Study Abroad | Milan
Fall 2024: Academics

Course Code: IB/SO 370

Instruction Language: English

“Whenever people listen to one another humbly and openly, their shared values and aspirations become all the more apparent. Diversity is no longer seen as a threat, but as a source of enrichment.” Pope Francis, Sri Lanka, January 13, 2015. Quoting from the Introduction of the 2022 Bloomsbury Business publication Belonging: The Key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality at Work by Unerman, Jacob and Edwards, “Change is never ceasing, disruption is everywhere. The workplaces that will thrive are those who can combine the best talent to solve problems and drive growth. The only way to achieve this is to ensure that everyone with a contribution to make feels like they belong there.” The course explores aspects of workplace performance from the perspective of diversity. The goal to borrow from the A11Y accessibility and inclusivity project is “not to be perfect by the end; the goal is to be better today.”

Course Code: IBPL300

Instruction Language: English

Can we look at business enterprise and interest from the perspective of good and virtuous behavior? If so, besides personal profit is there something else which provides benefits that can be shared? Generally speaking, is there a link between entrepreneurial interests and ethics, or are these unrelated or even incompatible spheres? This course attempts to present concrete answers to these questions. Although economics is widely thought to rest on standard (and value-free) theories of rational decisions, the course aims to examine the inescapable role ethics plays in entrepreneurship through an in-depth analysis and discussion of real contexts and challenges. Students will be guided to identify and reflect on ethical issues, as they arise in some paradigmatic cases in business ethics. Business ethics’ main models will be taken into account to provide useful tools to help order and understand what is discussed. Thanks to a two-fold approach the decision process will be explored -namely from the first person and third person view -–that is from the standpoint of both key players, and from the perspective of those who are involved or affected by their successful actions (or failures).

Course Code: IB/EC320

Instruction Language: English

The aim of this course is to analyze the key factors that affect the competitive position of a nation by investigating the economic forces that drive trade integration and how globalization is changing the macroeconomic scenario. The course will give some answers on the most important questions related to the international economy. What drives the competitiveness of nations? Are emerging nations competing unfairly due to lower wages? Should we be scared of Chinese competitiveness? What is the role played by multinationals in the world economy? What explains the current stalemate in the world trading system? How trading rules can be modified to help poorer countries to grow faster? The course will provide answers to these and other questions by mixing economic theory with facts and case studies. A strong emphasis will be placed on the role of government and international institutions in regulating trade and financial flows and in setting the needed standards.

Course Code: IB/MG360

Instruction Language: English

The course provides a theoretical and practical framework useful for addressing financial issues of entrepreneurial ventures, and basically how to get financial resources. The course examines the entrepreneur’s and the investor’s perspective. Class participants will study the fundamentals of the Entrepreneurial Finance, the relevance of entrepreneurship financial planning and teaches how to approach different type investors’ organizations. In the first part of the course, “Instruments, Players and Prospective”, we will focus on the early stages of company development, identifying key questions: if and why money should be raised; when should it be raised and from whom. A special focus is placed on the impact and venture capital industry, including how funds are set up and managed. The second part, “Business Finance, key topics”, provides an overview of business/enterprise main financial tools, useful to understand its present and future performance: main financial statements (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements) and documents to be presented to investors (business plan and pitch). The course, also through working groups’ activities, teaches how to present key financials and the pitch to potential investors, as well as provides useful elements on a company valuation analysis (with specific focus on start-ups valuation), including fundamentals of a deal structure, negotiation and due diligence. Professors and guest speakers, with entrepreneurial and consulting experiences, will introduce students to the principle of finance applied to business planning; case studies to facilitate understanding of financial issues focused on entrepreneurial ventures will be also presented.

Course Code: IB/MG370

Instruction Language: English

In this course, students are not expected to learn what entrepreneurship is –rather –they are expected to become entrepreneurs. The first classes will be dedicated to the design process in order to come up with real opportunities and business ideas which will be selected as entrepreneurial project to be realized by the end of the lab. Over the course, students will be divided in teams, each focusing on a selected business idea. It follows that the successful launch of the business will be depending on individual responsibility toward the rest of the team. Class hours will be an opportunity for each group to gain basic knowledge regarding the development of a business model. Groups will have also the chance to synthesize ideas and information about the business model gathered during outside class hours and present it to the other teams. Occasionally, we could have guest speakers with specific knowledge and experience about the industries we will be working in to get precious insights and feedback to the group projects.

Course Code: IB/MG350

Instruction Language: English

This course deals with the concepts of Green Management & Sustainability, which are receiving increasing attention from all over the globe. In this course, the trend of establishing and scaling up corporate and entrepreneurial initiatives with environmental purposes is presented and analyzed through case studies, and field visits to selected Italian best practices. The course is aimed at providing the class with the basic information on current environmental global issues, focusing on how these themes have influenced the structure, practices and missions of many firms, representing at the same time a constraint, but more often a business opportunity. Practical and concrete examples of environment-related practices as business opportunities will constitute the second part of the course.

Course Code: IB/CM330

Instruction Language: English

The course uses four characters taken from dramatic texts belonging to the canon of European drama as coaching clients to answer the following key question: ‘What input can these characters offer us for the world of work?’ The course draws on a series of training and coaching concepts to provide an innovative perspective on leadership. At the center of the course are people skills. Though these are soft skills their impact is often noticeable at a business level.

Course Code: IB/MG340

Instruction Language: English

It is of common knowledge that SMEs (Small to Medium-sized Enterprises) are the pillars of the Italian economic system, but few know how they are run, what are their main characteristics, how they differ from MNEs (Multi-National Enterprises). During the course students will discuss case studies of Italian firms and entrepreneurs operating in the traditional Italian industries, to get familiarity with their business models and the Italian entrepreneurial environment and develop possible solutions to management problems that may arise. Moreover, in order to get a more intensive experience about Italian economic system, two field visits will be organized. This course is expected to be highly interactive. Students are expected to proactively contribute to class discussion. The learning goals of the course are: a.to point out the main issues related to the design and the analysis of successful business models; b.to explore the main dimensions of entrepreneurship; c.to deepen knowledge about some peculiar Italian sectors.

Course Code: EC/PO312

Instruction Language: English

There has hardly been a year when Europe has not been on the brink of some crisis: banking, sovereign debt, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, terrorism, refugees, Brexit and so on. Many argue that this is due to some fundamental design flaws of the Eurozone and the European Union in general. In fact, the European integration process, which started in the aftermath of World War II, is often said to be sui generis, in that it has some peculiar features which make it hardly comparable with any other case in history. To put it simply, the European Union is the outcome of a process of political integration, trade liberalization and monetary unification. This course will first touch on the institutional design, as well as the political and historical background of European integration. Eventually, particular attention will be paid to the analysis of the economic crises, the policies and the prospects for the European Union.

Course Code: IB/FI315

Instruction Language: English

The purpose of this course is to equip the student with the basic remedies to understand the workings of international financial markets and to understand how a firm or investment fund can best operate in them.

Course Code: IB/CM360

Instruction Language: English

“Playing small, hiding our potential, for fear of failing or even fear of succeeding in some cases, does a disservice to both ourselves and our role. Work gives us an opportunity to stretch out towards our desired goals and many times actually reach them.” Brian Groves, Personal performance potential at work. Spotlighting personal performance while exploring aspects of potential, the course focuses on the human side of business, so often ignored in more traditional business courses, for the sake of understanding how we can live our potential in the world of work.

Course Code: CM/SO 302

Instruction Language: English

Globalization shrinks the world, bringing a wider range of cultures into closer contact than ever before. Inevitably, cultural boundaries are shifting, therefore the pace of social transformations is increasing. As a result, cultural diversity and intercultural contact have become facts of modern life, so intercultural competences become a requisite response. The resulting socio-cultural fabric of our societies, combined with global interconnectedness, necessitate specific attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities to cope with the new cultural, media and emotional landscape. The course goal is to provide students direct experiences of diverse cultures to identify challenges that arise from differences in intercultural interactions and to increase their ability to recognize and bridge the gaps when communicating across cultures.

Course Code: CM/MK 360

Instruction Language: English

The course consists of three parts. In the first section, students explore the evolution and current state of the tourism and art industries as a significant subfield, due to the emergence of new digital and smart technologies. Moving on to the second section, the course emphasizes the importance of establishing and communicating a brand in these fields, providing an overview of the basics of brand management. Specifically in this second part, students learn how to recognize the components of a brand and how to manage the brand image, brand identity and reputation, as well as how to position it for success. In the third part of the course, students examine brand communication strategies employed in the tourism and art sectors (i.e., unconventional use of social media, influencer relations, metaverse), using both theoretical concepts and practical examples. The objective is to explore the main theoretical concepts of brand communication and how they are applied in the tourism and art fields, enabling students to understand what makes a strong brand. Additionally, the course aims to empower students to develop a competitive communication strategy for stakeholders in the destinations, hospitality, and art worlds.

Course Code: CM/PS300

Instruction Language: English

The ability to convey one’s ideas effectively, based on a thought out strategy and to present these ideas orally in a compelling manner, is recognized as an essential cross functional leadership skill in any business environment. This course is designed to build both written and oral business communication skills by providing the tools and methodologies, which ensure documents are logical, convincing and presented with impact. Special focus will be given on how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation and deliver it in front of an audience.

Course Code: CM/MK350

Instruction Language: English

In today’s competitive job market, technical abilities alone might not be enough to stand out professionally. This is why Personal marketing is crucial. The course Personal marketing: performance skills at work covers a set of strategies aimed at enhancing and showcasing your professional and personal characteristics to help you achieve your career and life goals. Whether marketing yourself to yourself or to others, using performance skills, consisting of personal competences and interpersonal abilities, can create a positive impact on you and your stakeholders. Course objectives can be synthesized as follows: • Bring attention to the role of Personal marketing in the workplace; • Explore elements of a Personal marketing plan; • Undertake a skills assessment and a SWOT analysis on the brand ‘You’; • Understand the need for ongoing development in today’s world of work; • Develop a Personal marketing plan and deliver an Elevator pitch video.

Course Code: CM/SO 350

Instruction Language: English

Careers in publishing, journalism and publicity have always attracted people with talent and energy. Those with a love of literature and language, a respect for the written word, an inquiring mind, and a healthy imagination are naturally drawn to an industry that creates, informs, and entertains. For many, publishing or journalism is more than a business; it is a vocation that constantly challenges and continuously educates. For people who have always worked on school publications, spent hours browsing in bookstores, or who have subscribed to too many magazines, choosing a course like this one is a logical means to combine personal and professional interests. This course provides an introduction to some aspects of book publishing, to journalism and publicity. Students will learn the fundamentals of editorial acquisitions and editing, the importance of publicity and how cultural journalists usually work on books. Students will be required to think like publishers and to work as publicists seeking creative marketing and press strategies to stay ahead of the curve for consumers’ time and attention.

Course Code: CM/SO300 A&B

Instruction Language: English

Television, advertising and music have had and still have great influence on everydays life, habits and behaviour in Italy. Since its beginning in 1954, television moulded popular culture; in the ’80s advertising proposed a new lifestyle for a generation and music provided the ever changing soundtrack for young and adults. The course will focus on these three different industries that will be studied and analyzed both from the point of view of history and theory and from a practical and productive one. In-class lectures, visit to a television production studio, and meetings with professionals of advertising and music industry will enable students to understand the basic skills and the Italian peculiarities in using the analyzed media.

Course Code: SO/LT300

Instruction Language: English

From its local origins in Sicily, the Mafia has become a global phenomenon and a widespread model of organized crime that threatens and corrupts the international economy, political systems and social environments. Yet film, television and literature have shown a continued fascination of the Mafia which has often been portrayed with romantic and even heroic connotations. In this course we will explore the representations of the Mafia in Italy through literature, film, and television; in the 20th and 21st centuries. Combining the analyses of historians, sociologists, and intellectuals, along with the testimonies of victims, we will challenge the stereotypes through which cultural productions envision the Mafia, and more importantly, we will explore how the Mafia envisions the world, in particular what is its ethics, its relationships with law, politics, business and finance, its ideas of femininity and masculinity, its portrayals of children. Examining both the visions on and by the Mafia through cultural, socio-political, and historical perspectives, this course aims to deconstruct the mythological eye and instead form an analytical eye with which to investigate and better understand the Mafioso universe and power, and the cultural Italian identity as well.

Course Code: CU/LT 300

Instruction Language: English

Wine is as much an important part of the Italian economy as a central feature of Italian history and daily life and has, accordingly, always been part of the Italian literary imagery. In this course, students will be led to discover the history and complexities of the Italian wine culture in two different but interconnected ways. On the one hand, they will learn the history of the Italian wine culture by means of an exploration of the representations of wine in Italian literature and the arts from the ancient times to the present day. On the other hand, students will explore the unique variety of Italian grape varieties and wine styles as a reflection of the multifaceted Italian regional culture and acquire the basics of professional wine tasting techniques.

Course Code: CU310

Instruction Language: English

The kitchen itself is science, it is up to the cook to make it become art" (G.Marchesi) “CiBi. Art and science of food” proposes a path that enhances these differences and allows students to see and meet the protagonists of Italian cuisine; from chefs to farmers, from the starred restaurant to the stables where the Lombard cheese is born, from the blogs dedicated to food to the maccaroni of the film An American in Rome by Alberto Sordi. The proposal revolves around three training methods: the classroom, the companies, the kitchen. The goal is to present our country, and the Lombardy region in particular, through the culinary traditions: the synthesis of unique stories and territories. The aim is to explore the agrifood system in its different territorial expressions, identifying and enhancing good practices and innovative solutions, to promoting a conscious knowledge of the supply chain and a true food farming culture.

Course Code: CU300 A & B

Instruction Language: English

Italian food and wine are probably as famous as Italy’s artistic and historical assets: you’ll be surprised by the history behind the food, and how strictly related to the culture and heritage of an area a wine or a dish can be. Food is one of the cornerstones of Italian culture and even if times are changing and life is more and more frenetic, Italians still find a great pleasure in sitting at a table, at home or at the restaurant, and share a good meal together: this is because to the people of Italy, Italian food and wine are part of their culture and, very often, also of their own family history. Italian cuisine can be difficult to define, as recipes, tastes, ingredients, and cooking styles vary enormously from region to region. One thing that most people will agree on though is that it is one of the richest and most delicious cuisines in the world. The aim of this course is to introduce students to Italian culinary traditions and provide them with the opportunity to take part in "hands-on" cooking lessons under the guidance of one of Cattolica chefs.

Course Code: CU320

Instruction Language: English

Goodness, healthiness, research, innovation and sustainability are the ingredients of a fascinating cocktail: Italian food 4.0. What is that? "New" Italian food products, such as the many exotic fruits that thanks to the climate are becoming "typical" in Italy (avocado, mango…have ever you tasted them?), or the very varied foods created in the laboratory by "copying" nature (bee bread, plant based foods, many special fermented foods); but also food waste that live a second life: pomace which becomes cosmetics of the highest quality, orange fibres that are transformed into fabrics and flour obtained from spent brewer’s grain. Together we will discover everything there is behind these products: research and very particular technological innovations. We will taste foods we will understand how to integrate our diets to improve them. We will understand the meaning of the word sustainability.

Course Code: IB/CM320

Instruction Language: English

The first part of the course provides an overview of making fashion. It starts from iconographic studies, it includes knowing how to read images and it ends with playing with colors and understanding their meanings. In this part of the course students have to understand what a brand is and where it has to be placed, using marketing tools, merchandising skills and communication awareness. The second part is a “Point in” through communication. We will analyze some different paths like verbal and non-verbal communication. Through role-plays and team works we will go deeper into old and new networks for example paper and social networks. The last part of the course focuses on the function of products in fashion: we will create a new product and students have to recreate its universe studying new mood boards, concept boards, target and marketing plans. All this is fundamental for the fashion and will create a real awareness of it.A great role is played by practical work and referring to a newly born and established brand, the students will have the possibility to apply theories to a practical field and they will be exposed to problem solving situations related to real cases relating to the fashion world.

Course Code: SO/CU 340

Instruction Language: English

Fashion has a crucial role in shaping gender identity within society, but its codes are constantly changing. Focusing on the last decades of European history, from the premodern era to today, this course aims to deepen the role of fashion in defining male and female identity within society. Following a historical perspective, we will examine sociological and anthropological issues regarding: 1) fashion in pre-modern era (how fashion marked status differences more than gender differences; fashion in marginalized social groups); 2) fashion after the industrial revolution (the “useful man” and the “beautiful lady”); 3) fashion after the post-industrial revolution (fashion and free time; fashion and pop culture; fashion and subcultures); 4) today fashion: blurring the boundaries between masculine and feminine (cross-dressing and genderless fashion). To address these topics, a body of sociological and anthropological literature will be proposed, from cultural to fashion studies. Specific attention will be devoted also to the relationship between fashion, gender and the media, understanding how fashion representations shape gender identity. Complementary to the theoretical part, the course will include the viewing and discussion of some film extracts. Finally, students will be asked to perform an analysis on fashion advertising, choosing between a digital ethnography on Instagram and an urban ethnography on out-of-home advertising in Milan. This practical experience offers the possibility to critically reflect on gender models in fashion today.

Course Code: SO/CU302

Instruction Language: English

Modern Italian fashion and the role of Milan as a fashion capital are considered pivotal factors in the development of Made in Italy and they are identified with the diffusion of prêt-à-porter. This is the typology of fashion internationally known and often celebrated as the invention of the designers of 1960-70s. During the course this idea will be analyzed and discussed in order to reconfigure the origins of Italian fashion system: an organization established in the mid-twentieth century and related to a necessity for high-end mass marketing and thrived on late-century global overconsumption. Practical sessions of research on the field will help detect how the main components of Italian fashion are now intertwined (i.e. adherence to the markings of a rich cultural heritage, an instinctive progression toward the globalization of fashion via various modernist aesthetics, and an ability to reinvent image ideals through advertising and promotion).

Course Code: IB/CM310

Instruction Language: English

The course provides an exploration into luxury with a business perspective. After defining the context, we will share the golden rules to start-ups and nurture a business with a luxury positioning. We will also discuss about the more relevant challenges that the key players are facing nowadays to compete successfully in a global market place. Course objectives can be synthesized as follows: •to get acquainted with the concept of luxury in a business environment •to define the context in which luxury companies are operating •to understand the fundamentals of managing a luxury business •to analyze the upcoming challenges

Course Code: SO/CU330

Instruction Language: English

This course is aimed at deconstructing cultural stereotypes about Italy, introducing students instead to the role of creative industries both as a resource for the economy of the country and – most poignantly – as tools to build a given imaginary of it. We will examine historical, theoretical, and practical issues regarding: 1) the concept of culture in a sociological perspective; 2) the advent of the cultural and creative industries; 3) the concept of Made in Italy; 4) how the definition of what is considered “Italian” is changing; 5) Fashion and Food as examples of cultural hybridization. To address these topics, a body of literature on creative industries will be surveyed and, in addition to the theoretical contents, the course will envisage meetings with experts and sessions of ethnographic observation. Field teaching will take place in Milan, a city that has attracted individuals with a high creative capital and that offers a good example of a city with two souls balancing history and local tradition with innovation and multicultural experiences. Sessions with professionals of the fashion and food industries, as well as chances of urban observation give students an opportunity to understand real-world situations and supplement what they have learnt from the lectures.

Course Code: IB/CM350

Instruction Language: English

The course provides an overview of the fashion industry with a specific focus on the sustainability segment. The aim of the course is to introduce to the main strategic and managerial tools to manage sustainability and responsibility in fashion and luxury. Course objectives can be synthesized as follows: – Defining sustainability and responsibility in fashion and luxury – Managing sustainability in fashion and luxury: a multistakeholder managerial model – Analyzing sustainability and responsibility best practices in fashion and luxury – Analyzing sustainable and circular materials in fashion – Managing circularity in fashion and luxury – Managing responsible innovation in fashion and luxury

Course Code: IB/CM300

Instruction Language: English

The course provides an overview of the fashion industry. The aim of the course is to address the main strategic and managerial characteristics related to fashion with a global focus, analyzing the new challenges that fashion is facing nowadays: the digital and the sustainability revolution. Course objectives can be synthesized as follows: •To get acquainted with the concept of fashion brand management; •to understand the main differences among the market segments; •to understand seasonal strategies at the level of product, distribution and communication; •to analyze the new challenges that are reshaping nowadays the fashion industry: the digital challenge (social media communication, e-commerce) and sustainability.

Course Code: FS/CM310

Instruction Language: English

The course will introduce students to the magic world of the “director superstar” Federico Fellini, who influenced the art of cinema all over the world. Here’s a quotation from American director David Lynch, to give an example of how influential Fellini was to international directors: “If I had to choose films that represent, for me, examples of perfect filmmaking, the first would be 8 ½, for the way Federico Fellini managed to accomplish with film what mostly abstract painters do –namely, to communicate an emotion without ever saying anything in a direct manner, without ever explaining anything, just by a sort of sheer magic”. After “meeting” the Master, students will discover the main trends and filmmakers in contemporary Italian cinema. Since cinema is a mirror to our world, students will learn a lot about contemporary Italian society through the seventh art.

Course Code: ZXP720

Instruction Language: English

The semester course is organized to go along with the first and second semester calendar of the academic year for a total of 44 units worth a total of 6 ECTS credits. Courses are taught at various levels, from complete beginners to advanced. Classes are dynamic and interactive as the emphasis is on spoken communication, which is achieved through lots of group work and role-plays. Absolute Beginner Level is taught in English, Elementary through pre-intermediate is taught in English and Italian, and Intermediate through advanced is taught in Italian.

Course Code: IR/PO321

Instruction Language: English

In recent years the Middle East has arguably established itself as the centre of international politics or, at least, as the region that no international actor can afford to stay away from. Why? How did this happen? This course will explore the politics of the plural and changing Middle East from an international perspective, focusing on its features, internal processes, and the main problematic issues, while emphasizing its relationship with the West, itself a plural entity. The course aims to enable students to achieve a clear understanding of the main issues that have shaped and are characterizing the politics of the region, its role in contemporary international politics, as well as the strategies available and employed by the main international actors towards it. Finally, it aims to investigate the usefulness and the shortcomings of (‘Western’) international relations and political science approaches and concepts to the region, highlighting both the differences and similarities between the Middle East and other political regions. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be familiar with the events, facts, and issues that have shaped and are shaping the politics of the region, and have gained a good knowledge of its trends and specific features. Lastly, students will be able to assess the effects on the region of the strategies that international powers can deploy towards it.

Course Code: IRPO322

Instruction Language: English

What is a “Great Power”? Who is a “Great Power” in contemporary world politics? Is it still possible to argue that the European Union, with its complex and decentralized political mechanisms, will affirm itself as one of the future world powers? How could Europe overcome the current crisis? Should the EU relaunch its project on a new basis? How should it answer to the “Brexit” and address the current unbalance vis-à-vis the United States? The aim of the course is to analyze the structures and institutions of the European Union with a special attention to the past and present developments of its foreign and security policy.

Course Code: CM/SO320

Instruction Language: English

The course intends to give students an overview on digital media with in-depth analysis on best practices and a specifical focus on the Italian situation. Students will be asked to analyse and comment on texts concerning multimedia convergence and the evolution of languages and formats from web 1.0 to web 2.0. Best practices in the field of digital journalism and digital media will be analysed and students will be asked to comment on examples of digital media products and to use some of the emerging tools for content curation. A part of the course will be focused mainly on the Italian scenario.

Course Code: LT/AR320

Instruction Language: English

Adaptations have long been a mainstay of Hollywood, Cinecittà and the television networks. Many of the most successful international films are indeed adaptations of novels, plays or true-life stories. We will analyze some of the most important adaptations of Italian Literature and biopics for the seventh art. We will discover masterpieces of Italian Cinema, understanding the changes from the source material to the new text and identifying the resistance of literature. This course is very hands-on because it includes a creative experience through literature and cinema: the writer’s lab. Each student will be given tools to write a short story and develop it into a short film screenplay, learning the craft of storytelling, creating compelling characters, shading style, mastering structure, writing dialogue. This course provides the student with a new knowledge of humanities (particularly, but not exclusively Italian), from literature to cinema to biography. It is a great opportunity to discover the Italian culture through the arts of time: poetry, literature, and screenwriting. And also a great opportunity to learn creative techniques in writing. Students will learn narrative techniques and how Literature and Biography can be manipulated to create an original piece of art: the screenplay. Students will discover great examples of Italian novels, shorts stories and films and, through them, they’ll acquire a deeper knowledge of the Italian Culture.

Course Code: LT/AR315

Instruction Language: English

ILLUSION is a key word in the world of Art which points to the staging process, to the mechanisms of the communication process and to the ultimate relation between Life and Art, involving thus the opposite notions of truth and deception. Struggling upon the verge of conterminous realms, works of arts are both realistic illusions or illusory realities, they move in the worlds of the possible and the probable, in the realms of verisimilitude and of contingency. Many masterpieces about ILLUSION have been questioning the relationship between life and art, examining the power of imagination and how it works on stage and off stage to produce an ‘illusion’ of reality. Following the themes of ‘illusion’ and ‘deception’ the course will present different typologies of texts with very different outcomes: from the comic effects of illusion, to its most tragic or even horrifying consequences. In a continuous play between deceivers and deceived the theatre, fiction and films have presented memorable characters that embody the very essence of illusion, showing how its meaning has evolved in the past centuries. Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Flaubert’s Emma Bovary, Jekill & Hyde, Stoker’s Dracula, Kafka’s Gregor Samsa and many others show the progressive interest towards the subconscious, towards the mechanisms of the human mind and its creative processes, linking the illusion ever more to the notion of reality and to the creative process: perspective, point of view, narrative modes, meaning giving process open the door to ways of distorting the truth, to an infinity of illusions refracting without end in a mirror, fragmenting reality in infinite images and reflections. In order to study from within the methods of production of the Milanese artistic scene, the course will also include field trips to the workshops of the most famous Opera House in the world, Teatro alla Scala and visits from guest speakers representative of the Milanese stage and artistic life. The student will be able to identify the peculiarities of the staging process as it evolves from drama to other forms of art and to contextualize texts and authors discussed in class. The course will consider the evolution of the theme of ILLUSION from the European Renaissance to the contemporary artistic scene.

Course Code: LT/AR330

Instruction Language: English

The course will provide an insight into the major feminine characters portrayed in Italian literature and culture of the XIX and XX centuries concerning texts and other peculiar forms of Italian arts, such as cinema and opera. Students will have the opportunity to explore different literary archetypes comparing them with contemporary stereotypes of women’s role in society, welcoming a comparative approach. From the femme fatale to the “angel of the house”, from the disappointed lover to the maternal role, the course will develop an awareness of continuities and differences in representing femininity in contemporary culture with a special focus on the Italian background. Its purpose will be to encourage a critical approach to contemporary society throughout selected material and by involving students’ participation.

Course Code: CM/MK310

Instruction Language: English

Green economy is one of the pillars of a global corporate vision, but we may easily say that the attention to preserve, protect and communicate environment and its fruits as a value is one of the “gene” of Italy. The course provides a theoretical part about evolution and state of the art of corporate communication and country culture and introduces green marketing and environmental communication with definitions, perspectives and best practices of sustainability and greenwashing, comparing global and glocal strategies by essays readings, case histories analysis, meetings with guest speakers and management tools creation in group projects. Ecofeminism, sustainable food, green fashion trends, post-Covid green strategies will be some of the special focuses. This course is expected to be highly interactive. Students are expected to proactively contribute toclass discussion and to the building of concepts step by step by means of individual and group assignments.Abilities in conceiving communication strategies;implementing market, brandand consumer analysis; team building;presenting in an effective and impactful way marketing and communication contentsto professor and peers will be, in addition to the theoretical topics, part of the final result/goal of the course.

Course Code: PS/SO310

Instruction Language: English

The development of our life is embedded in a series of actions and interactions with others. Every day we meet and communicate with familiar and unfamiliar people, enter social situations with short-term immediate goals, and these are linked to broader long-term goals and ultimately to more fundamental motives (such as establishing social ties, understanding ourselves and others, gaining and maintaining status, defending ourselves and those we value, and attracting and so on).The course aims to examine our everyday social behavior and show the main psycho-social processes and the key factors shaping human acting, feeling, and thinking. A special focus will be on the role played by the culture in influencing the way we think of ourselves and act with others.

Course Code: SO/CU 300

Instruction Language: English

This course aims to provide students with an introduction to urban studies and explore the intricate connections and intersections between culture and the city. To explore these topics, this course will survey a body of literature on urban cultural studies. In addition to the theoretical content, the course will incorporate sessions of urban observation in the city of Milan. Field teaching is an integral part of studying the urban world as it provides students with an opportunity to comprehend real-world situations and supplement their knowledge gained from lectures. Moreover, it serves as a tangible opportunity to develop a new, socially and culturally sensitive professionalism, enabling students to analyze the forces driving physical, social, and economic changes in cities, as well as identify urban trends in people’s lifestyles. Given that we primarily reside in urban areas, particular attention will be given to the lessons we can glean from our experiences in Milan. Milan continuously grapples with the challenge of utilizing cultural resources to reposition itself within a culturally and economically diverse landscape.

Course Code: LT/AR316

Instruction Language: English

This course is ideal for those who have an all-round interest in the theatre. The program combines the theory and practice of drama and creative development through a combination of theoretical seminars and practical workshops with Stefano Guizzi, actor of the Piccolo Teatro of Milan. The two approaches are seen not merely as complementary but as indivisible in the study of drama and theatre. The theoretical part involves the study of drama from the printed page to the actual staging and will focus in particular on the typical Italian genre, La Commedia dell’Arte and its great influence around the world over the centuries. Students will thus explore the ways in which the changing forms of theatre and cultural shifts in Italian society have influenced the development of drama into its present diversity as well as the theoretical elements involved in the creation of performance. Students will be encouraged to build a script based on a renaissance canovaccio and oriented to the actual staging of a short play. Parallel to the historical and theoretical course, the actor Stefano Guizzi will be teaching practical classes, introducing the students to Commedia dell’Arte and to the basic techniques of acting with masks. This part of the course will explore physical and vocal training, improvisation techniques,the use of masks on stage. We will approach the main characters of Commedia (Arlecchino, Colombina, the Magnifico, the Capitano, the Dottore…), tracing them throughout European theatre in their numerous metamorphoses. The students will practice on a "canovaccio" (scenario) from the XVIIth Century, writing and staging their own "Scene Di Commedia."Lectures, seminars and tutorials are complemented by scene-study workshops and field trips to Milanese important theatres such as Teatro alla Scala and PiccoloTeatro. Seminars and studio-based practical courses will encourage students to explore performance through a variety of intellectual and aesthetic processes. Not only the course will enable students to explore the textas a medium for performance but also will permit the development of organizational, intellectual and communicative skills in relation to theatre practice.