The Graduate Degree Programme in European and International Politics at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences has recently introduced an Interdisciplinary Seminar, a course based on the interaction between political, economic, historical, legal and sociological disciplines.

This cross-disciplinary Seminar is an opportunity for intellectual engagement between the students, aimed at developing individual communication skills not only to capture the attention of the interlocutors but also to acquire proficiency in the new languages and the most innovative expressive techniques. The seminar also schedules Group work sessions that help create face-to face dialogue between persons with different profiles and to develop a strong critical capacity, essential skills required in the workplace.

The aim of the seminar is to generate a reciprocal and stable interdisciplinary collaboration between professors and students. . In the first part of the course, a number of professors were invited to speak on one topic and each discourse then initiated a debate. Prof. Simona Beretta coordinated the lectures on the topic of "Where is Europe going: internal conflicts, geopolitical and economic crises", while prof. Riccardo Redaelli introduced those on "Food safety and environmental protection: the international relations of EXPO 2015". The ideas provided by the specialists in the various fields inspired the students to elaborate their research topic, carried out as group project, led by the course tutors Antonio Campati and Paolo Maggiolini during class sessions.

To bring the project to a close, the last two lessons consisted of a slide contest in which the various groups went head-to-head with presentations of their work to colleagues and professors. The themes chosen were interesting and varied: they spanned from describing the genesis of an environmental disaster such as that of Lake Aral to the problems linked to the introduction of immigrants into the world of work and the difficult situation created in the Terra dei Fuochi (Land of Fires); from purely geopolitical problems such as those deriving from the management of the Danube river to the conflict between hegemony and cooperation concerning the Israeli water policy. Lastly, two other projects focused their attention on food, one analysing the paradoxes of malnutrition in 21st century, and the other addressing the issue of food waste.

At the end of the course, on Thursday, 14 May, the two top groups were awarded in the presence of the Dean, Prof. Guido Merzoni, and Mr. Fabrizio Spada, Director of the Representation of the European Commission in Milan, who gave an interesting speech on the European Union that stimulated discussions from students and professors on issues concerning the most urgent global challenges.

The works presented during the slide contest are available on Prof. Simona Beretta’s and Prof. Riccardo Redaelli online platforms (Educational Material section).