The course has the objective of carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the concept of leadership from a socio-political perspective, as well as of the growing importance of communication processes for the effective exercise of leadership. The course will also examine the historical evolution of political leadership, employing a comparative approach. This will enable students to develop analytical tools for understanding the logics that shape authority and power in the contemporary era. Particular attention will be devoted to analysing the relationship between political leadership and communication. The wealth of expert knowledge acquired will enable students to understand the socio-political and symbolic-cultural dynamics underlying the processes of leadership construction and its effective management.

EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS
1. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course students will be able to:
- Read and summarise scientific texts that address, from a socio-political analysis perspective, the topic of leadership and its relationship with communication.
- Describe the main socio-political theories that have addressed the theme of leadership and its relationship with communication.
- identify the main authors who have worked in the field of the analysis of political leadership and its relationship with communication.

2. APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course students will be able to:
- place the studies on political leadership in a line of time evolution;
- summarise the main theoretical-scientific aspects of political leadership theories;
- apply the theoretical knowledge acquired to identify, describe and critically analyse the behaviour and style of contemporary political leaders.

3. MAKING JUDGMENTS
At the end of the course students will be able to:
- describe in sociological terms the characteristics of political leadership and its relationship with communication;
- identify and use socio-political variables in the assessment of the processes, forms and actors of contemporary political leadership;
- understand the intrinsically social dimension of the process of leadership construction and management of power and authority.

4. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
At the end of the course students will be able to:
- use the scientific vocabulary specific to the socio-political literature on leadership in oral exposition and writing;
- discuss in public concepts, theories and social situations relating to political leadership and its relationship to communication processes;
- work in groups, sharing and exchanging knowledge acquired in the field of the political sociology of leadership.

5. LEARNING SKILLS
At the end of the course students will be able to:
- independently retrieve and deepen new scientific orientations concerning the political sociology of leadership.
- retrieve and deepen their socio-political knowledge in the course of their own scientific maturation process and along their professional path.
- deduce from the theoretical knowledge acquired indications and suggestions for an effective exercise of leadership in the various professional spheres traversed.

- J. S. Nye Jr, The Power to Lead, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008
- Handouts by the lecturer.