. The feminist reader might ask, among other questions, how the text represents men and women, what it says about gender relations, how it defines sexual difference. A feminist does not necessarily read in order to praise or to blame, to judge or to censor. More commonly she sets out to assess how the text invites its readers, as members of a specific culture, to understand what it means to be a woman or a man, and so encourages them to reaffirm or to challenge existing cultural norms

45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
In this course, you will examine Italian history, beginning with the end of World War II and the birth of the Italian Republic. You will study the clashes between various political parties, the Cold War, the economic boom, and terrorism in the 1970s. Later, you will examine the political degeneration of the 80s, “Tangentopoli,” and the new political system in the Berlusconi era. This course will pay particular attention to foreign policy, focusing on Italy’s role in the international arena with an emphasis on the European unification process with Italy as a leading country. Your professor will generate a critical discussion on these topics, inviting you to think independently about the causes and consequences of the events that you study. You are expected to actively participate and contribute to class discussion. You will be evaluated by two written exams and one 5-page research paper.

45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
The course examines the history of southern Italian organized crime syndicates from their origins to the present day. It also focuses on how these mafias work and have succeeded, on their activities as well as on modern-day approaches to combating the criminal presence in Italy, including the reaction of civil society organizations.

Attention is paid to examples of Mafia enterprises, its past and present role in politics, and its evolution from a regional organization to one with an international reach. A research project, with both a paper and an oral presentation, is required in addition to two written exams.

45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the political, intellectual, cultural, and economic features of Western civilization from the early modern period to the mid-twentieth century. The topics covered will include the roots of Western Civilization, Enlightenment, French Revolution and Napoleon, Industrial Revolution, Liberalism, Romanticism, Nationalism, Socialism, Imperialism, the First World War, Totalitarianism, World War II, post-War Europe, the rise of Western feminism, post modernism and the current communications revolution, and globalization trends.

45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
The goal of this course is to offer a wide introduction to the main evolution of the Mediterranean, using not just history but its cultures, religions and peoples as well. The main topics covered are: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Greece, Rome, Germanics, Byzantines, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the Renaissance, the different Mediterranean families and the Modernization of the Mediterranean Societies. These topics will not be covered chronologically but by item. Although each lecture will maintain a chronological structure. At the end of each module, students will be invited to prepare and present oral presentations covering one of the topics of the module.
At the end of the course, students will write a 15-page essay concerning one of the topics studied during the course.

45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
This course will examine cultural diversity in contemporary Europe as the continent struggles to compete in an evolving global environment. Students will explore many different aspects of Europe today including issues relating to the development of the European Union and to gender, migration, religion, nationalism, crime, food and social innovation.

45 hours, 3 credits

Course Description
The objective of this course is to provide the students with a comprehensive understanding of the role and activities of international organizations (IO) in the early 21st century. More specifically, the focus is on the philosophy and principles of International Organizations/IO. The first section tries to examine the rationale of IO by dealing with the origins, the nature, theory, history (the League of Nations) and methods of them. The second one is about global organizations and especially the United Nations (UN) system. The third section will explore regionalism and regional organizations with their specific institutions. The last section of the course will be centered on the Model United Nations or European Union project. The goal is supporting students in improving their public speaking and argumentation skills while researching and formulating political positions based on the current events and the actual policies of the member country they represent.