59288 - History of the Welfare State

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have the required knowledge of historical research methodology in order to relate the history of the Italian welfare state with general features of Italy's institutional, political and educational systems. At the exam, the student will be able to put forward his/her assessments and conclusions regarding historical studies and analyses. In addition, the student will be able to use the means and methods acquired in the historical field to widen his/her knowledge and apply effective critical thinking.

Course contents

The welfare state is an instrument for protecting citizenship rights in response to individual and collective risks and needs and has been at the centre of public debate for years. The crisis and transformation of the welfare state that are before our eyes help us to understand how much the welfare state has marked a long and perhaps unrepeatable season of the age we call contemporary. Very often, however, the overall history of the Welfare State is ignored or disregarded: during the course we will retrace the stages of its construction with an approach that allows us to analyse the political and institutional, social, economic and cultural processes that have characterised the historical course of the Welfare State in a comparative and long-term perspective with a particular focus on Italian history and the history of the 20th century starting from the First World War up to the present day.

Erasmus students: students are invited to contact the lecturer in order to specify the programme and the study texts. The examination will be conducted in Italian.

Students with DSA or disabilities: it is recommended that they contact the responsible University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, considering the teaching objectives.

Readings/Bibliography

Students will cure their preparation for the exame on the following texts:

C. Giorgi, I. Pavan, Storia dello Stato sociale in Italia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021.

F. Conti, G. Silei, Breve storia dello Stato sociale, Roma, Carocci, 2022. With the exception of chapters 7 and 8.

Teaching methods

Lectures delivered by the instructor

Presentation and critical analysis of primary sources (including eyewitness accounts, official documents, memoirs, and audiovisual materials)

Interactive, discussion-based sessions

In-depth sessions on topics related to those covered in the lectures may be organised during the course.

Assessment methods

What will be particularly assessed is the student's ability to orient him/herself within texts in order to identify the information that will enable him/her to illustrate aspects strictly related to the discipline. The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the topics discussed during the course, together with their critical use, and the possession of a mastery of expression and specific language, will be assessed and awarded a grade of ‘excellence'. A mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the topics, a limited skill of synthesis and analysis and/or the correct but not always appropriate use of language will lead to ‘a discrete' assessment. Gaps in learning and/or inappropriate language – although within the context of minimal knowledge in the exam subject – will lead to a grade no higher than ‘sufficient'. In cases of the presence of significant gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the texts, the exam will not be passed. A negative assessment for one of the two texts included inthe program will not allow the student to pass the exam successfully. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Teaching tools

Videoprojector, Interactive whiteboards, PC The lectures will take advantage of a PowerPoint presentation that is uploaded and made available to students in the " Teaching materials " of the course

Office hours

See the website of Cinzia Venturoli