CONTEMPORARY HISTORY 1

Contemporary History mod.1 cl.2 course aims at the following general objectives:
The understanding of the distinctive features of historical knowledge in relation to the contemporary world, and the initial contact with different types of sources ;
The knowledge of the fundamental features of contemporary history, with reference to related problems of periodisation;
The knowledge of the dynamics of development of European history over the last two centuries, with attention to national areas of the languages studied, and in a transnational perspective on the most significant issues;
The Knowledge of the processes of European expansion, from colonial expansion and decolonization to the main dynamics of globalization

At the end of the course the following learning outcomes are expected:
Ability to identify and locate in time and space the historical roots of the main questions concerning the contemporary world dealt with in class;
Ability to reconstruct a coherent and synchronic picture of the main factual elements of European history;
Ability to outline its aspects in different national contexts, and where possible in a transnational and extra-European perspective;
Ability to follow its development in a diachronic perspective;
Ability to understand the relationship between phenomena, their causal and multi causal relationships, to operate an initial form of conceptualization.
Practical and communicative skills are expected:
The ability to actively follow the frontal lessons, taking notes, formulating questions, comparing the notes with the assigned study texts;
The ability to present in a coherent, clear and distinct manner the subjects of the oral test.
The identification of topics of particular interest, to be explored in in depth in the thesis work, is encouraged.

Basic knowledge of contemporary history

The course aims to address and consolidate the knowledge of the fundamental issues of contemporary history, the selection of which is commensurate with the interests of students, in relation to the languages of study. Particular attention will be paid to the main nodes in the history of the twentieth century: within the framework of the general lines of development of contemporary European history, the themes and problematic nodes that allow a comparative treatment are focused, combining attention to national historical peculiarities with the identification of transnational perspectives. Reference is therefore made to the following subjects: the rise of democracies and the extension of suffrage, the redesign of borders and national spaces, the dynamics of European imperialism and decolonisation processes, the parable of empires and nations from the Congress of Vienna to the Treaty of Versailles, the end of the Great War, the "European civil war" of the 1920s and 1930s, the crisis of 1929 and fordism, the advent and defeat of fascism, the bipolar world order, Cold war and decolonisation, the western "golden age" until the 1970s.

Albertina Vittoria, Il Novecento. Dall'età dell'imperialismo alla globalizzazione, Carocci, Roma 2019
Cammarano, Guazzaloca, Piretti, L'Età Contemporanea, Le Monnier, Firenze 2015, Ch. 1-4 (uploaded onto the Moodle platform)
Maps and images presented in class and uploaded onto the Moodle platform are exam material. Please also be aware that lecture notes can never replace self-study of examination texts, but are a support.

The oral test (three questions at least for roughly 20 minutes) is aimed to prove the achievement of the above mentioned didactical purposes. More specifically, the first question checks the ability to frame a topic in its spatial and temporal context, and to express oneself clearly and effectively; the second question checks the command of fundamental historical notions and the proficiency in operating interrelations among them; the third checks the command of a more in-depth knowledge of historical notions, and the ability to conceptualize.

Lectures, underpinned by photographies and maps

Italian

During the first lesson, all information will be provided about the course and the exam. Students are always welcome to ask for clarifications, explanations and further details.

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