MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY AGE ARCHAEOLOGY

The course is part of the archaeology teachings of the master's degree program in "Ancient Civilizations: Archaeology, Literature, and History" and is included in the curriculum Archaeology: Europe and the Mediterranean. In particular, it is part of the subjects within the medieval focus, serving as a natural complement to the course on Late Antique and Medieval Archaeology.
The skills acquired can also be effectively applied in the field of history in general (especially medieval and modern history), cultural anthropology, and the history of medieval art.
The course Modern and Contemporary Age Archaeology aims to serve as an advanced training moment in the use of archaeological sources for the study of the modern and contemporary periods. It will provide an updated, albeit concise, overview of the main archaeological research directions on a global scale. The theoretical approach to the issues will also be highlighted. Specifically, the course is developed around key concepts (colonialism, migration, globalization, material turn), presenting various case studies from Italy, Europe, and outside Europe.

Expected Results
Attendance and active participation in the training activities proposed by the course (lectures, thematic seminars for in-depth study, materials laboratory) and individual study will enable:

1. Knowledge and Understanding
- To know and critically interpret the main archaeological research directions.
- To understand the research methodologies applied to the study of material culture in the modern context.
- To be familiar with the main themes of post-medieval archaeological research in Italy.

2. Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
- To interpret the theoretical framework related to different case studies in archaeological research.
- To chronologically categorize classes and types of materials, with particular emphasis on glass and ceramics.
- To interpret the thematic context relevant to various case studies in archaeological research.

3. Judgement and communications Skills
- To formulate hypotheses and argue the dynamics of development and diffusion of objects and ideas.
- To develop a critical approach to the evaluation of alternative hypotheses.
- To describe objects and their related ideas using technical language, appropriate terminology, and a critical perspective.
- To critically consult bibliographic tools useful for addressing in-depth studies and sector-specific research.

Preferable but not required to have attended an Archeology course, such as Medieval Archeology or Archaeological Research Methodology. Basic general Knowledge of medieval and modern history.

The course on Modern and Contemporary Age Archaeology aims to serve as an advanced training moment in the use of archaeological sources for the study of the modern and contemporary periods. It will provide an updated, albeit concise, overview of the main archaeological research directions on a global scale. The theoretical approach to the issues will also be highlighted. Specifically, the course is developed around key concepts (colonialism, migration, globalization, material turn), presenting various case studies from Italy, Europe, and outside Europe.

These are the themes that will be addressed in the first part of the course:
- Introduction to the discipline, theoretical approaches, and the history of the discipline in Italy, the UK, and the USA.
- Industrial Archaeology.
- The political relevance of research. Case studies related to the following key concepts: migration, colonialism, production, consumption, material turn, feminist archaeology, environmental archaeology, public archaeology.

The second part of the course will focus on the archaeology of the modern and contemporary ages in Venice. The specific themes will include:
- Globalization: Venetian beads and the Façon de Venise.
- Material Turn: Production and consumption of ceramics, stoneware, and porcelain.
- Community archaeology and the case of San Giacomo in Paludo.
- Inclusion and exclusion, pandemics and social responses: Lazzaretti and the ghetto.
- Environmental management: Uncultivated land and land reclamation.
- Funerary and identity practices of the modern era.

Guided tours and/or online visits to museum collections may be possible, based on availability and the interests of the students.

Archeologia Postmedievale: l’esperienza europea e l’Italia, Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi, Sassari, 17-20 Ottobre 1994, “Archeologia Postmedievale”, I (1997), pp. 13-25.
Constructing post-medieval archaeology in Italy: a new agenda, Venezia, 24-25 Novembre 2006, a cura di Sauro Gelichi e Mauro Librenti.
Belford Paul, Five centuries of iron working: excavations at Wednesbury Forge, Post-Medieval Archaeology, 44:1 (2010), 1-53.
Berg Maxine. "In pursuit of luxury: global history and British consumer goods in the eighteenth century." Past & present 182 (2004): 85-142.
Degroot, Dagomar. «Climate Change and Society in the 15th to 18th Centuries». WIREs Climate Change 9, fasc. 3 (maggio 2018).
Johnson M. , An Archaeology of Capitalism, Oxford, 1996.
Ferri, Margherita, Moine Cecilia. L’isola di domani. Cultura materiale e contesti archeologici a San Giacomo in Paludo (Venezia). All’Insegna del Giglio, 2014.
Ferri, M., Moine, C., Sabbionesi, L., 2016. In & Around - ceramica e comunità, secondo convegno tematico dell'AIECM3: Faenza, Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, 17 - 19 aprile 2015. Firenze. [pp. 11-122]
Gosden Chris and Marshall Yvonne, The Cultural Biography of Objects, World Archaeology, Vol. 31, No. 2, (Oct., 1999), pp. 169-178
Holtorf Cornelius. "Notes on the life history of a pot sherd." Journal of material culture 7.1 (2002): 49-71.
Ljungqvist, Fredrik Charpentier, Andrea Seim, e Heli Huhtamaa. «Climate and Society in European History». WIREs Climate Change 12, fasc. 2 (marzo 2021).
Robinson, Peter J. «Ice and Snow in Paintings of Little Ice Age Winters». Weather 60, fasc. 2 (1 febbraio 2005): 37–41.
Kopytoff Igor. "The cultural biography of things: commoditization as process." The social life of things: Commodities in cultural perspective 68 (1986): 70-73.

Further bibliography related to the individual case studies, particularly for the second part of the course, will be provided at the beginning of the course. Some texts will be discussed in class and will be the subject of exercises. These will be identified and made available to everyone on the Moodle platform. Such texts will be an integral part of the exam program.

At the end of the course, an updated list of the bibliography covered and constituting the revised exam program will be made available to all on Moodle.

The teaching involves the active participation of students during the lessons.
During the course, two or three articles will be selected for the preparation of bibliographic summaries, which will be discussed in class and later reviewed during the oral exam.
At the end of the course, an oral examination will be conducted to assess learning through some open-ended questions and a discussion regarding the specific articles related to the bibliographic summaries.
The assessment aims to verify the acquisition of fundamental knowledge of the discipline as well as argumentative and synthesis skills, and mastery of scientific vocabulary.
More specifically, a basic knowledge of course content, contextualizing topics chronologically and using appropriate technical language, results in a sufficient grade (18-24/30); a good knowledge of course content, effectively framing topics chronologically and contextually, using technical language, and applying a critical approach, results in a good grade (25-28/30); a comprehensive understanding of course content, mastering complexities, critically contextualizing topics, linking to broader phenomena, offering original interpretations, and demonstrating critical reflection, results in an excellent grade (29/30 with laude).

oral

- A grade between 18 and 24 out of 30 is considered sufficient if the student is able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the course content by contextualizing the topics discussed from a chronological and contextual perspective and using appropriate technical language.
- A grade between 25 and 28 out of 30 is considered good if the student is able to demonstrate a good knowledge of the course content by contextually and chronologically framing the topics discussed, using appropriate technical language, and arguing with a critical approach.
- A grade of 29 out of 30 cum laude is considered excellent if the student is able to show a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the course content, mastering the nuances, connections, and more complex implications, critically and articulately contextualizing the topics, linking course content to broader historical and contemporary phenomena, providing original interpretations, and demonstrating a capacity for critical reflection on the issues addressed.

The teaching requires the active participation of students during the lessons.
The course includes lectures and seminars (oral presentations in turns, participation in class discussions).
The exact schedule of lessons and topics will be provided at the beginning of the course and may also include visits to museum sites, to be arranged based on students' interests.
The materials used during the lessons will be available on Moodle for everyone.
At the end of the course, the instructor will ensure that a detailed list of the topics covered, corresponding teaching materials, and related bibliography is made available to everyone on Moodle.

Please contact the professor for further information on the supplementary activities of the Medieval Archeology Laboratory (excavations, study of materials).

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