Department of Political Science and International Affairs

Political Science and International Affairs Faculty

Chair of the Department

Silvia Scarpa 2009
Associate Professor of International Relations
Laurea, LUISS University, Rome, 2000
Master, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 2002
Dottorato di Ricerca, University "Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna", Pisa, 2006
Email: [email protected]

Professors

Federigo Argentieri 1996
Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Guarini Institute for Public Affairs
Laurea, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 1985
Ph.D., University of Budapest-ELTE, 2004
Email: [email protected]

Giulia Daga 2023
Lecturer in International Relations
B.A., University of Trieste, 2014
M.A., University of Trieste, 2016
Ph.D., University of Trento, 2023
Email: [email protected]

Michael Driessen 2012
Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of MA in International Affairs
BA, University of Portland, 2002
M.A., SAIS - Johns Hopkins University, 2005
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, 2011
Email: [email protected]

Pamela Harris 1999
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
A.B., University of California, Berkeley, 1993
J.D., Harvard Law School, 1998
Email: [email protected]

Diego Pagliarulo 2019
Lecturer in Political Science
B.A., Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy, 2004
M.A., Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy, 2007
Ph.D., Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy, 2011
Email: [email protected]

Franco Pavoncello 1990
Professor of Political Science, President of John Cabot University
B.A., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1974
M.A., The University of Michigan, 1978
Ph.D., The University of Michigan, 1984
Email: [email protected]

Bogdan Popescu 2023
Assistant Professor in Political Science
B.A., University of Bucharest, 2008
M.A., University of Essex, 2009
Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2018
Email: [email protected]

Camil Roman 2017
Lecturer in Political Science
Diploma de Licenta, SNSPA, Bucarest, 2006
M.A., University of Warwick, UK, 2009
Ph.D., University of Cambridge, 2016
Email: [email protected]

Eszter Salgó 2016
Lecturer in Political Science and International Affairs
B.A., M.A., Corvinus University (Budapest), 2002
Laurea magistrale, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
Ph.D., University of Rome “La Sapienza,” 2005
Email: [email protected]

Alberto Schepisi 2008
Visiting Professor of Political Science
Former Italian Ambassador to Ireland
M.A., Johns Hopkins University, 1966
Email: [email protected]

Gabriele Simoncini 2003
Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science
Laurea, University of Pisa, 1982
M.A., Columbia University, 1986
Ph.D., Columbia University, 1991
Email: [email protected]

Nicholas Startin 2022
Associate Professor of International Relations
PGCE., University of Warwick, 1992
M. Phil., Birmingham University, 1997
Ph.D., Brunel University, 2005
Email: [email protected]

Lyal S. Sunga 2019
Lecturer in Political Science
B.A., Carleton University, Ottawa, 1981
L.L.B., York University, Toronto. 1985
L.L.M., University of Essex, U.K., 1986
Ph.D., Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, 1991

Email: [email protected]

Simone Tholens 2022
Associate Professor of International Relations
B.A., University of Oslo, 2005
M.A., University of Amsterdam, 2007
Ph.D., European University Institute, 2012
Email: [email protected]

Silvia Scarpa

Silvia Scarpa

2009
Associate Professor of International Relations

Laurea, LUISS University, Rome, 2000
Master, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 2002
Dottorato di Ricerca, University "Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna", Pisa, 2006
Email: [email protected]


Silvia Scarpa is Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs and Associate Professor of International Relations at John Cabot University. She teaches courses on contemporary slavery and human trafficking, international law, European Union law, international organizations, human rights, and international migration.

Previously, she taught courses on international law at LUISS Guido Carli University (2013-2019) and University of Tuscia in Viterbo (2009-2010) and on migration and multiculturalism in Europe at the American University of Rome (2011-2014) and she worked as Post-Doctorate Research Fellow in International Human Rights Law at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, Italy (2009-2011).

Between 2009 and 2015 Dr. Scarpa held training sessions on international law, human rights, trafficking in persons and gender issues at the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) of Vicenza and taught in more than 40 courses for police personnel of peace support operations. She also worked as consultant for various institutions, including, inter alia: Fundación ‘La Caixa’ (2020-2021); the European Commission, as external evaluator of project proposals for the Research Executive Agency (2016); the DG Home of the European Commission in the framework of the ISEC Programme (2012 – 2014); the DG Justice and Consumers in the framework of the Daphne Programme (since 2014) and the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme (since 2014); the Italian Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) of the Department of Equal Opportunities (2013), the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in the framework of the “Rule of Law Inventory Project” (2007). In 2009 and 2010, she worked as trainer and consultant in Ankara, Turkey in the framework of the Phare Twinning Project “Training of Jandarma Officers on European Human Rights Standards.

Dr. Scarpa has been teaching in the Master of Arts in Human Rights and Conflict Management organized by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa since 2003 and was a lecturer in the Master in International Protection of Human Rights organized by the Department of Political Science of Sapienza University of Rome (2014-2022).

Recently, she also contributed to courses organized by: the Scuola Ufficiali Carabinieri of Rome, Italy (since 2010); CEPOL College – Italian Unit (2011-2013); CEPOL College – Portuguese Unit (2013); NATO Defense College of Rome (2011 and 2013); Centro di Addestramento della Polizia di Stato (CAPS) of Cesena, Italy (2012); Frontex – Italian Unit (2012-2013); UNICRI and John Cabot University’s Summer Course on Human Rights (since 2012); the Italian Red Cross (2013); and the Marshall Center (2015).

Dr. Scarpa holds a Ph.D. summa cum laude in Political Science with a specialization in International Law and Human Rights awarded by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa (2006), a Master in international Protection of Human Rights from the University “La Sapienza” of Rome (2002) and a Degree summa cum laude and special mention in Political Science – International Affairs from the University “LUISS Guido Carli” of Rome (2000).

She is the author of the book  Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery (Oxford University Press, 2008), of the manual An Introduction to International Human Rights Standards for Law Enforcement Authorities (UniversItalia, 2012) and of the European Parliament’s Study on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.

Useful Links
List of publications
Academia webpage
LinkedIn profile