Course Topics
The historical (and pre-historical) background; theories of world politics; structures and processes; international issues, globalization, and current challenges. The course begins by commenting on excerpts from Yuval Harari’s book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind expanding on the origins of “early human institutions” and follows the development of IRs up to the emergence of sophisticated forms of political accountability in the international politics of the XXI c. One block of lectures engages with the main theories and discourses in the study of IRs. Globalization is the backdrop where international actors engage in a spectrum of relations ranging from cooperation to conflict. The course will expand on such issues as national security, national self-determination, international and transnational institutions and NGOs, and global governance.

Propaedeutic courses
None

Teaching format
18 two-hour lectures, normally offered twice a week, starting in March 2026. Instructor uses PowerPoint.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding: At the end of the course, students will have attained the following competences and skills: - fundamentals of political science, and understanding of the articulations of the discipline; - the concept of political power and the conditions of its exercise; - the concept of political system; - the distinction between empirical and normative approaches; what theories are for; - the relationship between state and individual; the concept of subjective right; the nature of third type constitutions; State, Parliament, government and judicial bodies; - political parties, interest groups, movements; - the European Union as a political system, the integration process and the prospects of enlargement - globalisation and the logic (and actors) of the international system. Applying knowledge and understanding: - Ability to understand, analyse and identify political decision-making processes; - ability to understand the political logic of globalisation processes; this allows for the integration of strictly political knowledge with knowledge acquired in related areas such as law and economics, which investigate the same processes from other perspectives; - ability to analyse a technical text using appropriate theoretical tools - ability to produce a reasoned text on a political science topic Autonomy of judgement Acquisition of the capacity for judgement and of the methodological tools useful for the critical analysis of data, sources, assumptions and implications of scientific practice, of the political, ethical and legal context within which economic phenomena are set and with which they interact Communication skills Fluency (oral and written) in Italian, German and English, including translation between these languages. Intercultural competence. Conceptual awareness, ability to summarise and express oneself in writing, particularly with regard to the drafting of scientific or science-based documents Learning skills Promotion of critical thinking and analytical skills to focus on complex problems in their long-term dynamics and in the variety of their implications, including ethical ones

Assessment
1. Participation. Depending on how many students will be attending, format and participation will be discussed and agreed upon in week one. Attendance is not compulsory but in-class discussion of case studies by registered students will be appreciated. 2. Midterm: A mid-term is tentatively scheduled for April 8 (maximum 3 extra points). Only students who attend regularly (e.g., 80% of classes) can enroll to the mid-term. 3. 70-minute final exam: this is an in-class written exam combining multiple choice + short essay (max 350 words); further details about the structure of the exam and the composition of the grade will be given in a separate doc, made available in the ‘file’ folder of the course’s Teams within week 5.

Evaluation criteria
See 'assessment'.