CONTEMPORARY HISTORY 1

The course deals with the basic political dynamics of the 19th and 20th centuries, with an emphasis on international politics. It contributes to the fullfilment of the objectives of the LCSL program in the field of history. In particular, it aims at providing students with: a basic knowledge of the main events and processes at work in international relations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; basic notions about the historical method of inquiry pertinent to the study of international relations; the ability to articulate a coherent historical framework for the main events and processes at work in the contemporary age; the ability to communicate contents pertaining to international politics in the contemporary age ith clarity, coherence and precision; and the ability to start autonomous inquiries into specific facts and topics of contemporay history.

By the end of the course, students should have acquired a basic knowledge of the main aspects of contemporary international history and of the methods of inquiry associated with them. In particular, the course provides students with:

1) the basic notions about the origins of the European inter-state system, the interplay of cooperation and conflict among European states, the extra-continental colonial expansion of European powers and the resistance it encountered, the ascent of the United States to world primacy, the ideological-political competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, decolonization, the construction of the European Union, and international politics in the recent decades, also in connection with the cultural changes that have occured in different national contexts in the period under consideration;
2) the basic notions about the historical method of inquiry, with particular emphasis on the analysis and interpretation of international treaties, macroeconominc data, and diplomatic documents;
3) the ability to articulate a coherent historical framework for the main events and processes at the origins of the contemporary world, and to identify the main protagonists and factors at work in such events and processes;
4) the ability to use the main historical categories pertinent to international relations in the contemporary age;
5) the ability to start autonomus inquiries into specific facts and topics, possibly with an eye on the final thesis.

Students should have an interest in the subject, a serious approach to the lessons and reading materials, and a basic degree of knowledge of Modern and Contemporary History, as from High School programs.

International relations in the 19th and 20th century, as from "referral texts". The classes will deal in particular with the following topics: social forces and inter-state politics in Europe in the 19th century; global expansion of the European empires in the late 19th century; imperial expansion of the United States in the 19th century; Wilson and Lenin after WWI; the "order of Versailles" and fascist revisionism; the projects for a peaceful international order during WWII; the "Cold war"; European "integration"; the Third world and "thirdworldism"; international politics in the 1970s; Reagan and Gorbachev; order and disorder in the post-1989 world.

Please note: in what follows, by attending students we mean students who regularly attend lessons in any of the possible ways in this academic year: in presence or remotely, in streaming or through the recordings of the classes (the recordings of the lessons will remain online for one week before being deleted). By non-attending students we mean those who do not follow the lessons in any of the ways listed above.

RECOMMENDED READINGS
Attending students:
1) Guido Formigoni, Storia della politica internazionale nell'età contemporanea, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018 (Terza edizione)
2) Notes from the classes, possibly complemented with slides and/or documents available on moodle

Students who do not attend the classes:
1) Guido Formigoni, Storia della politica internazionale nell'età contemporanea, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018 (Terza edizione)
2) Ennio Di Nolfo, Prima lezione di storia delle relazioni internazionali, Roma.Bari, Laterza, 2006 (o edizioni successive)

SUGGESTED READINGS
In addition to reading magazines specialized in the treatment of current international issues (Le Monde diplomatique, Foreign Affairs, Limes, etc.), a volume that can be useful is Ennio Di Nolfo, Lessico di politica internazionale contemporanea, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2012.

Verification of learning takes place, as a rule, in itinere, through the evaluation of three written tests which will be held in the fifth, eleventh and fifteenth week of the course, as follows (more details will be provided in class and through announcements on moodle):

1) the first written test will take place via moodle during the fifth week of the course. It will be "open book" and will ask you to answer clearly and precisely to two questions relating to topics covered in chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 (up to p. 162) of the volume by G. Formigoni. The questions will be formulated in such a way as to allow a verification of the acquisition of the notions concerning the program, as well as of the ability to articulate a coherent and concise picture of the relevant events, to use the appropriate historiographic categories and to clearly communicate the contents of the program. The test will contribute 20% to the final grade;
2) the second written test will take place during the eleventh week of the course. It will be "open book" and will ask you to answer clearly and precisely to two questions relating to topics covered in chapters 4 (from p. 163), 5 and 6 (up to p. 281) of the volume by G. Formigoni. The questions will be similar in character to those described for the first test. The test will contribute 30% to the final grade;
3) the third written test will take place during the fifteenth week of the course. It will be "open book" and will ask you to answer clearly and precisely to two questions: the first question will relate to a theme dealt with in chapters 6 (from p. 282) and 7 of the volume by G. Formigoni and will have a character similar to those described for the first two tests; the second question will ask you to briefly discuss the contribution of specific sources to the study and understanding of a specific historiographic question, in order to allow a verification of the acquisition of the basics related to the historical method of inquiry, as well as of the ability to start research projects in autonomy (it will be based, for attending students, on the classes, and for non attending students on the textbook by E. Di Nolfo). The test will contribute 50% to the final grade.

For those who cannot take the three tests above, and for those who are not satisfied with their total grade, the assessment will take place through an oral exam according to the "regular" calendar of the appeals for the academic year. The exam will last approximately 30 minutes and will consist of three questions. For "attending" students, two questions will relate to the contents of the volume by Guido Formigoni and one to the methodological issues covered in the lessons. For "non-attending" students, two questions will relate to the contents of the volume by Guido Formigoni and one will relate to the methodological issues dealt with in the volume by Ennio Di Nolfo. In any case, the first two questions will serve to evaluate the acquisition of the basic information provided in the program, the ability to articulate a coherent framework in which to place the events, as well as the ability to correctly use the appropriate historiographic categories and to present clearly and accurately the contents of the program. The third question will allow to verify the acquisition of the basics of the historiographic method and the ability to start autonomous research on contemporary history topics. The three questions contribute equally to the determination of the final grade.

NB. The uncertainty concerning the COVID-19 epidemic makes these indications subject to possible changes. Any such changes will be communicated in due time in the appropriate forms.

Lessons and individual study of the assigned reference texts. The lessons will mainly be frontal lessons, with the possible use of slides and multimedia material which will then be uploaded in moodle. Critical questions and comments during the class are welcome. The chapters of Formigoni's volume (see reference texts) relating to each lesson (see course contents) should be studied carefully before the lesson itself. Lesson recordings will remain on moodle for a week before being deleted.

NB: The uncertainty concerning the COVID-19 epidemic makes these indications subject to possible changes. Any such changes will be communicated in due time in the appropriate forms.

PLEASE NOTE: this syllabus is subject to changes before the beginning of the courses.

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This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development