DESCRIPTION
The triple transition society (OECD, 2023), ecological, social and digital, poses new challenges to modern times, with particular reference to its social and economic implications brought about by the changes taking place. New challenges loom on the horizon, in terms of equity, diversity, inclusion, for the development and sustainability of complex, global and hyper-technological societies. Identifying and taking charge of such radical and sudden transformations, both from an institutional and from a community and subjective point of view, requires a multidisciplinary and in-depth training, capable of aggregating and bringing together disciplines pertaining to different scientific domains, enhancing an inter-, trans- and multidisciplinary approach.
The research doctorate in Human Sciences for Innovation, Inclusion and Sustainability aims to train candidates capable of interpreting, analysing and managing social, ecological and digital transition processes, as well as of assessing their consequences in their various declinations and representations, with particular attention to situations of crisis, marginalisation and diversity, in the perspective of transformations and inclusion for the purpose of designing specific interventions and innovative practices. The aforementioned objective is pursued through the provision of rigorous theoretical-methodological and practical training, aimed at enabling the students to interpret and understand the complexity of the changes affecting the contemporary world, with particular attention to systemic and subjective dimensions.
The research doctorate in Human Sciences for Innovation, Inclusion and Sustainability aims to train highly qualified professionals, able to act as a link between academia and the cultural and industrial sectors, acting as agents of change with respect to the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The research lines characterising the Research Doctorate are mainly related to the first and second pillars of the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2021 - 2027 (Horizon Europe), respectively Pillar 1-Excellent Science and Pillar 2-Global challenges and European Industrial competitiveness.
The educational pathways are articulated into two learning pathways, a transversal theoretical-methodological approach, aimed at training professionals with strategic skills and the ability to investigate and analyse the economic-social reality, necessary to orient, guide and assess the effects of the changes taking place.
ARTICULATION OF THE LEARNING PATHWAYS
1. Human science, social sciences, media and performance, focusing on skills related to managing, identifying, proposing and intervening with respect to the social and cultural consequences of transitions.
2. Science of Institutions and Organisations, focusing on the skills of governing the triple transition (social, digital, ecological) on its impact on social, economic and political institutions and organisations, through a historical and legal perspective, using the tools offered by mathematical and statistical sciences for analysing phenomena.
The educational offer is transversal to the different areas of interest, specific to each learning pathway, and includes a common methodological dimension aimed at furthering the research process and improving the use of the available investigation and planning tools. The proposed methodological training focuses on multidisciplinary and mixed methods approach aimed at integrating innovative data collection and analysis techniques and technologies alongside traditional tools and techniques typical of qualitative, quantitative and experimental research. At the same time, all doctoral and post-doctoral students will be specifically trained in scientific and academic writing techniques, the ethical dimensions of research, innovative ways and forms of communicating research results in different contexts (scientific, business, political, cultural, etc.), and forms of transferring and disseminating acquired skills. In order to disseminate the doctoral programme and the specific research results of individual doctoral students, the doctoral programme involves an international dimension. The proposed pathway, in English, includes - preferably starting from the second year of the course - a research course abroad lasting at least 6 months. For this purpose, the doctorate promotes co-tutoring agreements with international professors. The latter will also be involved in the training experience as visiting professors for lessons or seminars.
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
The aim of the doctorate in Human Science for innovation, inclusion and sustainability is to train doctoral students in original and innovative basic and field scientific research, in both academic and industrial or private contexts. The highly qualifying pathway prepares for university teaching and research, taking care to train men and women professionals capable of taking on roles of governance of complexity in sectors affected by the triple transition.
The doctorate provides a series of transversal knowledge and competencies, such as:
- interdisciplinary skills aimed at understanding and interpreting the complexity of transition processes and to study their dynamics and possible developments;
- critical ability to analyse the transition processes underway and the related institutional and non-institutional forms of regulation, reconciling the needs to ensure the full development of ecological, digital and social transformations with those related to sustainability and the participation of the various actors involved in the processes;
- ability to conceive, design and implement change processes (at both macro and micro level) to support ecological, social and digital transition;
- competencies related to transdisciplinary theoretical-methodological research and analysis on transitions, even with regards to the governance of social, economic, cultural, institutional and organisational spillovers and impacts;
- ability to design, implement and evaluate field research;
- ability to communicate and disseminate research results (stimulating participation in national and international conferences, winter and summer schools, and encouraging scientific publications and outreach initiatives);
- ability to develop functional interventions and policies for the transfer of expertise to the labour market and to other sectors, with particular reference to the promotion of interventions at political, institutional and private level;
- skills on writing, research, critical analysis, problem solving;
- transversal skills on issues related to ecological, technological and digital transition, forms of regulation and the empowerment of people, organisations and communities.
COHERENCE WITH THE PNRR OBJECTIVES
The doctoral programme intercepts the three strategic themes shared at European level: digitalization and innovation; ecological transition and social inclusion. The cultural and scientific pathway structured in the PhD in Human Sciences for Innovation, Inclusion and Sustainability intends to train highly qualified professionals capable of responding to the technological, social and environmental challenges that are the focus of the European and national strategy for the years to come. For this reason, the multidisciplinary perspective, applied to basic research activities, is emphasised, along with the training of effective design, management, leadership and communication skills, in order to guide inclusive, sustainable and Human Centred Research, Innovation and Development processes. On the basis of these premises, the Course takes the following three Missions identified by the PNRR as a privileged point of reference:
- Mission 1: Digitalisation, innovation, competitiveness, culture and tourism
- Mission 2: Green revolution and ecological transition
- Mission 4: Instruction and research
TEACHING STAFF
ANGELINI Marco
BARTOLINI Francesca
BENINI Romano
BOGGIO Luca
CAPOGNA Stefania
CAPRI' Tindara
CARDI Mavie
CARDINALI Ludovica
CERVELLATI Enrico Maria
COSTA Gianluca
COVIELLO Massimiliano
DAL BIANCO Silvia
DE GREGORIO Eugenio
DONATELLI Samuele
FAELLA Gianluca
FEDELE Valentina
FERRARI Dafne
FERRIGNI Nicola
FILONI Marco
FORNI Dalila
GALLOTTA Maria Chiara
GIANNINI Luca
GIORDANO Filippo
GRAZIANO Elvira Anna
GRECO Emilio
GRIMALDI Giorgio
LAVACCA Francesco Giacinto
LUBRANO LAVADERA Giuseppe
MANCINI Riccardo
MANTUANO Elisabetta
MASTROGIUSEPPE Marco
MIGLIACCIO Silvia
MORELLI Maria Teresa
MUSELLA Flaminia
NICOLOSI Marco
NOVIELLO Daniela
PARISI Lorenza
PIGLIUCCI Michele
PROTO Massimo
SABATINI Desiree
SCAROINA Elisa
SCAROZZA Danila
SCIARRETTA Eliseo
SIGILLO' MASSARA Giuseppe
SPALLETTA Marica
VALLONE Cinzia
VISONE Tommaso
ZAMPOGNARO Francesco
ZORZI GIUSTINIANI Flavia
INTERNATIONAL PROFESSORS
ARCIDIACONO Francesco - UNIVERSITY OF TEACHER EDUCATION BEJUNE
FERRAZ Ricardo - UNIVERSITY OF BEIRA INTERIOR, DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS SCIENCES; RESEARCH CENTER ON SPORTS SCIENCES, HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CIDESD), COVILHÃ, PORTUGAL
MONTEIRO Diogo - ESECS - POLYTECHNIC OF LEIRIA
Humanities, Social Sciences, Media and Performance
The aim of the learning pathway is to provide the doctoral students with competencies related to the management of the triple transition in its impact on education, media and the arts, including through a sociological, psychological and pedagogical perspective. The curriculum is divided into three research lines.
Research line 1. Diversity, Inclusion, Participation across generations.
The research lines is articulated around a number of themes related to the social and cultural consequences of transition, in terms of participation, inclusion and diversity management in the national and supranational context, explored from an interdisciplinary perspective, which favours an intersectional approach, particularly with respect to the articulation of the gender-generations binomial, considering the inference and impact of new technologies. Media representations and processes of influence will be explored in depth, with particular reference to contemporary forms of communication (social, political and cultural), and the media mechanisms that contribute to the social construction of reality, media themes that shape processes and events, both in terms of content and logic, rhetoric and dynamics. Within this theme lies the in-depth study of artificial intelligences and new languages, of the characteristics and social, cultural and political consequences of the so-called Language Models (LM). Studies on sport and wellbeing will also be explored, with respect to the relationship with the body and health, with reference to grassroots sport, active ageing, and cultures of wellbeing aimed at disability; The analysis will also extend to the forms of communication and representation of sport and physical activity and the transformations encouraged by the media in sports, e-sports, especially with regards to its relation with inclusion. At the same time, sport will be considered in its organised forms, with regards to transformation processes, from an economic point of view, as well as from a cultural and institutional point of view, especially in its connection with international relations and the processes of national and supranational integration, construction and deconstruction. New inequalities and processes of inclusion represent a further area of interest, favouring perspectives capable of valorising intersections (gender, sexual orientation, ethnic and religious affiliation, class, disability, generational affiliation), understanding new forms of conflict and social stratification, both local and global, in order to promote new interpretative perspectives on economic, socio-cultural, educational rights, forms of participation, and the formation of national, supranational and transnational identities. Particular attention will be devoted to understanding the social effects of the triple transition (social, digital and ecological) in order to understand vertical trends and sectors such as healthcare and telemedicine, the impact of new technologies, in particular AI, on opportunities for inclusion and risks of exclusion, their ethical implications but also those related to security, as well as the narratives, rhetorics and media discourses underlying the representation of diversity.
Research line 2. Technology of Education. Psychology and Educational Science in Transition Contexts.
The research lines is articulated around a number of themes related to the acquisition by doctoral and post-doctoral students of an articulated framework of the indispensable competences concerning empirical research methodologies and techniques in both traditional and emerging sectors of education, instruction and training at different levels, in various methods of delivery, with priority to emerging scenarios such as those linked to new technologies and knowledge management. The research line will analyze the training models, their evolution and the consonance between theory and research, as well as application developments in the various training contexts (from school cycles to the corporate world in the various production sectors); in connection with the other lines of research, semiotic models and conceptual artefacts for interaction with/among the media, the production and experimentation of technological environments and tools for network interaction and how - from a psychological point of view - they interact with relational and identity dynamics can be the subject of in-depth theoretical-empirical study. Particular attention will be devoted to the analysis and development of tools for information management and knowledge organisation, educational technologies and modelling of teaching devices, also in view of the evolving innovations introduced by artificial intelligence and its ethical implications. The research line 2 will include the pursuit of theoretical (understanding the impact of digital, ecological and social transitions on psychological, social and educational development with a focus on sustainability, resilience, adaptability and mental well-being; applicative (developing innovative educational models and psychological, pedagogical and didactic interventions that effectively address the needs of diverse populations) and methodological (adopting a multidisciplinary and mixed methods approach that integrates innovative data collection and analysis techniques and technologies alongside traditional tools and techniques (surveys, interviews, focus groups).
Research Line 3. Communication, arts and digital cultures.
The research line explores the impact and innovations of the digital both on communication processes and on performance and audiovisual practices and aesthetics.
With respect to the field of communications and media, doctoral and post-doctoral students will be able to explore the implications of artificial intelligence in its broadest sense, generative and non-generative, studies on human-computer interaction (HCI) with respect to the conceptualisation and fruition of digital media and communication, the possibilities offered by the metaverse for the creation of immersive experiences capable of integrating the virtual and the real, the evolution of the social media landscape, the opportunities for inclusion made possible by digital services, in terms of accessibility, sustainability and active citizenship, the issues related to security and the correct way of managing and analysing digital communication (e.g. cybercrime and fake news).
The effects of digital technologies and cultures on performing arts and audiovisual media will be explored in experimental areas such as human-machine interaction in performances and multimedia shows, how performers interact with technologies that employ sensors, virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence to create immersive and interactive experiences, the generation of multimedia content through algorithms and artificial intelligence, and immersive and sensory architectures; new audiovisual formats and languages, distribution and consumption of audiovisual content through streaming platforms, taking into account recommendation and personalisation systems, interface design, editorial and curatorial strategies for catalogues. Further topics of interest are cultural policies for enhancing access to audiovisual and performance heritage, with particular reference to digital archives and catalogues, cultural policies and technological supports for accessibility and inclusion, media literacy and media education.
Institutional and Organisational Sciences
The aim of the learning pathway is to provide doctoral and post-doctoral students with skills related to the governance of the triple transition (social, digital, ecological) in its impact on legal, economic and political institutions and organisations, also through a historical, mathematical and statistical perspective. The Institutional and Organisational Sciences curriculum runs through three lines of research:
Research Line 1. Multilevel regulation of climate and digital transition and new economic and social challenges
The line aims to investigate, through a critical lens, the different challenges that contemporary reality presents to legislators and regulatory and supervisory authorities, favouring a multilevel perspective: on a vertical level, in order to investigate national, but also local and supranational legislative sources (with particular attention to the activity of the European legislator); and on a horizontal level, in order to understand the practices, models and guidelines drawn up by the subjects involved in different capacities in the realities subject to regulation, regulation and control, thus coordinating the hard law perspective with the increasingly widespread and evolving soft law perspective. The digital, climatic transformation, and more in general, the economic and social phenomena that are linked to them call for reflection on the ways, as well as the content, of legislating: very rapid transformations, which profoundly affect the rights of the individual, workers and actors in society and require, on the one hand, timely intervention and, on the other, legal reflection devoted to interdisciplinarity and dialogue between the various subjects. The line of research line contemplates different dimensions, which are always connected: the public and the private, as well as the substantive and the procedural. Therefore, the research stems from an awareness of the present-day complexity of law and the continuous contamination between areas: this allows the participants to assume a position of beneficial detachment from the cultivated scientific field, with a method that enhances, along with the rigour of analysis, the openness to confrontation and interdisciplinary approach that the regulation of the changing context necessarily requires.
Research line 2. Sustainable Innovation in Economics and Management (SIEM)
The line considers the challenge that sustainability, in its various dimensions, poses to the business, economic and financial market sectors, and - on the consumer side - to the relationship between sustainable products/services and processes. Specifically, the sustainable organisation should be able to simultaneously satisfy three objectives: the contribution to company growth (profit), organisational wellbeing (people), and community and territory (planet) in a logic of sustainable development. This approach entails a review with strong technical and technological foundations that leads to an optimisation of the environmental impacts of production processes and products/services from a life cycle assessment perspective, which does not only analyse company impacts but also environmental and social impacts, not only from a linear but also from a circular perspective. A sustainable organisation must in fact acquire a social purpose: the company is no longer a 'monad', a separate production unit, but an entity that integrates and interacts with the territory. Within the framework of individual organisations, this approach means re-thinking work organisation models, in order to facilitate flexibility, work-life balance, promoting organisational wellbeing, and balancing corporate objectives with the involvement of various stakeholders and market expectations, and re-thinking the employee journey, i.e. the entire life cycle of human reseources, from the moment they are hired to when they are active in the company, taking advantage of the immense opportunities that digital and new technologies can offer. The proposed research line explores models, measures and tools for the sustainability of organisations: Corporate Social Responsibility, impact on brand equity, family business and human entrepreneurship; hybrid organisational and labour models, even through the deployment of artificial intelligence; corporate and social welfare, organisational well-being; business models and management tools for circular economy-oriented supply chains; quantitative and statistical methods applied to corporate and financial market sustainability; accountability, fintech and sustainable finance; promotion and implementation of labour protection standards from a sustainability perspective; stakeholder engagement/empowerment mechanisms, co-production of services.
Research Line 3: The challenges of the triple transition in the institutional, political and gender sphere.
This line of research is mainly focused on the impact of digital and ecological transitions on national and supra-national institutions, especially with regards to ethical and political issues related to the governance of these transitions. Furthermore, the research line will address the need for a reform of the multilevel governance system in Europe and other regions of the world, the reflection on this issue in relation to the challenges posed by the climate crisis and the ongoing digital revolution, the governance of technological and digital innovation and global climate governance. Particular attention will be devoted to the presence and role of women in representative institutions, in decision-making processes at different levels and in the public policy cycle. Said gender dimension will be addressed in relation to women's participation, involvement and leadership in decision-making processes, in the public policy cycle, in national and supra-national institutions. Furthermore, the impact of the crises produced by technological and climate change in re-defining the external relations of multilevel organisations and major continental actors from a geopolitical, value and institutional perspective will also be explored. In this regard, the interactions between major powers, regional organisations and private actors (multinationals, technology market giants, etc.) and the development policies pursued by various regional and global actors will be considered. The social impact of the triple transition will also be studied in relation to the participation/discrimination of particular groups including youth, women, migrants and disadvantaged sectors of society to understand its co-evolution in relation to the political-economic dimension, including in terms of inclusion, participation, diversity, sustainability.