81860 - Historians and Historiographic Practices (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student demonstrates full understanding of the relationship between historiography and sources. Second, the student must be able to reconstruct the evolution of the historical method through the centuries. Thirdly, one must be able to distinguish the quality of the various sources available, both in positive (reliability) and in negative (possible falsifications).

Course contents

The role of television in Italian history

The course will be devoted to the linkage between Italian television and the cultural, social, economic and political transformations of the country, from the 50s to the present days. It will focus, with a comparative and transnational approach, on the birth and the most significant stages of this process, as on TV’s relationship to a host of broader social practices and institutions, including the national broadcasting system, consumer capitalism, multinational corporations, audiences, political parties, social groups, advertisers, new technologies, and media and popular culture. We will examine the diverse ways in which historians have studied and conceptualized the role of television and the use of Tv programme as historical source.

One lesson will take place through the visit to the Rai local office in Bologna, to examine the access point to digital archive of Italian public television («Teche Rai»)

Readings/Bibliography

1. M. Scaglioni (a cura di), Appassionati dissodatori. Storia e storiografia della televisione in Italia, Vita & Pensiero, Milano 2019 (pag. 29-156)

2. Students are asked to chose one text within the list:

- G. Gozzini, La mutazione individualista. Gli italiani e la televisione, 1954-2011, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2011

- I. Piazzoni, Storia delle televisioni in Italia. Dagli esordi alle web tv, Carocci, Roma 2014

3. Students are asked to chose one text within the list:

- J. Bourdon, Il servizio pubblico. Storia culturale delle televisioni in Europa, Vita & Pensiero, Milano 2015 (pag. 3-102)

- D. Garofalo, Storia sociale della televisione in Italia. 1954-1969, Marsilio, Venezia 2018

- D. Garofalo, V. Roghi (a cura di), Televisione. Storia, Immaginario, Memoria, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2015

- M. Jansen, M.B. Urban (a cura di), Televisionismo. Narrazioni televisive della storia italiana negli anni della seconda Repubblica, (Disponibile online al seguente indirizzo: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/it/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-044-0/ )

Teaching methods

After a few frontal lessons, the course will be articulated through lectures and seminars discussions. Students are expected to participate actively by attending all lessons, reading the assignated texts and take an active part in class discussions.

One lesson will take place through the visit to Rai local office in Bologna, to examine «Teche Rai» (digital archive of Italian public television)

Those unable to do so can always opt for an oral exam at a later stage, as foreseen by the programme

Assessment methods

Students attending the seminar will read and discuss the assignements every lesson. At the end they will write a paper (8.000 signs).

For students not attending at least 12 classes of the seminar, the exam will be oral.

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.

This is an integrated course (STORICI E STORIOGRAFIA). Therefore, the final mark will result from the average of the marks in both courses (STORICI E PRATICA STORIOGRAFICA and STORIA DELLA STORIOGRAFIA).

Teaching tools

Frontal classes and seminar classes with the readings, analysis and discussion of documents and video

Office hours

See the website of Alessio Gagliardi