The course aims to provide students with advanced knowledge of the interplay between technological change and international politics, particularly international security. The course focuses on the study of three macro-areas: history and theories of international relations and technological change; the use by states of technology and innovation policies as tools of power in the international system; military organizations and the introduction of new technologies. At the end of the course, students will possess a vast repertoire of historical, theoretical concepts and practical methods useful for the analysis of organizational and political issues related to innovation policies. Students will also be able to enhance the analytical skills in international affairs obtained in their study cycle through the integration of the technological dimension.
teacher profile teaching materials
The third part of the course has a more empirical character. After analyzing some of the most important emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, 5G and quantum computing) and their implications for national and international security, the course examines the strategies implemented by the European Union, the USA and China to ensure sovereignty and independence, as well as to compete with other powers in these areas.
Program
Week 1 – Technology and International Politics
1. Introduction
2. Technology in International Affairs, basic elements
John Krige & Kai Henrik Barth, ‘Science, Technology, and International Affairs’, Osiris, 21/1 (2006), Global Power Knowledge: Science and Technology in International Affairs, 1-21.
Stefan Fritsch, ‘Technology and Global Affairs’, International Studies Perspectives, 12/1 (February 2011), 27-45.
Week 2 – Technology and IR Theory
3. Technology and International Relations: analytical framework
Geoffrey Herrera, Technology and International Transformation (Albany: SUNY Press, 2006), 13-45.
4. Technology and International Relations: analytical framework (II)
Johan Eriksson and Lindy Newlove, ‘Theorizing technology and IR’, in Giampiero Giacomello, Francesco N. Moro and Marco Valigi, Technology and International Relations: The New Frontier in Global Power (Elgar Publishing, 2021).
5. Technological change and the international System
Daniel W. Drezner, ‘Technological Change and International Relations’, International Relations 33/2 (2019) 286–303.
Sophie-Charlotte Fischer, Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Technological Change and Grand Strategy’
Week 3 – Innovazione and IT Era
6. Focus: IT Tech
James N. Rosenau and J.P. Singh (eds.), Information Technologies and Global Politics. The Changing Scope of Power and Governance (New York: SUNY Press, 2002), 1-64.
7. Politics and Innovation: Innovation Ecosystems
Mark Zachary Taylor, An International Relations Theory of Technological Change (Working Paper July 2005).
Thomas, L. D. W., and E. Autio (2020), ‘Innovation ecosystems in management: An organizing typology’, In Oxford Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Oxford University
8. Dimensions of Innovation
Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Why China Has Not Caught Up Yet. Military-Technological Superiority and the Limits of Imitation, Reverse Engineering, and Cyber Espionage’, International Security 43/3 (Winter 2018/19), 141–189
Week 4 – Technological Competition and International Security
9. Competition: Defining Tech Standards
Walter Mattli & Tim Buthe, ‘Setting International Standards: Technological Rationality or Primacy of Power?’, World Politics 56/1 (2003), 1-42.
10. Competition and Networks
Harry Farrell & Abraham Newman, ‘Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion’, International Security 44/1 (2019), 42-79.
11. Artificial Intelligence and International Security
AA.VV. Artificial Intelligence and International Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2018).
Congressional Research Service, Artificial Intelligence and National Security (November 2020).
Week 5 – Emerging Technologies and International Security
12. 5G and International Security
James A. Lewis, How 5G Will Shape Innovation and Security A Primer (Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2018)
13. Quantum computing and International Security
Jon R. Lindsay, ‘Demystifying the Quantum Threat: Infrastructure, Institutions, and Intelligence Advantage’, Security Studies, 29/2 (2020), 335-361.
14. UE
Ulrike Franke, José Ignacio Torreblanca, ‘Geo-Tech Politics: Why Technology Shapes European Power’, ECFR Policy Brief (July 2021).
EU Parliamentary Research Service, Key Enabling Technologies for Europe's Technological Sovereignty (Bruxelles: EUPRS, 2021), XXX
Week 6 – Case Studies
15. UE
Francesca Ghiretti, Technological Competition: Can the EU Compete with China? (Roma: Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2021).
Jean-Pierre Darnis, The European Union between strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty: impasses and opportunities (Paris: Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique, 2021)
16. USA
AA.VV., The Great Tech Rivalry: China vs the U.S (Cambridge: Harvard University’s Belfer Center for International Affairs, 2021).
17. China
Gregory C. Allen, Understanding China’s AI Strategy: Clues to Chinese Strategic Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and National Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2019).
Week 7
18. Conclusions
John Krige & Kai Henrik Barth, ‘Science, Technology, and International Affairs’, Osiris, 21/1 (2006), Global Power Knowledge: Science and Technology in International Affairs, 1-21.
Stefan Fritsch, ‘Technology and Global Affairs’, International Studies Perspectives, 12/1 (February 2011), 27-45.
Geoffrey Herrera, Technology and International Transformation (Albany: SUNY Press, 2006), 13-45.
Johan Eriksson and Lindy Newlove, ‘Theorizing technology and IR’, in Giampiero Giacomello, Francesco N. Moro and Marco Valigi, Technology and International Relations: The New Frontier in Global Power (Elgar Publishing, 2021).
Daniel W. Drezner, ‘Technological Change and International Relations’, International Relations 33/2 (2019) 286–303.
Sophie-Charlotte Fischer, Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Technological Change and Grand Strategy’
James N. Rosenau and J.P. Singh (eds.), Information Technologies and Global Politics. The Changing Scope of Power and Governance (New York: SUNY Press, 2002), 1-64.
Mark Zachary Taylor, An International Relations Theory of Technological Change (Working Paper July 2005).
Thomas, L. D. W., and E. Autio (2020), ‘Innovation ecosystems in management: An organizing typology’, In Oxford Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Oxford University
Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Why China Has Not Caught Up Yet. Military-Technological Superiority and the Limits of Imitation, Reverse Engineering, and Cyber Espionage’, International Security 43/3 (Winter 2018/19), 141–189
Walter Mattli & Tim Buthe, ‘Setting International Standards: Technological Rationality or Primacy of Power?’, World Politics 56/1 (2003), 1-42.
Harry Farrell & Abraham Newman, ‘Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion’, International Security 44/1 (2019), 42-79.
AA.VV. Artificial Intelligence and International Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2018).
Congressional Research Service, Artificial Intelligence and National Security (November 2020).
James A. Lewis, How 5G Will Shape Innovation and Security A Primer (Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2018)
Jon R. Lindsay, ‘Demystifying the Quantum Threat: Infrastructure, Institutions, and Intelligence Advantage’, Security Studies, 29/2 (2020), 335-361.
Ulrike Franke, José Ignacio Torreblanca, ‘Geo-Tech Politics: Why Technology Shapes European Power’, ECFR Policy Brief (July 2021).
EU Parliamentary Research Service, Key Enabling Technologies for Europe's Technological Sovereignty (Bruxelles: EUPRS, 2021), XXX
Francesca Ghiretti, Technological Competition: Can the EU Compete with China? (Roma: Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2021).
Jean-Pierre Darnis, The European Union between strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty: impasses and opportunities (Paris: Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique, 2021)
AA.VV., The Great Tech Rivalry: China vs the U.S (Cambridge: Harvard University’s Belfer Center for International Affairs, 2021).
Gregory C. Allen, Understanding China’s AI Strategy: Clues to Chinese Strategic Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and National Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2019).
Programme
The first part of the course illustrates the link between technology and international business in history and conceptualizes the role of technology through the analysis of different theoretical approaches, with particular reference to IT (Information Technology). The second part of the course analyzes how states produce "technological power" and how they compete internationally. It focuses first of all on the link between technology and politics, and in particular on the concept of "innovation" and "ecosystems of innovation", as well as on the fundamental dimensions of innovation in relation to the nature of modern technology. The main form of international competition in the technological field will also be illustrated, namely the definition of standards.The third part of the course has a more empirical character. After analyzing some of the most important emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, 5G and quantum computing) and their implications for national and international security, the course examines the strategies implemented by the European Union, the USA and China to ensure sovereignty and independence, as well as to compete with other powers in these areas.
Program
Week 1 – Technology and International Politics
1. Introduction
2. Technology in International Affairs, basic elements
John Krige & Kai Henrik Barth, ‘Science, Technology, and International Affairs’, Osiris, 21/1 (2006), Global Power Knowledge: Science and Technology in International Affairs, 1-21.
Stefan Fritsch, ‘Technology and Global Affairs’, International Studies Perspectives, 12/1 (February 2011), 27-45.
Week 2 – Technology and IR Theory
3. Technology and International Relations: analytical framework
Geoffrey Herrera, Technology and International Transformation (Albany: SUNY Press, 2006), 13-45.
4. Technology and International Relations: analytical framework (II)
Johan Eriksson and Lindy Newlove, ‘Theorizing technology and IR’, in Giampiero Giacomello, Francesco N. Moro and Marco Valigi, Technology and International Relations: The New Frontier in Global Power (Elgar Publishing, 2021).
5. Technological change and the international System
Daniel W. Drezner, ‘Technological Change and International Relations’, International Relations 33/2 (2019) 286–303.
Sophie-Charlotte Fischer, Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Technological Change and Grand Strategy’
Week 3 – Innovazione and IT Era
6. Focus: IT Tech
James N. Rosenau and J.P. Singh (eds.), Information Technologies and Global Politics. The Changing Scope of Power and Governance (New York: SUNY Press, 2002), 1-64.
7. Politics and Innovation: Innovation Ecosystems
Mark Zachary Taylor, An International Relations Theory of Technological Change (Working Paper July 2005).
Thomas, L. D. W., and E. Autio (2020), ‘Innovation ecosystems in management: An organizing typology’, In Oxford Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Oxford University
8. Dimensions of Innovation
Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Why China Has Not Caught Up Yet. Military-Technological Superiority and the Limits of Imitation, Reverse Engineering, and Cyber Espionage’, International Security 43/3 (Winter 2018/19), 141–189
Week 4 – Technological Competition and International Security
9. Competition: Defining Tech Standards
Walter Mattli & Tim Buthe, ‘Setting International Standards: Technological Rationality or Primacy of Power?’, World Politics 56/1 (2003), 1-42.
10. Competition and Networks
Harry Farrell & Abraham Newman, ‘Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion’, International Security 44/1 (2019), 42-79.
11. Artificial Intelligence and International Security
AA.VV. Artificial Intelligence and International Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2018).
Congressional Research Service, Artificial Intelligence and National Security (November 2020).
Week 5 – Emerging Technologies and International Security
12. 5G and International Security
James A. Lewis, How 5G Will Shape Innovation and Security A Primer (Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2018)
13. Quantum computing and International Security
Jon R. Lindsay, ‘Demystifying the Quantum Threat: Infrastructure, Institutions, and Intelligence Advantage’, Security Studies, 29/2 (2020), 335-361.
14. UE
Ulrike Franke, José Ignacio Torreblanca, ‘Geo-Tech Politics: Why Technology Shapes European Power’, ECFR Policy Brief (July 2021).
EU Parliamentary Research Service, Key Enabling Technologies for Europe's Technological Sovereignty (Bruxelles: EUPRS, 2021), XXX
Week 6 – Case Studies
15. UE
Francesca Ghiretti, Technological Competition: Can the EU Compete with China? (Roma: Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2021).
Jean-Pierre Darnis, The European Union between strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty: impasses and opportunities (Paris: Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique, 2021)
16. USA
AA.VV., The Great Tech Rivalry: China vs the U.S (Cambridge: Harvard University’s Belfer Center for International Affairs, 2021).
17. China
Gregory C. Allen, Understanding China’s AI Strategy: Clues to Chinese Strategic Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and National Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2019).
Week 7
18. Conclusions
Core Documentation
John Krige & Kai Henrik Barth, ‘Science, Technology, and International Affairs’, Osiris, 21/1 (2006), Global Power Knowledge: Science and Technology in International Affairs, 1-21.
Stefan Fritsch, ‘Technology and Global Affairs’, International Studies Perspectives, 12/1 (February 2011), 27-45.
Geoffrey Herrera, Technology and International Transformation (Albany: SUNY Press, 2006), 13-45.
Johan Eriksson and Lindy Newlove, ‘Theorizing technology and IR’, in Giampiero Giacomello, Francesco N. Moro and Marco Valigi, Technology and International Relations: The New Frontier in Global Power (Elgar Publishing, 2021).
Daniel W. Drezner, ‘Technological Change and International Relations’, International Relations 33/2 (2019) 286–303.
Sophie-Charlotte Fischer, Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Technological Change and Grand Strategy’
James N. Rosenau and J.P. Singh (eds.), Information Technologies and Global Politics. The Changing Scope of Power and Governance (New York: SUNY Press, 2002), 1-64.
Mark Zachary Taylor, An International Relations Theory of Technological Change (Working Paper July 2005).
Thomas, L. D. W., and E. Autio (2020), ‘Innovation ecosystems in management: An organizing typology’, In Oxford Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Oxford University
Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli, ‘Why China Has Not Caught Up Yet. Military-Technological Superiority and the Limits of Imitation, Reverse Engineering, and Cyber Espionage’, International Security 43/3 (Winter 2018/19), 141–189
Walter Mattli & Tim Buthe, ‘Setting International Standards: Technological Rationality or Primacy of Power?’, World Politics 56/1 (2003), 1-42.
Harry Farrell & Abraham Newman, ‘Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion’, International Security 44/1 (2019), 42-79.
AA.VV. Artificial Intelligence and International Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2018).
Congressional Research Service, Artificial Intelligence and National Security (November 2020).
James A. Lewis, How 5G Will Shape Innovation and Security A Primer (Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2018)
Jon R. Lindsay, ‘Demystifying the Quantum Threat: Infrastructure, Institutions, and Intelligence Advantage’, Security Studies, 29/2 (2020), 335-361.
Ulrike Franke, José Ignacio Torreblanca, ‘Geo-Tech Politics: Why Technology Shapes European Power’, ECFR Policy Brief (July 2021).
EU Parliamentary Research Service, Key Enabling Technologies for Europe's Technological Sovereignty (Bruxelles: EUPRS, 2021), XXX
Francesca Ghiretti, Technological Competition: Can the EU Compete with China? (Roma: Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2021).
Jean-Pierre Darnis, The European Union between strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty: impasses and opportunities (Paris: Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique, 2021)
AA.VV., The Great Tech Rivalry: China vs the U.S (Cambridge: Harvard University’s Belfer Center for International Affairs, 2021).
Gregory C. Allen, Understanding China’s AI Strategy: Clues to Chinese Strategic Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and National Security (Washington DC: CNAS, 2019).
Type of delivery of the course
The course is structured around lectures. These however are conducted like a seminar, on the basis of continuous interactions between the instructor and the students. Before each class, students are required to do the readings assigned in order to conduct an informed discussion on the topics covered. In particular, in the third part of the course the expectation is that students will be able to conduct independent analysis using the analytical tools learned in the first and second parts of the course. The teaching material of the course is mainly in English, knowledge of which is therefore essential.Type of evaluation
20% participation to class discussions 80% oral exam