OVERVIEW

The course aims to provide students with an understanding of key themes and methods of cultural history.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with the tools to orientate themselves with respect to themes and methods of cultural history, in its various and diverse articulations. The goal is to become familiar with the specific lexicon of this type of subject; to acquire a basic understanding of the major currents of international historiography; to develop - through appropriate exercises (seminars and written reports) - techniques of analysis and critical interpretation of primary sources using this method of investigation. In particular, the applications of the method for the analysis of the key turning points and transformations characterizing the contemporary age will be object of scrutiny.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide students with the tools to orient themselves with respect to themes and methods of cultural history. The aim is to become familiar with the specific vocabulary of this type of study; to orient oneself with respect to its international historiography; to develop - through suitable exercises (seminars and written reports) - techniques of analysis and critical interpretation of primary sources using this method of investigation. Various types of sources will be analyzed (printed sources, period films, fiction films, monuments, etc.). In particular, the uses of that method will be verified in dealing with the monographic theme of the class, i.e. the memory of the Shoah.

The course offers the opportunity to measure oneself with this approach starting from the analysis of the sources and from the comparison with some research problems (applied knowledge).

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course the student will be able to: 1. practice a critical reading of the sources (applied knowledge and understanding) 2. effectively articulate a reasoning with the use of a specific vocabulary and an appropriate use of the bibliography of reference (written and oral communication skills). 3. demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the scientific debate on the monographic topic of teaching (knowledge, ability to understand, independence of judgement).

The following transversal skills will be developed:

functional literacy competence (advanced level); peer competence (advanced level); social competence (advanced level); design creation proficiency (basic level)

PREREQUISITES

An understanding of the essential features of historical method is required. The ability to orientate with respect to the main conceptual issues and chronological phases of the contemporary age is also required.

TEACHING METHODS

Thi is intended as a seminar course, ample space will be awarded di discussions, debates, analysis of cases/problems.

Lessons will take place in person.

For those who expressly request it at the beginning of the course it will be possible to follow the lessons remotely (in streaming or listening to the recordings of the lessons via the Teams platform). In this case, students will be considered for all intents and purposes not attending and the program to prepare will be the one for non-attending students.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The program is divided into two sections.

The first part of the program (section A) aims to familiarize students with a classic text, that is, with the reflections of Maurice Halbwachs, one of the fathers of modern studies on memory. In the lessons dedicated to this part, the figure of Halbwachs will be historically framed and the impact that his studies had on subsequent scholarship will be analyzed. 

The second part of the program (section B) is instead dedicated to the analysis of the specific dynamics related to the memory of the Holocaust, to the relationship between the historian and the witness, to the tensions existing between history and memory, and to the public uses of that past. 

STUDENTS WHO ATTEND THE LECTURES MAY DECIDE IF THEY WISH TO TAKE AN ORAL EXAM OR TO PRESENT A WRITTEN REPORT. IF THEY OPT FOR THE ORAL EXAM THEY WILL BE REQUIRED TO PREPARE 1 TEXT FROM SECTION A AND 1 TEXTS FROM SECTION B. IF THEY DECIDE TO PRESENT A WRITTEN REPORT THEY WILL HAVE TO DEFINE THE TOPIC AND THE BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH THE INSTRUCTOR.

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND THE LECTURES WILL TAKE THE EXAM ORALLY, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO STUDY 1 TEXT FROM SECTION A AND 1 FROM SECTION B AS WELL AS TO TO INTEGRATE THEIR PREPARATION WITH THE FOLLOWING TEXT:

F. Mazzini, C. Sorba, La svolta culturale. Come è cambiata la pratica storiografica, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2021.

A. - Halbwachs' contribution to memory studies (choose one book from the following list)

Students may study these books in their original language or in an English translation.

1. M. Halbwachs, I quadri sociali della memoria, Ipermedium, Napoli, 1997 [ed. or. 1925].

2. Id., La memoria collettiva, Unicopli, Milano, 2007 [ed. or. 1949].

B. - Holocaust Memory (choose two books from the following list)

Students may study these books in their original language or in an English translation (where available).

1. S. D. Kassow, Chi scriverà la nostra storia? L'archivio ritrovato del ghetto di Varsavia, Mondadori, Milano, 2009.

2. A. Wieviorka, L'era del testimone, Cortina, Milano, 1999.

3. S. Gensburger, S. Lefranc, Beyond Memory? Can We Really Learn from the Past?, Palgrave MacMillan, Cham, 2020.

4. R. Gordon, Scolpitelo nei cuori. L'Olocausto nella cultura italiana (1944-2010), Bollati-Boringhieri, Torino, 2013.

5. A. Minuz, La Shoah e la cultura visuale. Cinema, memoria, spazio pubblico, Bulzoni, Roma, 2010.

6. G. Didi-Huberman, Immagini malgrado tutto, Cortina, Milano, 2005.

7. Frédéric Rousseau, Il bambino di Varsavia. Storia di una fotografia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011.

8. L. David, The Past Can't Heal Us. The Dangers of Mandating Memory in the Name of Human Rights, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2020.

9. M. Rothberg, Multidirectional Memory. Remembering the Holocaust in the Age of Decolonization, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2009.

10. F. Bertolini,Gli inganni della memoria. Testimonianza, falsificazioni, negazioni, Mimesi, Milano, 2016.

11. T. Kushner, The Holocaust and the Liberal Imagination. A Social and Cultural Histoy, Blackwell, Oxford, 1994. 

12. M. Hirsh, The Generation of Postmemory. Writing and Visual Culture after the Holocaust, Columbia University Press, NY, 2012.

13. J. E. Young, The Texture of Memory. Holocaust Memorials and Meaning,Yale University Press, New Haven, 1994.

14. F. Azouvi, Le mythe du grand silence: Auschwitz, les Français, la mémoire, Paris, Fayard, 2012.

15. J. Shandler, Holocaust Memory and the DIgital Age: Survivor's Stories and New Media Practices, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2017.

16. P. Novick, The Holocaust in American Life, Houghton Mifflin, NY, 1999.

17. F. Focardi, Nel cantiere della memoria. Fascismo, Resistenza, Shoah, Foibe, Viella, Roma, 2020.

18. F. Azouvi, Du héros à la victime: la métamorphose contemporaine du sacré, Gallimard, Paris, 2024.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The program is divided into two sections.

The first part of the program (section A) aims to familiarize students with the reflections of Maurice Halbwachs, one of the fathers of modern studies on memory. In the lessons dedicated to this part, the figure of Halbwachs will be historically framed and the impact that his studies had on subsequent scholarship will be analyzed. 

The second part of the program (section B) is instead dedicated to the analysis of the specific dynamics related to the memory of the Holocaust, to the relationship between the historian and the witness, to the tensions existing between history and memory, and to the public uses of that past. 

STUDENTS WHO WILL ATTEND THE LECTURES ARE ASKED TO PREPARE FOR THE EXAM BUY STUDYING 1 TEXT FROM SECTION A AND 2 TEXTS FROM SECTION B.

IN ADDITION, STUDENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND THE LECTURES ARE REQUIRED TO INTEGRATE THEIR PREPARATION WITH THE FOLLOWING TEXT:

1. F. Mazzini, C. Sorba, La svolta culturale. Come è cambiata la pratica storiografica, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2021.

A. - Halbwachs' contribution to memory studies (choose one book from the following list)
 

Students are welcome to study these books in their original language or in an English translation.

1. M. Halbwachs, I quadri sociali della memoria, Ipermedium, Napoli, 1997 [ed. or. 1925].

2. Id., La memoria collettiva, Unicopli, Milano, 2007 [ed. or. 1949].

B. - Holocaust Memory (choose two books from the following list)

Students are welcome to study these books in their original language or in an English translation (where available).

1. S. D. Kassow, Chi scriverà la nostra storia? L'archivio ritrovato del ghetto di Varsavia, Mondadori, Milano, 2009.

2. A. Wieviorka, L'era del testimone, Cortina, Milano, 1999.

3. S. Gensburger, S. Lefranc, Beyond Memory? Can We Really Learn from the Past?, Palgrave MacMillan, Cham, 2020.

4. R. Gordon, Scolpitelo nei cuori. L'Olocausto nella cultura italiana (1944-2010), Bollati-Boringhieri, Torino, 2013.

5. A. Minuz, La Shoah e la cultura visuale. Cinema, memoria, spazio pubblico, Bulzoni, Roma, 2010.

6. G. Didi-Huberman, Immagini malgrado tutto, Cortina, Milano, 2005.

7. Frédéric Rousseau, Il bambino di Varsavia. Storia di una fotografia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011.

8. L. David, The Past Can't Heal Us. The Dangers of Mandating Memory in the Name of Human Rights, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2020.

9. M. Rothberg, Multidirectional Memory. Remembering the Holocaust in the Age of Decolonization, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2009.

10. F. Bertolini,Gli inganni della memoria. Testimonianza, falsificazioni, negazioni, Mimesi, Milano, 2016.

11. T. Kushner, The Holocaust and the Liberal Imagination. A Social and Cultural Histoy, Blackwell, Oxford, 1994. 

12. M. Hirsh, The Generation of Postmemory. Writing and Visual Culture after the Holocaust, Columbia University Press, NY, 2012.

13. J. E. Young, The Texture of Memory. Holocaust Memorials and Meaning,Yale University Press, New Haven, 1994.

14. F. Azouvi, Le mythe du grand silence: Auschwitz, les Français, la mémoire, Paris, Fayard, 2012.

15. J. Shandler, Holocaust Memory and the DIgital Age: Survivor's Stories and New Media Practices, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2017.

16. P. Novick, The Holocaust in American Life, Houghton Mifflin, NY, 1999.

17. F. Focardi, Nel cantiere della memoria. Fascismo, Resistenza, Shoah, Foibe, Viella, Roma, 2020.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GURI SCHWARZ (President)

ENRICA ASQUER

MATTEO CAPONI (Substitute)

MARCO NATALIZI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 19

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Students regularly attending the lectures  are encouraged to substitute the oral exam with the presentation of a written report (between 14,000 and 20,000 marks, spaces and footnotes included), on a topic agreed upon with the instructor.

Students not attending the lectures will have to take an oral exam, based on the assigned program indicated above.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written report (for attending students) or the oral exam (for non-attending students) allow to assess the skills acquired. In particular, the skills acquired will be measured both with respect to the horizon of cultural history in general and with respect to the specific monographic theme of teaching.

The examination commission verifies the achievement of the educational objectives, taking into account the following factors: a) level of mastery of the fundamental notions; b) ability to apply knowledge (analysis of sources); c) critical reasoning skills on the study carried out; d) ability to discursively organize knowledge, using the specialist language of the discipline.

In developing the seminar teaching activity, the teacher will be able to verify the acquisition of the soft skills indicated in the learning outcomes section..

Both the written test (if taken) and the oral exam will also allow to verify the acquisition of advanced level functional alphabetic skills.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Regular attendance of the lectures is strongly reccomended.

Erasmus students may discuss changes to the program with the instructor.

Erasmus students may take the exam in English.