UNDERSTANDING THE MEDITERRANEAN

This course will provide students with a critical, multidimensional understanding of the contemporary Mediterranean world from both European/Western and Global South perspectives. It will introduce key approaches and debates in Mediterranean studies and it will provide an overview of the changing political, cultural and economic significance of the region during recent decades. The course will consider a series of topics such as cultural heritage, environmental change and religious issues in order to equip students with the knowledge and analytical tools necessary to pursue further research and to actively participate in discussions on the future of the Mediterranean region. The course will be structured around lectures, films and group activities and discussions. There will be some guest speakers.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of:
- key theories and approaches in Mediterranean studies;
- the historical and contemporary significance of the Mediterranean region from both European/Western and Global South perspectives.
- the recent history of initiatives aimed at building political, economic and cultural relations across the Mediterranean region.

In addition, students will be able to:
- understand how major current issues such as climate change and global logistics relate to the Mediterranean area;
- apply their knowledge to propose suitable topics for research in the field of Mediterranean studies;
- engage with key debates about the future of Mediterranean region.

Criteria for admission are the same as those for the study programme of Trans-Mediterranean Studies: Migration, Cooperation and Development. A good knowledge of English is essential.

Il corso introduce ai principali concetti, le teorie e i dibattiti nel campo degli studi mediterranei, prestando particolare attenzione a come l’idea del Mediterraneo quale regione distinta sia stata elaborata e venga oggi messa in discussione. Verrà fornito un quadro delle recenti trasformazioni politiche e economiche nell’area e di come queste abbiano riconfigurato le relazioni tra le sponde Nord e Sud del Mediterraneo, nonché del significato che assume di adottare un approccio specificamente transmediterraneo.

La seconda parte del corso approfondirà alcuni temi centrali nel contesto del Mediterraneo contemporaneo:

Geografia del Mediterraneo
Approcci al Mediterraneo – Una prospettiva storica
Approcci al Mediterraneo – Immaginare il Mediterraneo: estetica, romanticizzazione e politica
Approcci al Mediterraneo – L'approccio antropologico
Storie trasversali del Mediterraneo 1: I sacrifici umani dai Fenici a oggi
Storie trasversali del Mediterraneo 2: Mare nostrum dai Romani al nazionalismo contemporaneo
Storie trasversali del Mediterraneo 3: Dalle crociate di ieri a quelle di oggi
Storie trasversali del Mediterraneo 4: Dall'esodo degli ebrei al millenarismo e al pensiero moderno
Religioni del Mediterraneo: Tarantismo
Religioni del Mediterraneo: Luoghi santi condivis
Schiavitù
Geopolitica e istituzioni
Identità e patrimonio culturale
Cambiamento climatico

The bibliography will be further integrated with other texts provided by the teacher during the course.

General readings:
Giaccaria, P. & Mina, C. (2010) ‘The Mediterranean Alternative.’ Progress in Human Geography, 35(3), 345-365.
Matvejević, P. (2004). Breviario mediterraneo. Garzanti

Students will be assessed on classroom participation and a final exam ((presentation of a written paper and subsequent oral presentation)). The details and weighting of each assessment will be specified in the course.

Regarding the grading scale, scores will be assigned according to the following schema:
A. Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of: Sufficient knowledge and applied
comprehension of the program;
B. Scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of: Fair knowledge and applied
comprehension of the program;
C. Scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of: Good or excellent knowledge and
applied comprehension of the program;
D. Honors will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and applied comprehension of
the program.

oral

Independently from the attendance modality, evaluation is expressed by the following assessment scale:
18-22:
- sufficient knowledge and capacity to understand what has been requested according to the course program
- sufficient capacity of application of the acquired knowledge through autonomous text and grammar analysis
- sufficient capacity of data collecting and interpretation and of autonomous research

23-26:
. average knowledge and capacity to understand what has been requested according to the course program
- average capacity of application of the acquired knowledge through autonomous text and grammar analysis
- average capacity of data collecting and interpretation and of autonomous research


27-30:
- good or very good knowledge and capacity to understand what has been requested according to the course program
- good or very good capacity of application of the acquired knowledge through autonomous text and grammar analysis
- good or very good capacity of data collecting and interpretation and of autonomous research

The grade of excellence ("lode") is assigned in cases of excellent achievements according to the criteria listed above.

The course is structured as in-person seminar lessons in which the students and the professor comment together on the week's readings. The teaching approach aims to encourage students' active participation through discussions on the topics introduced by the professor.

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