Course: Research Methods in the Social Sciences (Program coordinator and co-lecturer) NOVA University Lisbon (Master and PhD, in English) 2023 The course is an introduction to advanced MA students and PhD students working in the Social Sciences to the most common research methods in the field. The course pays particular attention to the choice of the most appropriate method, given students' research assumptions and design. Classes are taught by a group of scholars, with a variety of expertise regarding research methods.
Course: Parties, Government, and Political Elites in Europe NOVA University Lisbon (Bachelor, in English) 2023 - not activated due to low number of students The course introduces students to the study of party behavior within the political executive arena across European democracies. More specifically, students will become familiar with the concept of party government as a form of representation as well as with its main alternatives: populism, technocracy, and ‘personal government’. Against this background, the course provides conceptual and theoretical tools to understand and assess the actions of party actors in the formation of government and in the context of cabinet governance. Particular attention is paid to the selection, control, and de-selection of government political personnel and how they change based on different institutional settings.
Course: Government and Politics in Germany and Europe University of Nevada, USAC Program in Germany (Bachelor, in English), Spring and Summer terms 2022 This course is an introduction to the political systems of contemporary Germany, as part of the European Union. It provides a historical overview and focuses on aspects such as political culture and participation as well as political institutions.
Course: Party Democracy and Its Challenges Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Bachelor, in English) 2020-2022 The course deals with a classic topic of Comparative Politics: the role of political parties in modern democracies and the challenges faced by party democracy. The subject is relevant in a twofold sense: because parties play a crucial role in making modern liberal-democracies work and democracies are changing and under stress from many viewpoints. Along the seminar’s path, the main features of party democracy and crucial pressures it is subject too will be addressed. Besides an introduction and a conclusion, the seminar will be structured in three parts: the features of party democracy; the deficits of party democracy, especially in terms of political representation and inclusion; as well as contemporary domestic and international challenges to party democracy. To name a few, the seminar will focus on salient issues of gender inequality, migrants’ representation, populism, technocracy, presidentialization, and climate change.
Course: Party Government in Europe Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Bachelor, in English) 2019-2020 The course defines party government and assesses the role of parties in democracy. Second, it goes deeper into single aspects of party government, by focusing on ministerial recruitment, government decision-making, policy outputs, electoral costs, voters-parties linkage. Party government is analyzed from government formation to government termination. Attention is payed to some challenges that parties face in contemporary democracies, such as trends of personalization and alternative forms of representation (populism and technocracy). The course also focuses on the salient issues of gender inequality in government and the role of parties as gate-keepers as well as the degree of party responsiveness across different countries in Europe and over time.
Course: Political Institutions in Europe Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Bachelor, in English) 2017-2019 Based on a theoretical framework presented by the lecturer, the seminar focuses on how citizens’ preferences are articulated and translated into demands to political decision-makers; on the functioning of the main representative and governing institutions that elaborate these demands; on the organization of the implementing institutions; and, finally, on the relationships between institutions across levels of government in European countries and the EU. Particular attention will be payed to how European democracies have changed over time in this respect.
Course: Government and Politics Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Master, in English) 2018-2019 This course will provide an introduction to the nature of government and politics in different political regimes, with a special focus on contemporary democracies. A broad range of topics that are usually referred to as ‘Comparative Politics’ will be covered during the course. After introducing the concept of politcs, in the first part of the seminar we will discuss the main theories and approaches in Comparative Politcs, with references also to the methodological principles of comparative political analysis. Subsequently, we will deal with political structures and institutions, actors, political processes, and policy outputs in modern democracies.
Course: Theories and Methods in Comparative Politics Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Master, in English) - 2018-2019 This course deals with a crucial aspect of political research. It provides insights about conducting coherent comparative analyses of political systems (or aspects of political systems). After introducing the basic ontological and epistemological principles of Comparative Politics in broader sense, the course is divided into three main parts. First, we will see in which sense a sound research design is necessary to reach meaningful comparisons and how a research design can be developed. Secondly, we will tackle the choice between different theoretical approaches to frame the analysis. Finally, a range of methodological strategies will be presented: in particular, we will try to understand which are more useful, based on goals and theoretical assumptions. The focus will be both on traditional approaches and more recent challenging proposals. Overall, the course stresses the relevance of the linkage between theories and methods in Comparative Politics, with references to the relevance of political research for politics.
Course: Political Institutions in Europe Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Bachelor, in English) 2017-2019 Based on a theoretical framework presented by the lecturer, the seminar focuses on how citizens’ preferences are articulated and translated into demands to political decision-makers; on the functioning of the main representative and governing institutions that elaborate these demands; on the organization of the implementing institutions; and, finally, on the relationships between institutions across levels of government in European countries and the EU. Particular attention will be payed to how European democracies have changed over time in this respect.
Teaching Experience 2022 Lecturer in Government and Politics in Germany and Europe (B.A. level, English), University of Nevada, USAC Program in Germany Since 2020 Lecturer in Party Democracy and Its Challenges (B.A. level, English), Leuphana University of Lüneburg 2019-2020 Lecturer in Party Government in Europe (B.A. level, English), Leuphana University of Lüneburg 2018-2019 Lecturer in Theories and Methods in Comparative Politics (M.A. level, English), Leuphana University of Lüneburg 2018-2019 Lecturer in Government and Politics (M.A. level, English), Leuphana University of Lüneburg 2017-2019 Lecturer in Political Institutions in Europe (B.A. level, English), Leuphana University of Lüneburg 2019 Taught classes for courses Elections, Voters and Public Opinion and Party Systems and Elections (B.A. level, English), Keele University 2018 Taught class for the course European Politics and Migration Policy (B.A. level, English), Boston University in Padua 2017 Adjunct Lecturer in Italian Political System (B.A. level, Italian), University of Milan 2016 Taught classes for the course Theories of Political Change (M.A. level, Italian), University of Pavia 2015 Appointed as Adjunct Lecturer in Political Science (declined), Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Pavia 2014 Teaching Assistant for the course Methods of Law and Politics at the Leuphana University Lüneburg 2012-2013 Tutoring for the course Political Science, University of Pavia 2012-2013 Tutoring for the course Political Communication, University of Pavia 2012 Taught classes for the course Theory of Political Institutions (M.A. level, Italian), University of Pavia 2010 Taught classes for the course Theory of Political Institutions (M.A. level, Italian), University of Pavia 2010 Taught classes for the course Italian Political System (B.A. level, Italian), University of Pavia Further teaching experiences may be found in the CV.