EUROPEAN AND ITALIAN HISTORY FROM 1914 TO PRESENT

This 42-hour (2 hours twice a week) study module is aimed at non-Italian students by culture and language, also of very different origins and of different backgrounds. The aim would therefore be to introduce them to the history and mentality of our country, and, at the same time, also provide references to European history, with regard to, at least, the common elements, in order to allow everyone to reach an adequate level of cultural understanding of the new environment. Its structure and method aim to ideally continue the previous module of “European and Italian History from 1789 to 1914”.This 42-hour (2 hours twice a week) study module is aimed at non-Italian students by culture and language, also of very different origins and of different backgrounds. The aim would therefore be to introduce them to the history and mentality of our country, and, at the same time, also provide references to European history, with regard to, at least, the common elements, in order to allow everyone to reach an adequate level of cultural understanding of the new environment. Its structure and method aim to ideally continue the previous module of “European and Italian History from 1789 to 1914”.
In this perspective, the period 1914-present would be divided into five phases:
- The First World War, mass destruction, the fall of three Empires or the new asset of Europe and Italy
- Between the two wars: post-war period, fascism, the Duce, the “Ventennio”, the wars abroad, the advent of Hitler and Francisco Franco
- The Second World War, the Holocaust, Civil Wars in Europe, Europe as a battle-field vs. the rest of the globe
- The First Italian Republic and the long post-war period, the economic Boom, May ’68 and the rest of Europe
- The Seventies, terrorisms in Italy, Germany, Spain, England, Eire, the advent of the Second Italian Republic, the reunification of Germany, till 2001.

As the backgrounds of these students are very diverse (some very sophisticated, others elementary), an attempt was made to develop a uniform knowledge base, so as to be able to help them with the entrance tests in the various faculties.

No prerequisites are required.

A diachronic system has been combined with a thematic system that allows students to focus on the great problems of the period in question, in a transversal way:
- War, wars at front, wars at home, Resistances and civil populations (from world wars to local wars and terrorisms)
- Work (private work, public work, the rise and fall of the working class)
- Anti-Semitism and the Shoah (from ghettos to Auschwitz)
- Religions (Christians, Jews, Muslims), information, literacy, national languages and plurilinguism (from oral knowledge to newspapers via internet)
- Nationalisms, from Nations to the European Community via globalization and Brexit
- Civil coexistence between peoples and minorities (women, emigrants, immigrants)

E. H. Gombrich, A little History of the World (London, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2008, pp. 164-284) ;
C. Duggan, A Concise History of Italy (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, revised version, 2022, pp. 189-298).

Students will have two written tests (mid-term and end of term), structured in ten open questions with a choice between two, the first on the period 1914-1939, the second on the period 1939-2001.

written

The grades will follow those in use at our universities, in 30/30.

Depending on the level of previous historical knowledge of the students, reading groups have been provided with extra material handed in each time, iwhen required there have been presentations by students (single or in groups, depending on the requests), class debates, and projections (of clips) of films and/or documentaries.

Written examinations lend themselves extensively to plagiarism and misuse of AI. The only way to avoid this (and to avoid immediate consequences - such as the entry of undeserving students into our universities - as in the long run - I am old enough to remember entrepreneurs who in their advertisements in national newspapers excluded entire years of students, unprepared by definition) would be to be able to conduct oral examinations. But this is not possible due to issues of time, class size, and, last but not least, low fees for the entire course.

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