Brexit, EU and Global World: Current Challenges in European Politics and Society (code: 59039)

The Covid-19 crisis has laid bare the fragilities of our national economies and societies and it will probably bring about irreversible structural changes for our communities. The explosion of the COVID-19 in March 2020 - and its abrupt diffusion all across the globe - have powerfully demonstrated the urgent need for improving global governance mechanisms and coordination among governments. The opportunity is now upon policy-makers and stakeholders to make the aftermath of the pandemic a reformation and transformative moment for a new kind of public policies and politics. 

The course aims at providing a critical overview on the current challenges that national democracies will have to face in the next years. Social inequalities, global pandemic, gender equality, migrations, climate change and sustainability, the rise of nationalism(s) and populism(s) are some of these tremendous challenges. How can national governments (and cities) provide adequate answers and effective policies to citizens? How will Covid-19 crisis impact on already existing strategies and global Agenda (Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda)? How does globalization affect public policies and what can governments do? 

By applying a plural and interdisciplinary approach, the course combines analytical tools and categories stemming from political science, international relations, economics, European Integration studies, public policies and development economics. The course focusses on the analysis and the understanding of how political and societal actors do play a role in the definition and implementation of effective and legitimated public policies. By providing critical tools for understanding complex phenomena (such as the European integration process, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the challenges of global governance, etc…) the course aims at preparing students as informed citizens and lifelong learners who care and act for the future of the planet and humanity. 

Keywords: Global governance, globalization, 2030 Agenda, Europe, Spain, society, governments, institutions, Covid-19

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Gender, Power and Violence (Code: 59038)

How the representation of gender-based violence (GBV) on the screen is linked to the public and private sphere? What level of responsibility have audiovisual creators on maintaining or rather breaking these connections? Is it possible to rethink gender inequality by opening an audiovisual space where new gender relationships can exist far away from the notions of power and violence?.The Mee Too era has opened windows to the representation of the GBV on the screen. Nowadays, we can find audiovisual proposals, in film and television, which explore the complexity of GBV from an intersectional point of view and reflect on the wide range of violences existing around the notion of power. At the same time, these proposals focus on the victims experience trying to avoid stereotypes and their re-victimization, and making their voices being heard and hopefully understood.This course examines GBV representations in film an TV series from unconscious and homogeneous proposals linked to patriarchal gazes until conscious and complex proposals linked to feminist gazes. At the same time, this course proposes a space of creativity in which students are meant to reflect about the possibilities of the audiovisual language to rethink and reimagine gender relationships.

Keywords: Gender-based violence, inequality, power, patriarchy, intersectionality

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Hablar en público: retórica y oratoria (Code: 59086)

El curso consiste en un conjunto de sesiones eminentemente prácticas, con la mayor parte del tiempo de clase destinada a ejercicios de expresión oral del alumnado. También se reservará un espacio para las explicaciones de los docentes y el análisis de discursos célebres y de oradores/as expertos/as. Los estudiantes participarán en varias actividades en pareja, en grupo y ante el conjunto de la clase. Se realizarán grabaciones individuales en vídeo (voluntarias y para uso exclusivo particular del estudiante) y una evaluación formativa conjunta de cada intervención por parte de toda la clase. Se incluirán sesiones de coaching individual para un tratamiento individualizado de los puntos fuertes y débiles de cada estudiante.

Keywords: Lengua oral, oratoria, retórica, argumentación, tipos de argumentos, falacias, seguridad personal, planificación (inventio i dispositio), recursos retóricos (elocutio), actuación en público (declamatio i actio), dominio normativo y uso correcto del castellano.

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Health Inequalities: Understanding our Worse Epidemic (code: 59067)

Why do low-income countries, regions and neighborhoods have a much lower life expectancy than high-income areas? Why less favored social groups have worse health than better-off groups? Why some populations enjoy better health than others? How and why has been the impact of the covid-19 pandemic? What can be done to improve this situation? According to the hegemonic biomedical approach, the main reasons for the production of health are biology and genetics, unhealthy life-styles, and deficiencies in the access and use of health services. Available knowledge however shows that other factors play a significant role. First, because political and social determinants (e.g., power relations, social policies, poverty, work, housing, etc.) have a larger effect on health, and quality of life. And second, because these determinants are strongly related to axes of inequality such as social class, gender, ethnic origin, migration status and territory. Using a transdisciplinary integrated approach, this course introduces the student to the characteristics, causes, and potential solutions of health inequalities, which is a key indicator of justice and quality of life. 

Keywords: Public Health, health inequalities, covid-19, beyond disciplines

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Justicia global y desarrollo sostenible (code: 59047)

La crisis global actual originada por el nuevo coronavirus se une a una crisis ecológica que en los últimos meses ha llevado a declaraciones de emergencia climática desde diferentes gobiernos e instituciones. Las dos crisis tienen causas comunas y eso ha llevado a plantear ya análisis y reflexiones para superar el Covid-19 y sus consecuencias sin volver a una normalidad que es parte del problema. El objetivo de la sostenibilidad puede ser la respuesta a las dos crisis. En 2015 se aprobó la Agenda 2030 de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Sostenible y los 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) son los que guían su implementación. Las temáticas que abordan estos objetivos son muchas y diversas: la pobreza, el hambre, la paz, la salud, la educación, las desigualdades, la igualdad de género, la prosperidad económica, la protección del planeta, la lucha contra el cambio climático, las ciudades y los territorios, la energía, el consumo y la producción sostenibles... La universidad, desde la docencia, la investigación y la divulgación es un espacio decisivo para poder alcanzarlos y pensarlos críticamente activando las diferentes áreas de conocimiento implicadas. La crisis ecológica y social que vivimos, y la pandemia, son grandes desafíos que demandan respuestas justas y sostenibles. El curso se fundamenta en el conocimiento transversal que es necesario para enfrentar estos retos y la interdisciplinariedad para poder hacer posible el trabajo conjunto.

Keywords: ética, moral, justicia global, sostenibilidad, política, democracia, derecho, economía, medicina, comunicación, mercado laboral, global cities, covid-19, beyond disciplines

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Law and Economics-Why should we obey? (Code: 59068)

The course objective is to analyze the incentives created by laws and legal institutions, as well as their implications for economic activity in a globalized world. Microeconomic models will be used to conduct positive and normative analysis of certain legal rules and complement the analysis with real case studies. The course offers to help them use the knowledge they have in their professional and private lives.

Keywords: Law and Economics, Incentives, Shareholder Primacy, The Role of Corporations,
economic analysis of law

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Law and Memory: Global Legal History of the 20th Century (code: 59036)

As any other social system, Law has also memory: it refers, through laws, legal decisions or doctrine, to the recent past. This is especially important in the case of mass atrocities, wars and dictatorships of Europe’s 20th Century. This course is aimed at analyzing the influences between Law, society and memory. It studies the legal construction of dictatorships and states of exception. It also explains how our contemporary legal systems have dealt with the past. The perspective is global and interdisciplinary.

Keywords: legal history, transitional justice, memory studies, global history, dictatorship, beyond disciplines, applied thinking

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Modern Statistical Computing in R (codes: 59041/59089/23630/23637)

Please note: Students at the UPF School of Economics and Business must register in this course as part of their regular degree plans with code 23630 for ECO/ADE/EMP students and 23637 for IBE students (5 ECTS). The rest of the UPF students must register in this course with the code 59089 (5 ECTS). Non UPF students must register with BISS code 59041 (6 ECTS).

Over the recent years, R has become the leading software tool for statistical computing and graphics. The software is greatly enhanced by numerous contributed packages submitted by users. The majority of computing in the leading applied statistical journals is done in R, and R is used almost exclusively in some of the leading-edge applications, such as in genetics and data mining. The purpose of this course is to set a foundation for full exploitation and creative use of the statistical language for computing and graphics R. The course introduces students to the syntax and inner workings of R, to become proficient in everyday computational tasks with datasets of all kinds, skilled in applications of elementary statistical methods, with emphasis on (initial) data exploration and simple graphics. Focus is also placed on opportunities to enhance the learning experience in other statistical courses by illustrating and applying basic statistical concepts in R.

Keywords: R, statistics, methodology, statistical computing, statistical methods, methods in action

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Music and Applied Neuroscience (Code: 59084)

With the advent of new sophisticated neuroimaging technology providing neurological and biomedical measures of cognitive states, human responses to music are being viewed through a new lens. As a consequence of this, new knowledge is being obtained about how music is able to affect our emotions and psychological states, and how it may produce significant improvements in social, overt and agitated behaviors. This course provides an insight into this fascinating research area focusing on how music can help us to understand brain functioning, as well as how it can be used to improve medical conditions such as post-stroke disabilities, affective disorders, and autism. The topics of the course include an introduction to brain anatomy and organization, followed by a description state-of-the art neuroimaging techniques (such as fMRI, EEG, MEG), music perception and cognition, neural correlates of music and different cognitive functions, music for health and well-being, therapeutic applications of music, brain-computer (music) interfaces, and neurofeedback. The course will provide students with the opportunity to experiment first-hand with neuroimaging devices, collect EEG data and analyze them by implementing simple computer programs. The course will also include a visit to the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona to observe music being applied to improve concrete medical conditions. 

Keywords: Neuroscience, music perception, music cognition, brain-computer interfaces, music therapy, EEG, fMRI

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Pensar en imágenes: la creación de narrativas y ensayos audiovisuales para transmitir ideas y emociones (code: 59088)

Este curso muestra cómo escribir con imágenes y crear narrativas reflexivas y ensayos capaces de transmitir ideas y emociones. Hoy en día vivimos rodeados de imágenes. No sólo internet es un archivo inagotable, sino que también las grabamos con el móvil, creamos nuestros archivos y álbumes personales, o las enviamos o compartimos en plataformas digitales. El confinamiento por el Covid-19 lo ha intensificado, por lo que supone un reto pensar y escribir con imágenes sobre las formas alternativas de nuestra nueva relación con el mundo: cómo lo imaginamos o esperamos, cómo vivimos nuestra relaciones con los demás, o cómo construimos nuestro yo mediante imágenes y autorrepresentaciones. A partir de imágenes que se puedan grabar de nuestros lugares –en exteriores o interiores-, o que tengamos –propias o ajenas-, crearemos historias y reflexiones sobre nuestras ideas, vivencias, deseos o sentimientos. De este forma, los participantes crearán y compartirán su visión sobre sus experiencias e ideas sobre el mundo que viviremos o imaginan después del Covid-19, fomentando la sensibilización y experimentación práctica con las herramientas audiovisuales y muy particularmente con el montaje.

Keywords: applied thinking, beyond disciplines

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Population Health and Well-Being consequences of Demographic Changes (Code: 59085)

Health and well-being consequences of demographic change are key challenges for research and innovation as they concern citizens’ health and have enormous economic implications and innovation opportunities (with equitable access to prevention, treatment and care throughout the life cycle).

Recent political and economic developments within Europe and global pressures related to population trends magnify the relevance of health and well-being and its impact on socioeconomic dynamics, as well as to the pressure that demographic changes such as population aging exert place on health systems and social safety nets.

This course examines population health and well-being consequences of demographic changes from an interdisciplinary approach, including sociological, demographic, economic and political science, particularly in developed countries. Professors will pay attention to the links between these demographic changes and social and public policies. 

This course provides a forum for students to explore contemporary issues in how demographic changes affect population health and well-being from both a theoretical and practical standpoint and using national and cross-national comparisons. Plus, the student will be involved in a novel discussion of ongoing controversies about the causes and effects of such demographic changes. The course will pay special attention to how health intersects with several sociodemographic (age, gender, …), economic (education, social class, …), and contextual (country, …) factors. Finally, the main demographic indicators will be deeply explained and discussed. 

Keywords: Health, Demography, Quality of Life, Social Determinants of Health, Aging, Cross-country perspective 

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Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (code: 59031)

The world is faced with serious and complex social and environmental problems that require a deep understanding of the systems where they occur in order to find innovative solutions.  This course introduces students to the concepts, strategies and processes of social innovation and social change. We will examine the state of the world from a social economic perspective and learn how social innovation can help solve existing and future problems.  We will explore social entrepreneurship as the vehicle for social innovation and learn about its challenges and opportunities. We will learn that innovation and entrepreneurship require a mentality that is not deterministic, in order to deal with the uncertainty and complexity. 

Keywords: innovation, systems thinking, complexity science, entrepreneurship, social development, covid-19, applied thinking, beyond disciplines

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Taller: Diseño narrativo transmedia (code: 59083)

Este taller se presenta como una introducción a las narrativas transmedia e incluye el desarrollo de un proyecto propio. Después de una introducción general a este nuevo formato narrativo, caracterizado por la expansión de los relatos en muchos medios y plataformas con la complicidad de los “prosumidores”, el taller presentará una serie de experiencias de (tanto del mundo de la ficción y como de la no ficción). Durante el taller, los participantes desarrollarán un proyecto narrativo transmedia trabajando en pequeños grupos. El proyecto podrá orientarse hacia las narrativas de ficción o no ficción. La narrativa podrá ser de creación propia o se podrá partir de un relato ya existente (novela, videojuego, película, cómic, etc.). Cada proyecto deberá también incluir una estrategia para alentar y gestionar los contenidos generados por los usuarios. El objetivo final del taller es hacer que los participantes comiencen a “pensar en transmedia” y sepan aplicar los principios básicos de esta estrategia narrativa.

Keywords: narrativa transmedia, semiótica, diseño narrativo, pensamiento aplicado, interdisciplinar, teorías narrativas

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The Challenges of Modern Sport to Ethics (code: 59073)

Sport has acquired in the last decades of the last century and the early years of XXI an extraordinary importance. It can be said that sport has suffer a deep transformation from a merely marginal activity that it only interested fans and sports institutions, to a more than relevant presence in all media. Certainly sports news today occupy more than half the space of radio and television news programs around the world and its presence in written newspapers has increased significantly.

There are, however, several aspects of sport that lead us to exciting challenges and that urgently need to be examined and solved since they are not only of interest to the sports world itself, but also to society as a whole. In this sense, the course aims to address in a practical way such debated issues as doping, violence, racial discrimination, the impact of technology, the incardination of transgender athletes, the limitation of certain fundamental rights, sports nationalism, e-sports, match-fixing and legal and illegal bets or the transformation of sport due to big data.

Keywords: Ethics, Sport, Law, Philosophy, covid-19, Sociology, Beyond Disciplines

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Time: Human Views on the Progress of Existence (code: 59027)

The concept of time is deeply ingrained within the human mind. We experience the passage of time innately, and feel a natural difference between the past, the present, and the future. Yet, some of the descriptions of the universe that science offers us provide no reasons for which the past and the future should be different, and in some others the need for the concept of time itself is not at all evident. This course aims to present an overview of how time is understood by different sciences, in particular physics and biology, and how it relates to the way in which we humans experience the progress of existence. We will discuss concepts such as the arrow of time, the multiverse, embryonic development, and aging. The discussions will also refer to the view of time from the perspective of the arts, including literature, painting, and music. Finally, we will explore how we humans measure time, both with artificial devices that we have built over the last centuries, and with our own genes.

Keywords: Our changing views on time, the arrow of time, relativity, quantum mechanics, clocks and timekeeping, aging and development, magical realism

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Using Citizen Science to Fight Mosquitos (Code: 59087)

Mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and malaria place enormous burdens on individuals, families, and communities worldwide. To control these diseases, we need to know more about the mosquitos that transmit them, but traditional methods of mosquito surveillance are costly and often unable to keep up with rapidly spreading invasive species. What if we could learn about mosquitos from all of the people who they bite? This is where citizen science comes in. This course will introduce you to a growing field that is revolutionizing mosquito research and many other areas of science by bringing ordinary people into the scientific process. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on work that can be done from home, this course will use the problem of disease-vector mosquitoes to teach you how citizen science, disease ecology and statistics can be powerful tools for public health.

Keywords:Citizen Science, Disease-Vector Mosquitoes, Public Health, Ecology, Statistics

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Venus en la pantalla (code: 59074)

Venus en la pantalla tiene como objetivo profundizar en los procesos de influencia del discurso publicitario y en los efectos que tienen dichos mensajes en la sociedad. Partiendo de los conceptos clave del lenguaje publicitario, el curso revisará diferentes públicos y la incidencia de las estrategias publicitarias en los mismos. Para ello, se aplicará la valoración de elementos como el recuerdo, la persuasión y las actitudes hacia la publicidad y las campañas publicitarias en formato audiovisual. Las sesiones teóricas se combinarán con prácticas dedicadas a analizar y desarrollar campañas publicitarias basadas en la reflexión y la crítica en torno a los temas tratados en clase.

Keywords: Publicidad, efectos psico-sociales, públicos específicos, consumidores, beyond disciplines

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