93271 - Economic History

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Economics, Markets and Institutions (cod. 8038)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is expected to: - possess the skills and tools of critical analysis in relation to the different models of economic and social development - know the long-term dynamics of economic and social development and decline - be able to critically analyze the sources.

Course contents

In the current academic year, the following topics will be addressed:

1) The major economic and social changes that took place in pre-industrial Europe

The explanations of European primacy.

2) From the first to the second industrial revolution   

National routes to industrialization: Great Britain, Germany, USA, Japan, Russia

The new geography of the world economy and trade, the free movement of goods, people and capital

3) Italy's economic development

From the industrial take-off to the difficult years between the two wars

From the economic miracle to the major international crises

Italy facing the challenges of globalization

4) European economic integration in the long run

The end of WWII, the Marshall Plan and European Economic Integration

The new international economic organizations

The unification of the market and choice of a single currency in the European Union

The 2008 international crisis and its repercussions on the European Union

 

Readings/Bibliography

For the first two topics:

V. Zamagni, Why Europe has changed the world, Il Mulino, 2015, chapters 1-12.

For the third topic on Italy:

P. Battilani, F. Fauri, The Italian economy from 1945 to today, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2019 (updated edition)

For the fourth topic on European economic integration

F. Fauri, The European Union. An economic history, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017.

Readings, books and reference articles will be indicated in class. 

Teaching methods

Each lesson addresses a specific issue, the content of which is available to students from the beginning of the course.

During the lesson, students are encouraged to intervene with questions and requests for clarification, thus expanding the discussion and hopefully increase the students' attention and interest.

Assessment methods

Attending students have the option of dividing the total exam into two partial written exams lasting 100 minutes each.

The exam consists of open questions.

Only students with a minimum score of 18/30 in the first partial will be admitted to the second partial.

Students who do not take the first partial or do not pass it, will take the whole exam in the scheduled sessions.

For non-attending students, the exam consists of a two-hour written test with open questions.

ASSESSMENT

The evaluation criteria are based on the verification of knowledge of the topics covered and on the ability of personal elaboration. The questions are open and very clear, however the teacher is always available during the exam to provide further clarification/ explanatios of what the question is about.

With regard to the assesment methods, please note that: 

<18 fail; 18-23 passing; 24-27 good; 28-30 excellent; 30 and lode outstanding.

Teaching tools

Outlines of each lesson and extended bibliography  are available online.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Fauri