- Docente: Ilaria Porciani
- Credits: 12
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Humanities (cod. 8850)
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
This course is restricted to students Students of Contemporary History - corso di laurea triennale in Lettere e Filosofia (family name starting with M -Z).
Students have already studied modern and contemporary history in the secondary school.
A basic knowledge of the general history from the American, French and industrial revolution is therefore to be considered as a prerequisite.
The course focuses on a critical analysis of the fundamental characters of the world history from the American and French Revolutions and on a general knowledge of the history of united Italy.
The topics of the lessons are the following:
Where does contemporary history begin?
The age of rights and nations
Industrial revolution
'Bourgeosies'
Gender issues
Issues of faith and religion
theories and practices of liberalism in Europe and elsewhere
About 1848
New nations, new states
the construction of united Italy and the fundamental characters of the political system of Republican Italy
The World off arts and imagination
Socialism, communism
Empires
The destruction of the natives and the impact of colonization on the environment
World War I
Communism in Russia -
Democracy antidemocracy Totalitarianisms
Wrld War II and after
The fall of the colonial system
1968 ant the 1970s
Implosion of communism
A Global world
Where does contemporary history ends?
Internet resources are nowadays fundamental for contemporary history. Special attention will be devoted to them and to the use of software Zotero.
Students should take this exam on their first year, when they still remember what they learned at school.
Readings/Bibliography
1 Raffaele Romanelli, Ottocento, Bologna, Il Mulino, (any edition, the entire book)
2. Raffaele Romanelli, Novecento, Bologna, Il Mulino, any edition, up to chapter 14 included.
3. Christopher Bayly, The Birth of the Modern World Chapter 12 The destruction of native people and ecological depredation.
4 Carlo Guarnieri, Il sistema politico italiano , Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016.
Assessment methods
The exam consists in a written paper covering the texts outlined in the programme; it aims to assess students’ critical skills and their ability to analyse key phenomena of the contemporary world.Testing – always written in True/False, multiple choice and open-ended forms, one of which quite extensive. This applies to attenders and non-attenders alike.
Clearly, anyone intending to sit the exam should find out about the authors, their geographical area, the periods they cover, their interpretive approach and the sources they use. It is thus important that candidates should have carefully perused the books, and especially the introductory parts.
Thorough in-depth knowledge of the topics covered in the course, together with analytical and critical skills and command of the specific language, will qualify for top marks (30-30L).
A good grasp of the topics covered in the course, together with good critical analysis and command of the specific language, will qualify for high marks (27-29).
A more mechanical and less articulate grasp, and/or correct use of language though not always appropriate, will qualify for a medium-range mark (23-26).
Weak analytical capacity and frequently inappropriate language – together with some knowledge of exam material – will receive a pass mark or little more (18-22).
Mistakes of spelling and syntax (by native Italian students) will be heavily penalized, as befits a university examination, especially in a humanistic subject.
Those who fail to reach a pass mark, or reject a pass mark, or enrol but fail to turn up without cancelling at least three days beforehand, may not re-sit the exam at the first opportunity, but must wait for a later session.
Teaching tools
power point, parts of films, web resources
Office hours
See the website of Ilaria Porciani