GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Global warming and energy transition are two of the most important challenges humanity will ever meet. These are complex issues by themselves and by the interconnection they have with each other. The purpose of this seminar is to present an integrated picture of these problems, of their connections, and of several scientific and historical facts that should be acknowledged before elaborating scenarios for the future

“Quo Vadis?” (Where are you going?) was the question tweeted by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, regarding the position of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Brexit some days before the deadline of October 31 2019 for the UK’s official withdrawal of the EU. Since June 2016, when a majority of British voters decided to leave the EU, the UK and the EU are immersed in a tortuous process defined by incertitude. For the first time in the history of the EU, a Member State renounces to its participation in the European project. Although both parties agreed on the objective of an orderly withdrawal that could mitigate the impact of this new and unexpected situation, after a long and intense negotiation process the final conditions of this withdrawal are not agreed. This process has revealed the contradictions and the complexity of the legal and socio-economic constrains of the political procedures. The final design of the future relations between the EU and the UK will undoubtedly have a great impact in both parties, as the recent institutional crises in the UK has already shown. This is the fourth seminar of a series that started in 2017 with the experimental intention of developing a seminar simultaneously to a historical event, which is the object of study. Thus, this seminar offers a picture of a living process that will provide an initial and direct analysis of this living situation, where the main tools are the information from the media and the official documents of the negotiating parties. The seminar will be organized in three modules. A first factual module (sessions 1 and 2), in which we will explain the determining factors that lead to the present situation. A second analytic module (sessions 3 and 4 and 5) in which we will examine with a practical approach the organization of the new framework of relations between the UK and the EU in the short and medium terms. On these previous basis, the third module (sessions 5 and 6) will try to evaluate the separate evolution of the UK and the EU after the reformulation of their respective status. The methodology of the course will concentrate in the analysis and the discussion of the EU and the UK positions on the conditions of the UK’s exit. This way, each student will hand two text commentaries of at least two pages about the main documents of the EU and the UK positions before they are discussed in class. Finally, there will be a group work on the predictions about the single situation of the UK and the EU once the withdrawal has been completed.

Wars in Syria and Yemen, the Rohingya crisis and climate-fueled crises in Africa have sent the number of displaced people to a record high of 68.5 million in 2018. Humanitarian organizations strive to preserve the life and dignity of the millions of people who suffer the consequences of war, displacement, famine and natural disasters.
In this seminar, we will study how to handle the response to a humanitarian crisis. We will study the principles and laws that try to protect humanitarian action from political interference, the actors that conform the humanitarian system and the practicalities of how to assess the needs of the population, negotiate with armed actors and implement an intervention. We will do it through simulations and case studies based on real humanitarian crises.

How can we discover our career/life path? How can we exercise leadership and make a difference, even when we do not have enough authority? How can we build trust and reach positions of responsibility? How top authorities make big decisions in leading market companies, governments and international organizations? How can we handle personal and professional conflicts, frustrations and opportunities in our personal journey? In this seminar we will walk through these questions, building our knowledge through the discussion of real situations and experiences, and also using practical frameworks that will help students extract their own lessons to analyze their present and build their future. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of listening their internal voice, develop empathy, evaluate situations, understand organizational cultures, reinvent themselves, set clear goals and drive success in a very complex and interconnected world.

The art of persuasion, and its effects in the relationship between humans, has been studied for more than two millennials. We can date its indubitable origin with Aristotle in the fourth century B.C. and its impact in society only gets bigger and bigger.
In the 21st century, where information is so easily accessed and society expects results immediately, persuasion has become a very important managerial tool.
By learning the art of persuasion, you will be able to influence a person's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations or behaviors. Persuasion is about presenting evidence in the most appealing and likable way and having the ability to connect with the audience?s emotional state.
Mastering the art of persuasion is essential in a Courtroom where a lawyer has limited time to convince the Judge that your description of the facts and your application of the law are the one that should prevail. In doing so you will need to adapt to the opposing counsel arguments because ?no battle plan ever survived first contact with the enemy?. Persuasion is also applicable to a negotiation, in the office with your boss or at home with your friends.