HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETIES

The course aims to give the students a knowledge of the main transformations and processes that concerned contemporary societies (class relations, social organisations, cultures, collective mentalities, social movements) in connection with the political and economic changes in Europe and worldwide from 1789 to our days.

- Knowledge of the main social transformations during contemporary history and capacity to critically connect them with more general historical transitions;
- Transfer of this historical knowledge to the understanding of the present-day world;
- Ability to autonomously and critically analyse scientific literature and historical sources.

General knowledge of the main political events and economic processes during contemporary history.

The course introduces the students to a general interpretation of contemporary societies, focusing on the making and transformation of social classes against the backdrop of historical processes such as industrialisation and deindustrialisation, the rise of the nation-states and globalisation, colonialism and decolonisation, war and international relations.
Even if the course has a global history approach, emphasis is put on European societies, including aspects like nationalism, imperialism, world wars, the welfare state, and the European integration process.

The textbook is:
Fulvio Cammarano, Giulia Guazzaloca, Maria Serena Piretti, Storia contemporanea. Dal XIX al XXI secolo, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2026.

Further readings and sources will be communicated and made available to the students on Moodle during the course.

Written exam (90 minutes) on the topics covered by textbooks, including the materials uploaded on moodle.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

18-21: Sufficient knowledge of the contents. Sufficient analytical and expository skills.
22-25: Fair/good knowledge of the contents. Good analytical and expository skills.
26-28: In-depth knowledge of the contents. Solid analytical and expository skills.
29-30: In-depth and detailed knowledge of the contents. Excellent analytical and expository skills.
30 cum laude: In-depth, detailed and transversal knowledge of the contents. Analytical and expository skills above average.

Lectures and in-class discussions based on historical sources and/or multimedia documents.