POPULATION HISTORY

-Provide students with a clear theoretical and empirical framework to understand Population History (i.e. the history how world population evolves and changes under the influences of three main factors: wars, technological development and epidemics), especially in the early modern period (15th – 19th centuries)
-Analyze Population History in a multidisciplinary perspective able to encompass political, economic and cultural factors
-Analyze Population History in global perspective, namely considering the networks of cultural, economic and political relations
The above-mentioned three specific objectives aim to give students the instruments necessary to develop a critical view of the topics discussed and to develop an independent and multidisciplinary methodology for the analysis of historical phenomena to better understand the present.

1. Knowledge and understanding
- Understand the general framework of the historical analysis of population
- Understand the specificity of the early modern period and its heritage
- Understand the multidisciplinary character of the historical analysis
2. Ability of applying knowledge and understanding
- Understand the general framework of the historical analysis of population > Ability of discussing subjects related to the field (Population History) in a specialized language and according to an historical methodology
- Understand the specificity of the early modern period and its heritage > Ability of pinpointing the characters of the early modern period and confronting them with the following ages
- Understand the multidisciplinary global character of the historical analysis > Ability of applying the historical methodology acquired also to other fields of study (e.g. other courses, final dissertation)
3. Judgement abilities
- Ability of connecting the facts and data learnt during lessons
- Ability of organizing the course materials (lessons and readings) in a coherent interpretation
4. Communicative abilities
- Ability of presenting the issues related to the field of study using specialized language
- Ability of presenting the knowledge acquired from lessons and readings in a coherent discourse
5. Learning abilities
- Ability of taking notes during lessons
- Ability of critically reading the assigned bibliography
- Ability of connected the knowledge acquired to nowadays issues

A good knowledge of general history (15th – 19th centuries)

Contents
This course will take into account major issues in Population History (i.e. the history how world population evolves and changes under the influences of three main factors: wars, technological development and epidemics) with specific focus on the following aspects:
- an introduction to population history
- population over time (from pre-history to contemporary age)
- the Malthus model
- the Cameralistic model
- the Boserup model
- the Demographic Transition
- Luigi Luca Cavalli Sforza: genes, population and languages
- the impact of epidemics over population
- the history of medical, cultural and political measures took to control epidemics (18th -20th centuries)
- the scientific, moral and political debate on epidemics (18th -20th centuries)
- the case of the smallpox: from inoculation to eradication (18th -20th centuries)

Newspaper articles and other media on contemporary phenomena and events on population issues will be uploaded on moodle weekly. Students will be asked to read them and each week a portion of one the lessons will de devoted to debate. Participation in class is warmly encouraged.

Students who regularly attend the class should prepare for the exam on:
1. their class notes and the slides (available on moodle)
2. Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies, New York, Norton, 1999 (available also in e-book format)

Students who do not attend the class regularly, should prepare for the exam on:
1.Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies, New York, Norton, 1999 (available also in e-book format)
2.all the following essays (AVAILABLE ON MOODLE)
-James L. A. Webb, Globalization of disease, 1300 to 1900, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VI The Construction of a Global World, 1400-1800 CE, Part I: Foundations, ed. By J. H. Bentley, S. Subrahmanyam, M. E. Wiesner-Hanks, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 54-75
-R. Marks, Exhausting the Earth, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VI The Construction of a Global World, 1400-1800 CE, Part I: Foundations, ed. By J. H. Bentley, S. Subrahmanyam, M. E. Wiesner-Hanks, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 29-53
-N. D. Cook, The Columbian Exchange, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VI The construction of a global world, 1400-1800 CE, Part II: Patterns of change, ed. by J. H. Bentley, S. Subrahmanyam, M. E. Wiesner-Hanks, Cambridge, 2015, pp. 103-132
-M. Harrison, Disease and world history from 1750, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VII Production, Destruction and Connection, 1750-Present, Part I: Structures, Spaces and Boundary Making, ed. by J. R. McNeill, K. Pomeranz, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 237-257
-E. Manela, The politics of smallpox eradication, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VII Production, Destruction and Connection, 1750-Present, Part I: Structures, Spaces and Boundary Making, ed. by J. R. McNeill, K. Pomeranz, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 258-284
-M. Livi Bacci, Demography and Population, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VII Production, Destruction and Connection, 1750-Present, Part I: Structures, Spaces and Boundary Making, ed. by J. R. McNeill, K. Pomeranz, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 187-211
-A. Bashford, Population politics since 1750, in The Cambridge World History. Vol. VII Production, Destruction and Connection, 1750-Present, Part I: Structures, Spaces and Boundary Making, ed. by J. R. McNeill, K. Pomeranz, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 212-236

Final oral exam. The exam aims to assess the critical understanding of the contents discussed during the course and the individual reflection on the assigned bibliography. It will therefore consist of three questions. The approximate duration is 25-30 minutes.
The first question will ask the student to present a chosen subject (taken from lessons or bibliography), so that he/she can show his/her ability of organizing information in a coherent discourse and in a historical perspective (expected learning results 1.Knowledge and understanding and 4. Communicative abilities).
The second and third questions will be on an issue explored during lessons or in the texts assigned so that the student can show his/her ability of personal re-elaboration, critical reading and understanding of scholarly literature (expected learning results 2.Ability of applying knowledge, 3.Judgement abilities and 5.Learning abilities).

Lectures debates on assigned sources
Case study analysis
Ppt presentations
Written and figurative sources
Digital Humanities

English

The professor is always available for questions concerning the course at her office hours and by email at giulia.delogu@unive.it. Emails have to be written in a formal style (not "Hi prof." or "Salve prof.", but "Good morning", "Buongiorno", "Dear Professor" and the likes). The professor will not reply to messages asking questions whose answer can be found in the information contained in this syllabus.

Students with disabilities can contact the Disability and Accessibility Office (disabilita@unive.it) to take advantage of the services available (e.g. alternative examination methods, readers, etc.).

Students interested in carrying out a bachelor's degree thesis in Population History can contact the professor for the appropriate vademecum (by writing directly to giulia.delogu@unive.it) or they can meet to the professor in her office hours. A preliminary vademecum is available at the Notices section of the professor's webpage.

oral

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