SECURITY AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY

Course objectives

The course of Security and International Politics (SIP) pursues four essential objectives: - to provide students with the terminology and basic concepts of the discipline of International Relations (IR). These are essential tools for understanding international politics and its overarching feature , security; - to develop a non-idiographic methodology to study international political phenomena, together with the ability to formulate, verify and control research hypotheses; - to present main assumptions of the major theoretical traditions on IR (realism, liberalism, English school, constructivism, Marxism), so that at the end of the SIP course, each student will be able to choose a framework to look at the security dynamics taking shape in international dimension; - to understand the most relevant current security issues, taking into account the main factors (material conditions, interests, fear, ambition, ideas) that influence preferences and choices of units in the international arena (states, international organizations, large private companies, non-governmental organizations, non-state armed groups).

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GABRIELE NATALIZIA Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course is ideally divided into four parts, deeply integrated with each other; - The first part introduces the key concepts of the discipline (international system, order, anarchy, hegemony, balance of power, institutions, units/actors, competition, cooperation) and examines the evolutionary lines of international relations by comparing the main theoretical traditions; - The second part discusses the most significant security dynamics issues that arise in the international arena. Special attention is given to the characteristics of international orders and to the comparison between "conservative" and "revisionist" powers; - The third part of the course delves deeply into the strategic documents and policies of the United States, its primary allies, NATO, as well as those of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation. This exploration aims to understand the resources, objectives, ideas, and strategies underlying the current great-power competition; - The fourth part is dedicated to the study of two issues that are closely tied to Italy's security: transatlantic relations and the (in)stability of the broader Mediterranean region. It aims to understand the dilemmas and choices faced by the states involved in light of the crisis of the liberal international order.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of the main security dynamics of the modern age is specifically required and that of International history (1815-2023 is strongly recommended. Reading Italian and international press is warmly recommended.
Books
1) Andreatta F., Clementi M., Colombo A., Koenig-Archibugi M., & Parsi V.E. (2012). Relazioni Internazionali. Bologna: il Mulino (esclusi capitoli IV e IX). ----- 2) Natalizia, G. (2021), Renderli simili o inoffensivi, Roma, Carocci. ----- 3) Un volume a scelta tra: - Gilpin R. (1989). Guerra e mutamento nella politica internazionale. Bologna: il Mulino. - Waltz, K.N. (1987). Teoria della politica internazionale. Bologna: il Mulino.
Frequency
Voluntary attendance
Exam mode
The exam is a written test. The duration of the examination is 60 minutes. Students must answer four open-ended questions rabout the topics discussed in class and covered in the selected volumes.
Lesson mode
Frontal lessons, seminars with external guests (academics, diplomats, journalists, politicians), and paper presentations with discussions are integral components of the curriculum.
  • Lesson code10606601
  • Academic year2024/2025
  • CourseInternational Relations
  • CurriculumRelazioni internazionali e sicurezza globale (percorso valido per il conseguimento del doppio titolo italo-francese)
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDSPS/04
  • CFU9
  • Subject areapolitologico