HISTORY OF EURASIA (CAUCASUS, CENTRAL ASIA, RUSSIA)

This is one of the mandatory courses within the "Near and Middle East" curriculum of the Corso di Laurea in "Lingue, Culture e Società dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea".The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in "Lingue, Culture e Società dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea" in the cultural and humanities areas.
The course aims to give the students a general introduction to the history of Errasia until the Russian conquest.

Knowledge and understanding::
- to develop a good understanding of the the general lines of the history of Caucasus and Central Asia with particular reference to modern and contemporary times

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- to understand the specificity of a very large geographical and historical-cultural area in which different cultural systems (Zoroastrianism, Eastern Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) and political ones (Roman, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman Empires, Russia, China) have met over the centuries.
- to develop an appropriate approach to this particularly complex area, insisting above all on its geographical, economic and cultural importance.

Making judgements:
- to produce critical judgments on the historical and cultural phenomena of the course
- to analyze various types of sources according to a critical approach

Communication:
- to express and re-elaborate the contents of the programme in written form.

Lifelong learning skills:
- to know how to take notes in an effective way
- to know how to critically integrate the study of different materials (notes, slides, manuals, creative texts, academic articles)
- to be able to independently study materials and topics not covered during the lectures
- to refine one's ability to study materials in English

No previuos knowlwdge is required

1) Ethno-linguistic and historical-cultural foundations of the Caucasian-Central Asian area (lessons 1-2);
2) main moments of the history of the Caucasus (lessons 3-9);
3) modern and contemporary historical dynamics of Central Asia (lessons 10-15)

Two volumes of your choice among the followings (three for non-attendant students):

- P. Sartori, Altro che seta. Corano e progresso in Turkestan, Campanotto, Udine 2003.
- M. Buttino, La rivoluzione capovolta. L’Asia centrale tra il crollo dell’impero zarista e la formazione dell’Urss, L’ancora del Mediterraneo, Napoli 2003.
- A. Ferrari, Storia del Caucaso. Una frontiera eurasiatica dall'antichità a oggi, Carocci, Roma 2006.
- A. Ferrari, Quando il Caucaso incontrò la Russia. Cinque storie esemplari, Guerini e Associati, Milano 2015.
- A. Ferrari, G. Traina, Storia degli armeni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2020.
- A. Ferrari, Russia. Storia di un impero eurasiatico, Mondadori, Milano 2024.
- R. Isaacs, E. Marat (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Central Asia, Routledge, London 2022.
- A. Kappeler, La Russia. Storia di un impero multietnico, Edizioni Lavoro, Roma 2006.
- F. Cardini, A. Vanoli, La via della seta. Una storia millenaria tra Oriente e Occidente, Bologna, il Mulino, 2017.
- P. Frankopan, Le vie della seta. Una nuova storia del mondo, trad. it. Milano, Mondadori, 2019.
- F. Starr, L’illuminismo perduto. L’età d’oro dell’Asia centrale dalla conquista araba a Tamerlano, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 2017.

The exam consists of an oral assessment of the topics covered in class. It is expected to last approximately 20 minutes and will consist of 3–5 questions.

oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

Evaluation grid:
28-30L: mastery of the topics covered in class and in the manuals; ability to hierarchize information;
use of appropriate technical terminology;
26-27: good knowledge of the topics covered in class and, to a lesser extent, in the manuals; fair ability
in organizing information and presenting it orally; familiarity with technical terminology;
24-25: not always in-depth knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the manuals; orderly oral presentation
but with not always correct use of technical terminology;
22-23: often superficial knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the manuals; unclear oral presentation
and lacking in technical terminology;
18-21: knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the manuals is at times incomplete; confused oral presentation,
with little use of technical terminology.

Conventional, with powerpoint presentations

None