Course 2025-2026 a.y.

Students use knowledge and tools to improve their success in international deal making by:

Students will work on the projects alongside experts and engage in activities such as advocacy campaigns, human rights protection, and documenting human rights violations. At the conclusion of the lab, they will present their work at a final meeting.

For example, the projects might involve advocating for human rights, such as promoting the rights of people with disabilities in Milan, collaborating with an NGO to advocate for the establishment of a tribunal for war crimes, or working with an expert on women's rights.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a seminar on advocacy, meet representatives from NGOs working in human rights protection and other areas.

At the end of the course a student will be able to...

• Understand and critically reflect on the practical relevance of democracy and its core values beyond theoretical frameworks, recognizing them as principles to be actively upheld and defended.
• Apply human rights and democratic principles in real-world contexts.
• Engage in advocacy and human rights protection efforts, including designing and participating in awareness campaigns, documenting human rights violations, and promoting legal or social reforms.

At the end of the course students will be able to…

• Communicate and present complex social justice issues to a broader audienc.
• Utilize advocacy tools and strategies gained through seminars and experiential learning activities such as simulations and role-plays.
• Develop practical skills in research, critical thinking, and civic engagement through hands-on, problem-based learning integrated with expert-led instruction.
• Work effectively in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams, collaborating with experts, practitioners, and peers on real-life projects tied to democratic values.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

Using a workshop format, class sessions typically are in three parts:

1. Discussion of key concepts and tools,
2. Student interaction in case studies
3. Practical exercises using the techniques learning in class to increase successful outcomes.
    

Obviously no distinction between attending and non-attending students because this is a skills course.

Excerpts from:

Krastev, I., & Holmes, S. (2019). The light that failed: A reckoning. Allen Lane.

Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How democracies die. Crown Publishing Group.

Applebaum, A. (2020). Twilight of democracy: The seductive lure of authoritarianism. Doubleday.

Plus other material provided by the instructor and uploaded on Blackboard