Welfare, Diversity and Gender Studies

Structure and Learning Outcomes

By the end of the three-year programme, doctoral candidates will have:

1. Consolidated knowledge of social, pedagogical, legal and communication theories relevant to Welfare, diversity and well-being, with specific attention to the educational and communicative implications of gender and diversity, the historical evolution of discrimination and violence, and the representation of identity categories in public and private discourse.

2. Acquired an interdisciplinary perspective, enabling them to address the multidimensional challenges of Welfare and diversity across institutional, territorial, organisational and communicative settings.

3. Developed methodological expertise in conflict analysis, dispute management, participatory processes and intersectionality, with sensitivity to territorial and contextual specificities.

4. Mastered evaluation methods, allowing them to conduct original empirical research, critically assess academic literature, and design and evaluate policies, programmes and projects—including in inclusive, multicultural and intercultural pedagogy—from both ex ante and ex post perspectives.

5. Enhanced research and professional competences, through advanced mixed-methods training, with particular emphasis on qualitative methodologies, participatory approaches, empirical inquiry and the integration of quantitative and qualitative techniques.

6. Produced original research, resulting in a dissertation making a substantive contribution to scientific knowledge on Welfare, diversity and gender. Candidates will acquire the ability to formulate rigorous research questions, collect and analyse data, construct theoretical models and derive evidence-based recommendations.

Career Prospects

Graduates of the programme are equipped to assume specialised roles in analysing and promoting social Welfare within public and private sectors, public administration, business, the third sector and international organisations. Their expertise enables them to contribute to the development of inclusive, sustainable and socially just environments and to undertake high-responsibility governance roles at national and international levels.

Academic careers are also available, with opportunities in universities and public or private advanced research institutes.

Professional trajectories include:

Public Sector

Senior and specialist positions in public administration, particularly in workplace health and safety, Equal Opportunity Committees, HR management and the drafting of public documentation (including PIAO).

Private Sector

Managerial and analytical roles such as Workplace Health and Safety Manager, HR/D&I/Gender Equality Manager, CSR and compliance roles, Project Manager for Territorial Cohesion, Communication and Dissemination Manager, trade-union communication specialists, and consultancy or legal practice specialising in anti-discrimination and gender equality.

Third Sector / Social Economy

Research, communication and intercultural-process professionals; coordination and management roles in NGOs, foundations and associations with expertise in project design, personnel management and social-impact assessment.

International Organisations

Research, policy-design, programme-management and evaluation roles; advocacy, campaigning and lobbying functions; strategic and governance positions in international cooperation, human-rights protection, social well-being and gender-equality initiatives.

All master’s degrees and equivalent degree qualifications obtained abroad.

Coordinator:
Prof. Micaela Vitaletti – micaela.vitaletti@unitus.it

Administrative Officer:
Giuseppe Rapiti, Administrative Secretary – rapiti.giuseppe@unitus.it, tel. +39 327 405 8716

Teaching Facility / Academic Department:
DIKE, Via S.M. in Gradi 4, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.

>  Call for applications and Enrollment instructions here.

Public and Corporate Welfare – Diversity – Gender Studies

Languages, Data and Bias: AI Applied to Research

Barbara Bello, Niccolò Di Marco, Alessandra Serra
SSD: GIUR-17/A, INFO-01/A, ANGL-01/C

This course explores the transformation of knowledge and society in the era of big data and artificial intelligence. Beginning with the advent of new digital technologies and the immense quantities of data generated daily, it analyses how these developments have opened new avenues for studying social behaviour, contributing to the emergence of the computational social sciences. Through concrete examples—ranging from online polarisation to news diffusion—the course illustrates how data allow for the observation and modelling of collective dynamics, while highlighting the crucial role of bias, both in datasets and algorithms, in shaping and interpreting research outcomes.
The second part focuses on AI and large language models, examining their underlying principles, potential applications, associated risks and, in particular, the systemic biases that may arise during training and deployment. A concluding reflection addresses the social impact of AI, the challenges related to its “judgement”, interpretability, and the ethical and political implications of biased intelligent systems.

1 ECTS – 10 hours
Blended learning
Semesters I–II

15 January 2026, 10:00–13:00 (Prof. Di Marco)
16 January 2026, 11:30–13:00 (Prof. Serra)
16 January 2026, 14:00–16:00 (Prof. Bello)

Academic Writing in English

Sonia Di Vito, Janet Duggan and Julie Hobson
SSD: FRAN-01/B

The course aims to provide doctoral candidates with the tools necessary to structure and organise academic texts in English effectively. It is designed to develop competences required for writing scientific articles, research essays and doctoral theses. Teaching activities focus on consolidating academic skills and mastering the essential elements of scholarly writing. The objective is to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of students’ written production through the integrated acquisition of theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
The module also includes two hours on “Plurilingualism, Inclusion and Sustainability”.

Minimum 10 hours – maximum 40 hours
5 ECTS
Blended learning
Semesters I–II
To be chosen by candidates according to their existing competences.

Inclusion & Diversity Public Speaking

Alessandra Serra
SSD: ANGL-01/C

The course aims to develop effective and inclusive public communication skills, with particular attention to the balanced representation of identities and the conscious management of diversity in professional settings and contexts where doctoral candidates are required to intervene.

4 hours – 1 ECTS
Semester II

16 April 2026 (16:00–17:30)
18 April 2026 (10:00–13:30)

European Project Design

Marco Barbini – APRE (Training Agency)

This course provides theoretical knowledge and operational skills to access, draft and manage research projects funded by the European Union.

3 hours – 0.5 ECTS
Semester II

15 January 2026 (14:00–15:30)
16 January 2026 (10:00–11:30)

Welfare, Diversity and Gender Studies between Classical Literature, Medieval Art and Archives

Maddalena Vallozza, Alessandro Fusi, Eva Ponzi, Gilda Nicolai
SSD: HELL-01/B, LATI-01/A, HIST-04/C, 10/B1

This course offers a critical and interdisciplinary training pathway across four disciplinary areas (Greek and Latin literature, medieval art history and archival studies). Through a comparative and workshop-based approach, doctoral candidates are encouraged to reflect on categories such as inclusion/exclusion, power and agency. Particular attention is devoted to the ways historical and cultural dynamics have constructed—and in many cases legitimised—normative or alternative models of identity and social relationships.
The course highlights literary texts and artistic or archival contexts not only as testimonies of dominant power structures but also as spaces in which historically marginalised individuals and groups exercised resistance, autonomy or meaning-making.
The aim is to stimulate an informed and interdisciplinary perspective on the past, capable of engaging critically with contemporary issues.

16 hours – 2 ECTS
Semester II – Blended learning
13–17 April 2026

ESP for a Gender Perspective in Communication

Sonia Melchiorre
SSD: ANGL-01/C

This seminar trains participants in the use of respectful communication that avoids reproducing gender stereotypes and prevents linguistic micro-aggressions and gaslighting (forms of violence exercised through ambiguous language), across media and administrative communication.

2 hours – 0.2 ECTS
Semester II
6 March 2025

Plurilingualism, Inclusion and Sustainability

Sonia Di Vito
SSD: FRAN-01/B

The seminar provides an overview of plurilingualism as a strategy for safeguarding linguistic diversity in Europe and beyond, and its inclusion within sustainability-oriented policies. It also examines the links between plurilingualism and the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Finally, it presents projects that have developed plurilingual actions aimed at promoting inclusion, particularly for allophone individuals.

2 hours – 0.5 ECTS
20 January 2026
19 February 2026

Valorisation and Dissemination of Research Results, Intellectual Property and Open Access

Quarterly review meetings are scheduled, during which doctoral candidates present the progress of their research to the Doctoral Board. Candidates are also expected to participate in calls for papers for national or international conferences or collective volumes. In the third year, two doctoral colloquia are held for each candidate, in which doctoral theses in progress are discussed with Italian and/or foreign scholars who are experts in the relevant fields and external to the Doctoral Board.

Advanced Seminars on Core Courses

Further seminars will be announced during the academic year. They will address specific aspects of the core subjects taught, involving doctoral candidates in the discussion and fostering information exchange and the multidisciplinary approach that characterises the PhD programme as an instrument for enhancing knowledge implementation.