HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The course provides students with intermediate-level knowledge in History of International Relations, with an emphasis on the events, processes, actors, concepts, and methods of inquiry pertaining to to 20th and 21st centuries. To the extent that it conveys a set of notions, it contributes to providing students with a secure knowledge of the themes of the history of international relations. By putting an emphasis on the historical method of inquiry, the course provides students with the capacity to autonomously analyze events and processes in the international realm, and to develop original and well-founded interpretations about them, beyond the specific object of the course itself. With its attention to the definition of the concepts under consideration, the course provides students with the possibility to become confident with their communication skills in reference to the history of international relations.

At the end of the course, students should have acquired:
a) a confident knowledge of the main events, actors, and processes pertaining to the history of international relations in the 20th and 21st centuries;
b) a basic knowledge of the main methods of historical investigation;
c) the ability to communicate their knowledge with clarity and precision
d) the ability to formulate autonomous judgments about international affaris on the basis of an adequate historical knowledge;
e) the ability to develop futher their competence in the field of international history in an autonomous way.

Basic knowledge of modern and contemporary history as from High School programs. It is useful, though not necessary to have taken at least another BA-level course in contemporary history. A deep interest for the subject and a serious approach to the lessons and the reading materials are not formal requirements, but usually help.

The course deals with the history of international relations of the 20th and 21st centuries. While the suggested reference textbook (see below) presents the relevant events in mainly chronological order, the lessons will deal with some of the same events on an essentially thematic basis, in five groups of two or three lessons, respectively dedicated to the "international order", "transatlantic relations" , "European integration", "oil and international politics" and "cold wars". Specific attention will be given, during the lessons, to provide instructions on how to deal with the autonomous study of the proposed monographic texts. A detailed program of the lessons will be illustrated in class and uploaded to moodle at the start of the course.

In what follows, an "attending" student is a student who, by following the classes regularly (either in presence or by remote), will have the classnotes from the classes. A "non-attending" student is a student who, either out of necessity or choice, does not follow the classes regularly and, thus, will likely not have the notes from the classes. Whether a student is an "attending" or "non-attending" one, is with each student.

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

A) Attending students:

1) One of the following volumes:
a) A. Varsori, Storia internazionale dal 1919 a oggi, Il Mulino, 2020 (advised)
b) E. Di Nolfo, Dagli imperi militari agli imperi tecnologici, Laterza, 2014 (for experienced students)
c) any other comparable textbook that you may already possess, after discussing the matter with the teacher;

2) the classnotes

3) the materials uploaded by the teacher on moodle (slides, videos, documents, etc.);

4) at least one of the volumes listed under the heading "Monographs for choice" (see list below).

B) Non-attending students:

1) One of the following volumes:
a) A. Varsori, Storia internazionale dal 1919 a oggi, Il Mulino, 2020
b) E. Di Nolfo, Dagli imperi militari agli imperi tecnologici, Laterza, 2014 (for experienced students)
c) any other comparable textbook that you may already possess, after discussing the matter with the teacher;

2) the material uploaded by the professor on Moodle (slides, videos, documents, etc.);

3) at least two of the volumes listed under the heading "Monographs for choice" below.

Monographs for choice:
Michael Brenes, For Might and Right. Cold War Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy, Boston, University of Massachusetts Press, 2020
Guido Formigoni, Storia d'Italia nella Guerra Fredda, 1943-78, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016
Giuliano Garavini, The Rise and Fall of OPEC in the Twentieth Century, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019
Kristen Ghodsee, Second World, Second Sex. Socialist Women's Activism and Global Solidarity during the Cold War, Durham, Duke University Press, 2019
Victor McFarland, Oil Powers. A History of the U.S.-Saudi Alliance, New York, Columbia University Press, 2020
Simon Miles, Engaging the Evil Empire. Washington, Moscow, and the Beginning of the End of the Cold War, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2020
Oscar Sanchez-Sibony, Red Globalization. The Political Economy of the Soviet Cold War from Stalin to Khrushchev, Cambridge UK, Cambridge University Press, 2014

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Our interest in the past changes with time and often depends on present-day questions. Keep an eye on magazines such as Le Monde Diplomatique, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and, possibly, on at least two or three international newspapers.

The evaluation of the acquisition of the knowledge and abilities associated with the course can take two forms at the student's discretion. No distinction is made between attending and non-attending students.

1) "Long" final oral exam
In this case, a final oral exam of around 30 minutes will verify the student’s acquisition of the notions and abilities associated with the course through three main questions. In particular, the three questions will aim at:
- Verifying the acquisition of the notions related to the general program (events, actors, processes, concepts) from 1918 to 1941 and the ability to communicate them with clarity and precision. The question contributes up to around 1/3 of the final grade.
- Verifying the acquisition of the notions related to the general program (events, actors, processes, concepts) from 1941 to the present and the ability to communicate them with clarity and precision. The question contributes up to around 1/3 of the final grade.
- Verifying the ability to read autonomously the chosen monograph(s), to locate its (their) contents in their proper historical framework, to make use of relevant interpretive tools as from the general program, and to express critical opinions on the subject of the monograph. The question contributes up to around 1/3 of the final grade.

2) Short written tests in itinere and “short” final oral exam
Alternatively, it is possible to replace the two questions on the general program in the oral exam, by participating in two non-compulsory written tests that will take place via moodle around the 8th and 15th week of the course. The two written tests will be "open book tests" and will require a clear, concise and precise answer to two questions each, relating in the first case to the topics covered in the lessons of the first part of the course and in the second case to the topics of the second part (more details will be provided at the beginning of the course). The questions will be formulated in such a way as to allow to verify the acquisition of notions related to the program (events, actors, processes, concepts), as well as the ability to communicate what has been learned with clarity and precision. Provided that both tests receive at least a "passing" grade, the grade of the test with the highest grade will be worth approximately 50% of the final grade. For those who will follow this path, the oral exam will last about 10 minutes, will count for another 50% of the final grade, and will be limited to the discussion of the monograph(s), so as to verify the ability to read the monograph(s) independently, to place their contents in the appropriate historical framework, to make use of the interpretative tools acquired from the general program, and to express critical opinions on the subject of the monograph(s).

It is understood that those who cannot take the two written tests (or are not satisfied with their results) can still take the “long” oral exam, as from the indications above.

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.

Lectures and individual study of recommended readings and of the material uploaded on moodle by the teacher. The lectures are mainly frontal lectures, with use of slides and multimedia material. Questions and critical comments are warmly welcome. These can be made either during the lectures or in the moodle forum of the course. Whereas attendance is not mandatory, it is highly advisable.

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.

Italian

The teacher is easily available for questions concerning the course at his office hours and by email at duccio.basosi@unive.it. Emails have to be written in a formal style and should not ask questions whose answer can be found in the information contained in this syllabus. The teacher will not reply to message which do not conform to the rules above.

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.).

oral

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