CONTEMPORARY HISTORY

The course provides fundamental knowledge regarding the origins of the present world. It aims to clarify the long-term developments that still determine the contemporary debate. It highlights the cultural, political, and socioeconomic paths of various geographical areas over the last two and a half centuries. It helps to develop a general vision and historical background of international relations, and a better understanding of international societies and their political choices.

The course aims at the following learning objectives:
a) knowledge and understanding at an advanced undergraduate level of the major trends of world history after 1750, and more recent changes especially in Western societies;
b) to apply this knowledge to present society and politics through an improved understanding of how they have been influenced by past developments;
c) to promote the autonomy of judgment by classroom discussions and the elaboration of a paper regarding one of the course’s reference texts;
d) to promote communication abilities, such as how to communicate in English, by offering the opportunity of proposing classroom presentations on a volunteer basis;
e) to promote the learning ability so as to develop and consolidate competence in the field of historical reading and quoting text sources, reflecting on the history of concepts, and elaborating a critical judgment in oral and written form.

Language skills, according to the admission requirements; basic knowledge of modern and contemporary history.

An overview of the data and topics of the lectures can be downloaded from the moodle platform.

1 Introduction
2 At the roots of globalization: European colonialism, 1450-1750
3 The concept of 'Europe'
4 European Timeline, 1776-1914: Major events; Europe and eurocentricsm
5 The concept of 'Industrial Revolution'
6 Industrial Revolution in Europe, 1750-1914
7 The American Revolution of 1776
8 The French Revolution of 1789
9 Liberalism, Socialism, Feminism
10 The concept of 'Nation' and nationalism
11 Social changes in Europe, 1800-1914
12 World Timeline, 1750-1914: Major events; Western domination
13 Global changes: Colonialism and imperialism
14 Global changes: Economy, population, modernization
15 Theories of imperialism
16 World Timeline 1914-1945: Major events
17 World Timeline 1945-2000: Major events
18 World War I
19 Economic crisis of 1929, right-wing dictatorships, World War II, Shoah
20 The affirmation of Communism and the USA-USSR confrontation
21 Third World', political Islam, decline of Soviet communism
22 Global changes: demographic, social, and political changes
23 Two waves of economic globalization
24 Social changes in Europe 1945-2000
25 From 'solid' to 'liquid modernity'
26 A new desire for community?
27 A new imperialism?
28 Race, culture, multi-culturalism: hierarchies among 'equals'
29 Overview and outlook
30 Discussion

Additional material regarding the lectures can be downloaded from fhe Moodle page related to this course. Important: this material for personal use only!

Richard E. BALDWIN, Philippe MARTIN, Two waves of Globalization: Superficial Similarities, Fundamental Differences, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge (MA) 1999, Working Paper 6904, 33 pp.;
Zygmunt BAUMAN, Liquid Modernity, Polity Press, Cambridge 2006, pp. 130-199;
Colin HEYWOOD, ‘Society’, in: The Nineteenth Century, ed. by T.C.W. Blanning, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York 2000, pp. 47-77;
Hartmut KAELBLE, ‘Social history’, in: Europe since 1945, ed. by Mary Fulbrook, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York 2001, pp. 53-94;
Alana LENTIN, Gavan TITLEY, The Crisis of Multiculturalism. Racism in a Neoliberal Age, Zed Books, London-New York 2010, pp. 11-48, 160-192;
Rolf PETRI, A Short History of Wester Ideology: A Critical Account, Bloomsbury, London 2018, pp. 101-169;
Kevin REILLY, The Human Journey. A Concise Introduction to World History, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham 2012, pp. 275-408.

The PROFICIENCY TEST is graded up to 30 points. It consists of THREE PARTS:
• a twenty questions multiple choice check regarding the events and data recalled in the pages 275-408 of REILLY’s text (up to 10 points);
• elaborated answers of 100-200 words each to five questions taken from the whole range of questions treated in the texts of the reading list (up to 10 points);
• a home written paper of not less than 1,300 words and not more than 1,500 words (all included), which summarizes, and comments on, one of the other texts from the reading list; it has to be delivered in paper format on the day of the examination (up to 10 points).

Detailed instructions regarding PART THREE of the proficiency test can be downloaded from the Moodle page related to this course.

Due to the number of participants the prevailing teaching method is lecturing. Students are invited to contribute with critical questions and comments to the classroom discussion. They will also have the opportunity of presenting texts. Instructions for the classroom text presentations can be downloaded from the "Moodle page related to this course.

Inglese

It is recommended that you download and carefully read the moodle materials related to this course.

NOTA BENE: Students intent on applying for final exam, Erasmus etc. are asked to inquire with the offices on the deadline for recording the grade useful for the application, and to register for exams not too close to those deadlines. Note that this teacher will perform only those recording operations that the software esse3 allows him to perform autonomously.

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