00932 - Contemporary History

Learning outcomes

Students are introduced to the essential events, continuities and discontinuities of modern and contemporary history. They are requested to understand them in a broad comparative perspective and to read classical works of historiography. They have to show that they are familiar with the specific terminology of the discipline.

Course contents

Students are already familiar with modern and contemporary history, which they have already studied in the secondary school.

A basic knowledge of the generaal history from the American 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 following books will be presented and idscussed in the class:

1 Raffaele Romanelli, Ottocento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014 or subsequent editions. ENTIRE

2. Raffaele Romanelli, Novecento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015 or subsequent editions. UP TO CHAPTER 14 inclusive.

3. Christopher Bayly, The Birth of the Modern World Chapter 12 The destruction of native people and ecological depredation (one may use the English edition or the corresponding Italian chapter in the Italian edition published as La nascita del mondo moderno)

4 Carlo Guarnieri, Il sistema politico italiano, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016 ONLY THE UPDATED 2016 EDITION.

The topic 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?

 

Internt resources are nowadays fundamental for contemporary history. A special lesson will be devoted to them and to the use of Zotero.

Students should take this exam on their first year, when they still remember what they learned at school.

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

The written examination will hinge on the following texts (the same for everyone):

1 Raffaele Romanelli, Ottocento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014 or subsequent editions. ENTIRE

2. Raffaele Romanelli, Novecento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015 or subsequent editions. UP TO CHAPTER 14 inclusive.

3. Christopher Bayly, The Birth of the Modern World Chapter 12 The destruction of native people and ecological depredation (one may use the English edition or the corresponding Italian chapter in the Italian edition published as La nascita del mondo moderno)

4 Carlo Guarnieri, Il sistema politico italiano, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016 ONLY THE UPDATED 2016 EDITION.

Teaching methods

Lessons,backed by power point as well as web resources, films, and websites for historians; with the help of movies and web sites for historians.

Assessment methods

Testing – always written in True/False, multiple choice and open-ended forms – separately for block A and block B as described in the previous section. This applies to attenders and non-attenders alike.

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.

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. They should also have acquired a general overview of contemporary history.

Unlike programmes for previous years, there is no longer the option of choosing a monograph. 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

Lessons; power point; movies; news from broadcasting historical archives

Office hours

See the website of Ilaria Porciani