OVERVIEW

The course aims to provide tools and critical skills for a knowledge of history of the United States and Canada, bringing the student closer to the use of documentary sources and the complexity of historiographic interpretations.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course deals with the history of North American in its formative period, from 1492 to 1791. North America is the region that originated  Canada and  United States of today. It gives large space to Afro-Americans people and their African origins. The course is organized on lectures held by the teacher and oral presentations of the students. The course objective is to provide students with a general knowledge of the first three centuries of North American history.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with an introduction to the political, economic and social issues of North America (Canada and the United States).history. The course  also offers a basic knowledge of the history of this sub-continent with particular reference to the specific cultures that have made it so peculiar. The aim of the teaching will therefore be to provide the skills to make thematic and cultural links between the historical dynamics dealt with  also considering the mutual influence in the developing process.

PREREQUISITES

In addition to a good knowledge of written and spoken Italian it is mandatory to be able to read papers and books  in French and English.

TEACHING METHODS

36-hour courses equivalent to 6 CFU and 54 hours equivalent to 9 CFU, through classroom lectures. Attendance is required but not compulsory.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course assigns from 6 to 9 credits according to the program of each student.

Program for  6 CFU Course

The course (36 hours of lessons) illustrates the history of North America from the colonial age until the beginning of the 21st century up to the attacks of September the 11th 2001. It is about the historical evolution of the region that gave rise to today Canada and United States . The aim of the course is to provide students with a general knowledge of the first three centuries (18th,19th and 20th sec.) of North American history. Attendance at lessons is required. To pass the exam it is necessary to study the books listed in the bibliography.

Program for 9 CFU Course

In addition to what is indicated for the 6 CFU teaching, the second part of the course (18 hours of lessons) will deepen the history of slavery in the South of the country and the American Civil War (1861-1865) as a turning point of U.S history.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography for the 6 cfu program

Point 1. a volume chosen from the following :

- Stefano Luconi, La "nazione indispensabile". Storia degli Stati Uniti dalle origini a oggi, Le Monnier, Firenze, 2016;
- Arnaldo Testi, La formazione degli Stati Uniti, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013;
- Arnaldo Testi, Il secolo degli Stati Uniti, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014;

Point 2: in addition to the study of one of the volumes listed in point 1, the student must also deepen a volume chosen from the following:
- Tiziano Bonazzi, Abraham Lincoln. Un dramma americano, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016;

- Tiziano Bonazzi, La rivoluzione americana, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018;

  - Ferdinando Fasce, I presidenti USA. Due secoli di storia, Roma, Carocci, 2008;

  - Tania Groppi, Il Canada, Bologna, il Mulino, 2006;

  - Bruce Levine, La Guerra civile americana. Una nuova storia, Torino, Einaudi, 2015 (for those who prefer, it’s also available in original version: Bruce Levine, The Fall of the House of Dixie. The Civil War and the  Social Revolution that Transformed the South, New York, Random House, 2013);

  - Raimondo Luraghi, La guerra civile americana. Le ragioni e i protagonisti del primo conflitto industriale, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013;

- Kiran Klaus Patel, Il New Deal. Una storia globale, Torino, Einaudi, 2018 (will be publishe on sept 2018).

Bibliografy for the 9 cfu program

Point 1: to read the two volumes indicated below

- Arnaldo Testi, La formazione degli Stati Uniti, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013;

-  Arnaldo Testi, Il secolo degli Stati Uniti, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014;

Point 2: in addition to the study of one of the volumes listed in point 1, the student must deepen a volume chosen from the following:
- Tiziano Bonazzi, Abraham Lincoln. Un dramma americano, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016;

-Tiziano Bonazzi, La rivoluzione americana, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018;

  - Ferdinando Fasce, I presidenti USA. Due secoli di storia, Roma, Carocci, 2008;

  - Tania Groppi, Il Canada, Bologna, il Mulino, 2006;

  - Bruce Levine, La Guerra civile americana. Una nuova storia, Torino, Einaudi, 2015 (per chi preferisce anche nella versione in lingua originale: Bruce Levine, The Fall of the House of Dixie. The Civil War and the  Social Revolution that Transformed the South, New York, Random House, 2013);

  - Raimondo Luraghi, Storia della Guerra Civile Americana, Torino, Einaudi, 1966;

  - Raimondo Luraghi, La guerra civile americana. Le ragioni e i protagonisti del primo conflitto industriale, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013;

- Kiran Klaus Patel, Il New Deal. Una storia globale, Torino, Einaudi, 2018 (in uscita a settembre).

Students who can’t find the volumes listed above should contact the teacher in advance.for further information.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ROBERTO MACCARINI (President)

LARA PICCARDO

CHIARA VANGELISTA

ROBERTO MACCARINI (President)

LARA PICCARDO

CHIARA VANGELISTA

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Tuesday, September 18th, 2018, 10.00 a.m., Rossello room, Balbi street #5.

Class schedule

HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA (CANADA, UNITED STATES)

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam at the end of the course  in the scheduled dates. Depending on the number of the attending students, there could be a written test during the course that will be worth one half of the final evaluation.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The test consists of an interview of varying duration that will allow to verify the student's skills. The evaluation parameters are: quality of the exposure; the correct use of the historiographic lexicon; the critical reasoning skills with respect to the program.

- According to the number of students, thematic insights and individual presentations in oral form are required.
- Final Test: in oral form on the main issues discussed in the course and on the readings indicated.  The committee, presided by the teacher, verifies the achievement of the formative objectives, considering the knowledge of the discipline, the readiness, precision of responses, clarity of exposition

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Please always pay attention to any further information that can be given during the course.