00932 - Contemporary History (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will acquire an outline of modern history, with a special attention to the social, cultural and political transformations, and the awareness of the complexity and problematic nature of the periodization principles. The student will also acquire a good knowledge of an important theme of the modern era, especially in relation to the historiography debate and the multiplicity of the sources. The student is able to analyze in an autonomous way documents, sources, and authors belonging to the contemporary World.

Course contents

Title of the course: Contemporary history: themes, issues, methodologies.

The course is aimed to students of the Lettere and Philosophy three-year undergraduate degree (laurea triennale) who have to take a 12 credits exam (group M-Z).

Following the new rules by the School of Lettere it is forbidden any change between the group A-L and M-Z.

This year's course will deal with the more relevant themes of world history in the XIX and XX centuries, with the aim to give the students some useful tools to comprehend the processes that have led to the formation of the global world and to understand the peculiar features of what historians call the “modern era”. The course will use a university-level textbook as a starting point and the monographs included in the reading list for a more in-depth study of some issues who had a global impact in the modern era: the building of nations and nineteenth- and twentieth-century nationalisms, the rise and falls of old and new empires, the colonial empires and their dismantling, the totalitarianisms, the cold war,itsts conclusion and its legacy, the Middle East problem.

 

The course will focus, following the most innovative methodological approaches and the most recent historiography, the following themes:

The “Risorgimento” and the Italian nation-building in a cultural perspective.

Past and memory in the hisrory of Germany from 1945 to 1989.

The history of the Middle East in a social and cultural perspective.

Readings/Bibliography

Students who attend the lectures

For the students who attend the lectures the following readings are required for the assessment of the course:

Compulsory readings:

1) A modern history textbook. It is recommended the two-volumes textbook by Alberto Banti (volume one: L'età contemporanea: dalle rivoluzioni settecentesche all'imperialismo, Laterza, 2009; and volume two: L'età contemporanea: dalla Grande Guerra ad oggi, Laterza, 2009), from which the following chapters have been selected: volume one, chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25; volume two, chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

2) Carlotta Sorba, Il melodramma della nazione. Politica e sentimenti nell'età del Risorgimento, Laterza 2015.

3)  Johann Chapoutot, Controllare e distruggere. Fascismo, nazismo e regimi autoritari in Europa (1918-1945), Einaudi 2015, pp. 1-213.

At choise, one of the following readings

1) David Cook, Storia del jihad. Da Maometto ai giorni nostri, Einaudi 2007, pp. 255.

2 ) James L. Gelvin, Il conflitto israeliano-palestinese. Cent'anni di guerra, Einaudi 2007, pp. 1-333.

3) J.K.A Thomaneck e Bill Niven, La Germania dalla divisione all'unificazione, Il Mulino, pp. 1-140 and  W. G. Sebald, Storia naturale della distruzione, Adelphi 2004, pp. 1-145 ( with pictures).

Students who do not attend the lectures

For the students who attend the lectures the following readings are required for the assessment of the course:

Compulsory readings:

1) A modern history textbook. It is recommended the two-volumes textbook by Alberto Banti (volume one: L'età contemporanea: dalle rivoluzioni settecentesche all'imperialismo, Laterza, 2009; and volume two: L'età contemporanea: dalla Grande Guerra ad oggi, Laterza, 2009), from which the following chapters have been selected: volume one, chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25; volume two, chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

2) Carlotta Sorba, Il melodramma della nazione. Politica e sentimenti nell'età del Risorgimento, Laterza 2015.

3) Johann Chapoutot, Controllare e distruggere. Fascismo, nazismo e regimi autoritari in Europa (1918-1945), Einaudi 2015, pp. 1-213.

At choise, two of the following readings

1) David Cook, Storia del jihad. Da Maometto ai giorni nostri, Einaudi 2007, pp. 255.

2 ) James L. Gelvin, Il conflitto israeliano-palestinese. Cent'anni di guerra, Einaudi 2007, pp. 1-333.

3) J.K.A Thomaneck e Bill Niven, La Germania dalla divisione all'unificazione, Il Mulino, pp. 1-140 and W. G. Sebald, Storia naturale della distruzione, Adelphi 2004, pp. 1-145 ( with pictures).

 

Teaching methods

The method which has been chosen for building the course and pass on the knowledge to the students is in first place to insert in the basic structure supplied by the textbook the critical and in-depth study of the monographs. These ones will be commented from an historiographical point of view, shedding light on their originality compared to the previous research, and then analyzed from the point of view of their contents. The student will need to connect the two levels, the general and the monographic one, and also enter in some depth inside the monographs analyzing not only the contents but the literary structure too.

Assessment methods

Students who attend the lectures

The 12 credits exam for students who attend the lectures

will consist in a written exam on the books in the reading list. It is aimed at testing the general preparation and the ability to read in a conscious, critical way the monographs as explained in the “teaching methods” section above.

The exam is made up by 8 questions: 3 on the textbook, 5 on the three required monographs.

Answers regarding the textbook must be 10 line or less; answers regarding the monographs must be 20 lines or less.

The evaluation of the examen will depend on the correctness of contents, of the design and language used in answering to the questions.

Only in the winter session the examen for  students who attend the lectures,  can be split in two parts (the first one  in december 2017, the second one in January 2018), each two hours long. After that date the examen will be

Students will use a computer on the IT rooms on the School. The exam will be 4 hours long .

Students who do not attend the lectures

The 12 credits exam for students who do not attend the lectures

will consist in a written exam on the books in the reading list. It is aimed at testing the general preparation and the ability to read in a conscious, critical way the monographs as explained in the “teaching methods” section above.

The exam is made up by 10 questions: 3 on the textbook, 7 on the three required monographs.

Answers regarding the textbook must be 10 line or less; answers regarding the monographs must be 20 lines or less.

The evaluation of the examen will depend on the correctness of contents, of the design and language used in answering to the questions.

Students will use a computer on the IT rooms on the School. The exam will be 4 hours long.

Teaching tools

Geographical maps; web sites dedicated to the first and second world war and the middle east conflicts.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Malatesta