The course of Contemporary History (unit A) is in line with the objectives of the degree course in Modern Languages and Cultures (LCM), as it intends to provide the essential tools for understanding, in a transnational perspective, the dynamics, processes and events of the contemporary world, in a phase between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of XXI century
The teaching is aimed at students with surnames M-Z
The aim of the course is provide students with basic knowledge of 19th and 20th century history both from a political-institutional and social-economic point of view, in order to achieve four main targets: contextualize events, identify causes and effects; being able to undertake historical research through the correct use of sources; being familiar with various historiographical interpretations; efficiently communicate the contents learned.
Aims:
The course aims to provide basic knowledge of contemporary history and to provide methodological tools to establish thematic and cultural connections between the historical dynamics presented.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
SDGs
Teaching contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030.
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
A good knowledge of written and spoken Italian is necessary to pass the exam
For foreign students a basic knowledge of the Italian language is sufficient, cf. the paragraph “C.II.10. Avvertenze per gli studenti stranieri”, of the “Guida ai Corsi di Studio in Lingue del Dipartimento di Lingue e Culture Moderne”, a.y. 2024-2025.
Course of 36 hours, equivalent to 6 CFU.
Attendance is not compulsory but warmly recommended.
The course, for the academic year 2025/2026, will take place through classroom lectures.
Distance learning will be used, through the TEAMS platforms, only in the case of a Red weather alarm when all the University offices are closed.
The program includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics:
1. The international context between the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries: Belle époque, mass-corporations and transnational empires
2. The Italian crisis at the end of the century
3. The premises of the First World War and the Russian Revolution
4. The First World War and the Russian Revolution
5. The new international order after the war
6.The Rise of Fascism in Italy
7.The Thirties and the Age of Totalitarianism
8.The Liberal Democracies between the two wars
9.The premises of the Second World War
10.The Second World War and the Resistance in Italy and Europe
11. The New International Context and the Origins of the Cold War
12. The Democratic Rebirth in Italy
13. The Age of Centrism in Italy
14. The start of the European integration process
15. Cold War Developments and Decolonization
16. The great changes of the Sixties
17. The World and Italy in the Seventies
18. The 1980s and 1990s: the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the End of the Bipolar System
For ATTENDING students:
- lecture notes
- material available in aulaweb
- reference manual: Alfredo Canavero, Storia contemporanea, Pearson, 2019 (and subsequent editions)
For NON-attending students will also have to prepare two (of their choice) of the following volumes on which they will report in written form:
Ricevimento: By appointment by writing an email to luca.barbaini@unige.it. During the semesters, even after lessons.
LUCA BARBAINI (President)
GUIDO LEVI
DAVIDE SUIN
first semester
Oral exam either at the end of the course and at all the scheduled dates.
Furthermore, for attending students, there is an ongoing written test; the test is not mandatory.
Registration procedures for exams through University website are unchanged.
The assessment test consists of a discussion of variable duration depending on the student's presentation skills which demonstrates the achievement of the aims.
The evaluation parameters are:
- ability to present and organize speech
- correct use of historiographical vocabulary
- critical reasoning skills.
Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.
