Contemporary History

The course primarily aims to provide students with a critical understanding of 19th and 20th century contemporary history with an eye towards knowledge of the history of Italian, European and international political institutions.
A key focus is placed on examining the main strands of contemporary historiographical debate from three angles: analysing the economic, social and cultural aspects of the major changes that occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries; developing a cross-cutting approach to the core issues of contemporary history; adopting a global approach that looks beyond the traditional Eurocentric perspective but rather is geared towards understanding international dynamics.
Face-to-face lectures encourage students to critically engage in classroom discussions and their active participation is sought so that they may acquire the fundamental methodological tools to understand historiographical debate and use the most appropriate terminology to accurately present what they have learnt.

Upon completion of the course, students will know and understand the core issues of 19th and 20th century contemporary history, the political institutions at play and the economic, social and cultural aspects.
Furthermore, students will learn to think critically and comprehensively with a broad view of major contemporary issues and an approach that tends towards analysing the international dimension.
By actively participating in lectures, students will also acquire the subject-specific methodology and develop their communication skills by adopting the appropriate vocabulary.