96813 - International History of the Contemporary Era (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing an adequate knowledge of contemporary political-institutional history and at analyzing major historical changes of contemporaneity that took place at European and extra-European level, starting from the French Revolution up to the fall of Berlin wall (1989). The acquired analytical tools will allow to improve the understanding of the relations existing between domestic and foreign policies of the concerned countries as well as to consolidate the knowledge of major international processes and their interconnection with national histories. The study of the main events of XIX and XX centuries in a diachronic perspective will allow acquiring key elements for interpreting current events.

Course contents

The course will explore key developments in contemporary political history, spanning from the revolutions of 1848 to the 1990s. It will involve a comparative analysis of significant historical events that shaped both Europe and major non-European regions. Initially, we will provide an overview of the political, economic, and social processes that led to the emergence of the contemporary era, culminating in the First World War. Following this, the focus will shift to the political history of Europe and non-European areas during the interwar period, and continue through the evolution of the bipolar system and the Cold War on a global scale.

Readings/Bibliography

All students, whether attending classes or not, must study the compulsory textbook and choose one monograph from the suggested list.

Compulsory textbook:

Giovanni Sabbatucci, Vittorio Vidotto, Il mondo contemporaneo, Laterza, Bari-Roma, 2019. 

A monograph selected from the following options: 

Banti, Alberto Mario, Il Risorgimento italiano, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008 (escluse le pagg. 145-222)

Baritono, Raffaella; Fiorino Vinzia, Il voto alle donne. Una storia globale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2025.

Cavazza, Stefano, Pombeni, Paolo (a cura), Introduzione alla Storia contemporanea, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2020.

Corni, Gustavo, Breve storia del nazismo 1920-1945, Bologna, Il Mulino 2015.

Ertola, Emanuele, "Il colonialismo degli italiani. Storia di un'ideologia" Carocci, 2022.

Ferguson, Nial, Impero. Come la Gran Bretagna ha fatto il mondo moderno, Mondadori, Milano 2009

Goldstein, Erik, Gli accordi di pace dopo la Grande guerra (1919-1925), il Mulino, 2005

Musiani, Elena; Guerra, Elda, Il movimento politico delle donne.Una storia internazionale (XIX-XX secolo), Le Monnier, Milano, 2025.

Judt, Tony La nostra storia (Dopoguerra. Come è cambiata l’Europa dal 1945 a oggi), Laterza 2017, disponibile anche in e-book (anche edizione Mondadori 2007)

Kennedy, Dane, Storia della decolonizzazione, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2016

Kennedy, Paul, Ascesa e declino delle grandi potenze, Garzanti, Milano 2016

Lupo, Salvatore, La mafia. Centosessant’anni di storia tra Sicilia e America, Roma, Donzelli

Perazzoli, Jacopo, “Per la pace del diritto". Woodrow Wilson e la sua eredità, dalla Grande Guerra allo shock della globalizzazione, Carocci, 2022.

Testi, Arnaldo, Il secolo degli Stati Uniti, Il Mulino, Bologna.

Teaching methods

The course "International History of the Contemporary Era" is designed as an introductory class for the first year of a degree program and typically attracts a large number of students. The professor will lead lectures while providing opportunities for student interaction through questions and discussions. PowerPoint presentations will be used to highlight key points of historical analysis, along with historical images and films.

Assessment methods

Attending students:

Attending students must complete two written tests to be individually evaluated. These tests are reserved for regularly attending students, and attendance will be verified by the teacher collecting students' signatures in class. Each test consists of 10 semi-open questions and must be completed within 45 minutes.

First test: October 29

Second test: December 10

Repeat tests: December 17

Evaluation Criteria for the Written Tests:

Each test is graded out of a total of 30 points. A student must achieve at least 18 points to pass each test.

If students successfully passes both written tests, they will be allowed to take the final oral exam.

If students receive a negative result on one or more written tests, or if they are absent from one or more tests (absence must be justified), they will need to recover those assessments by taking a 10-question test in 45 minutes on the same day as the oral exam.

The grades from the written tests remain valid until September 2026.

The final oral exam will focus on evaluating the student's historical thinking skills and critical reading abilities, on the chosen book as well as pages 616-710 of the textbook. The final grade for the exam will be calculated as the average of the two written test scores combined with the oral exam grade.

Students are required to bring both the handbook and the monograph to the final oral exam.

Not-attending students:

The exam for non-attending students consists of two parts: a written questionnaire and an oral test.

Written Test:

The written exam includes 10 open-ended questions related to the manual and institutional content. - Students have 45 minutes to complete this part of the exam.

Oral Test:

The oral exam is held on the same day as the written test or the following day if there is a high number of registered students. - Access to the oral test is contingent upon passing the written test. To pass the overall exam, students must achieve a passing score on both the written and oral tests.

 

Students with DSA or temporary or permanent disabilities

It is recommended to contact the responsible University office in good time (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it): it will be their responsibility to propose any adaptations to the students concerned, which must however be submitted, with a 15-day notice, to the approval of the teacher, who will evaluate the opportunity also in relation to the educational objectives of the course.

 

Teaching tools

Power Point presentations, historical images, movies and guest lecturers.

The Syllabus with the list of the themes, the calendar and the dates of the written text will be available on Virtuale by the first day of the course

Office hours

See the website of Angela Santese