APPLICATIONS OF PSYCHOBIOLOGY IN THE FORENSIC FIELD

Attendance is optional. However, consistent and attentive attendance is strongly recommended, given the specific nature of the subject and the objective difficulty of adequately preparing independently.

NEUROBIOLOGY OF THE WILL

- Will to Good and Evil

- Mind and Brain

- Tragedies of the Will

- Beneficial Illusion of Conscious Will

HOW THE BRAIN CREATES CONSCIOUSNESS

- Measuring Consciousness

- Delirium

THE SCIENCE OF EVIL. EMPATHY AND THE ORIGINS OF CRUELTY

- Explaining "evil" and human cruelty

- The mechanism of empathy: the bell curve

TRANSITIONAL MADNESS

- Case studies: Cases: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17

- Individual clinical histories: Cases: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17

- Let's try to put some order

- "Simple" emotional states

- "Complex" emotional states

- About the victims

CRIME TODAY: EXPERIENCES FROM THE FIELD

-      Anil Seth. Come il cervello crea la coscienza. Raffaello Cortina Editore.

-      Arnaldo Benini. Neurobiologia della volontà. Raffaello Cortina Editore.

-      Simon Baron-Cohen. La scienza del male. L’empatia e le origini della crudeltà. Raffaello Cortina Editore.

-      Ugo Fornari. Follia transitoria. Il problema dell’irresistibile impulso e del raptus omicida. Raffaello Cortina Editore

During the oral exam, students may use concept and/or mind maps.

For assessment purposes, the instructor will consider:

Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge of the applications of psychobiology in the forensic field, consciousness and its alteration, empathy, evil, criminality, and madness.

Applied knowledge and understanding: Acquisition of knowledge of psychobiological mechanisms and possible alterations.

Making independent judgments: Students must acquire the ability to present and critically discuss the basic concepts of the discipline.

Communication skills: Students must demonstrate the ability to clearly and confidently communicate the knowledge learned during the course and their conclusions regarding the critical issues of the discipline. They must also demonstrate mastery of appropriate terminology.

Learning Ability: Students must demonstrate mastery of the technical vocabulary and theoretical-conceptual knowledge covered during the course, enabling them to critically analyze the main findings of forensic psychobiology with scientific rigor. They must also demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze, and process the content and knowledge acquired through the study and in-depth analysis of scientific texts and the consultation of relevant publications, enabling them to independently undertake further in-depth study.

Psychobiological Aspects of the Neurobiology of Will

Consciousness and Will

Tragedies of the Will

Biological Aspects of Criminality

In the Mind of the Defendant

Delirium

Explaining "Evil" and Human Cruelty

Case Description from the Text "Transient Madness"

Etc.