OVERVIEW

This course has a seminar-style format and aims to introduce students to historical research on Latin America, addressing specific historiographical issues each year. A significant portion of the course will be dedicated to the analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources, preceded by a historical and historiographical introduction and an overview of the documentary resources related to the theme being discussed.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Aim of the course is providing students with the basic skills to orient themselves in the context of Latin American historical research, in modern and contemporary times.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to equip students with the basic skills required to navigate research on Latin American history, focusing on modern and contemporary periods. The main learning objectives are:

1. Research skills: Provide the necessary tools for critically analysing and contextualising Latin American historical sources, developing skills for independent research.

2. Research project design: Develop the ability to design and develop a research project that meets international academic standards.

3. Critical analysis of sources: Deepen students’ ability to analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources using appropriate historiographical methodologies.

4. Communication and collaboration skills: Strengthen students' argumentative and communication skills through classroom discussions, group work, and presentations.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Critically analyse historical sources: Contextualise and analyse a historical source, developing a critical approach to historical research.

2. Critically present academic articles: Present the contents of academic articles read in class with clarity and critical insight.

3. Design a research project: Gain the skills necessary to design a research project that includes the definition of objectives, methodologies, and source analysis.

4. Work independently: Demonstrate autonomous work in research and preparation of materials for discussion.

5. Collaborate effectively: Exhibit teamwork skills, coordination, and negotiation abilities during group activities.

6. Communicate research results: Communicate historical research findings clearly and accurately, using appropriate academic language.

PREREQUISITES

There are no specific prerequisites. However, a basic knowledge of modern and contemporary history will help students engage with the course content more effectively.

TEACHING METHODS

The course combines lectures, which provide the theoretical framework, with seminars, where students will present and discuss topics related to the course programme. Source analysis workshops will allow students to apply the methodologies they have learned. One workshop will focus on the practical aspects of designing a research project.

• Lectures: Theoretical introduction to historical and historiographical themes.

• Seminars: Critical discussions and student presentations.

• Workshops: Practical activities on source analysis and research project design.

Delivery mode:

• In-person: Lectures will take place in the classroom, accompanied by seminars and practical workshops.

• Remote: Students who explicitly request it can attend the lectures via streaming on Teams but will need to follow the non-attending student programme.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Course Theme: Latin America: From the Birth of the Nation-State to Nationalism (19th-20th Centuries)

1. Part One: Introduction to the history of Latin America: from colonisation to the formation of nation-states.

2. Part Two: The development of the Latin American nation-state: construction of collective identity and territorial definition.

3. Part Three: Nationalism in the 1920s and 1930s and authoritarian regimes between the two world wars.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

PROGRAMME FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS

For an overview of Latin American history, reference will be made to the lecturer's lessons.

Two books among:

Paulina Alberto, Eduardo Elena (eds.), Rethinking Race in Modern Argentina, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2016.
Vanni Blengino, Il vallo della Patagonia, I nuovi Conquistatori: militari, scienziati, sacerdoti, scrittori, Diabasis, Parma, 1998.
Ronald H. Chilcote, Intellectuals and the Search for National Identity in Twentieth-Century Brazil, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2018.
Marshall C. Eakin, Becoming Brazilians: Race and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Brazil, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2017.
Amanda Salvioni, El silencio de las imágenes. Texto e ilustración en la narrativa hispanoamericana del siglo XIX, Ediciones de la Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, 2020.
Amanda Salvioni, L'invenzione di un medioevo americano. Rappresentazioni moderne del passato coloniale in Argentina, Diabasis, Parma, 2005.

Fulvia Zega, Il mondo sotto la Svastica. Immigrazione e politica in Argentina e Brasile (1930-1960), Aracne, Roma, 2018.

PROGRAMME FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:

Loris Zanatta, Storia dell'America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, Bari, 2010.

Two books among:

Paulina Alberto, Eduardo Elena (eds.), Rethinking Race in Modern Argentina, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2016.
Vanni Blengino, Il vallo della Patagonia, I nuovi Conquistatori: militari, scienziati, sacerdoti, scrittori, Diabasis, Parma, 1998.
Ronald H. Chilcote, Intellectuals and the Search for National Identity in Twentieth-Century Brazil, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2018.
Marshall C. Eakin, Becoming Brazilians: Race and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Brazil, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2017.
Amanda Salvioni, L'invenzione di un medioevo americano. Rappresentazioni moderne del passato coloniale in Argentina, Diabasis, Parma, 2005.
Amanda Salvioni, El silencio de las imágenes. Texto e ilustración en la narrativa hispanoamericana del siglo XIX, Ediciones de la Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, 2020.
Fulvia Zega, Il mondo sotto la Svastica. Immigrazione e politica in Argentina e Brasile (1930-1960), Aracne, Roma, 2018.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

 September 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

For Attending Students: Presentations in class and oral exam. Mid-term written test is also available.

For Non-Attending Students: Oral exam only.

Duration of Oral Exam: Approximately 30 minutes.

Assessment Criteria:

• Knowledge: Max 14/30

• Analytical and contextual understanding: Max 13/30

• Communication skills: Max 3/30

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For Attending Students:
Oral exam: knowledge of the periodisation and key issues in Latin American history; mastery of disciplinary language; presentation of a research project outline (not a "thesis", but one of the outlines developed during the final part of the course); ability to identify the methodological approaches underlying the exam texts; ability to analyse some of the images studied during the course.

For Non-Attending Students:
Oral exam: knowledge of periodisation and fundamental issues in Latin American history; mastery of disciplinary language. Students must show awareness of the sources used and the methodologies employed by the authors of the exam texts, and demonstrate the ability to contextualise the issues they are asked to address.

The final evaluation will take into account the clarity, critical analysis, and quality of the presentation, in a 30-minute interview for both attending and non-attending students, irrespective of their level of preparation.