History and Politics of Global Powers

To provide students with a number of tools to better understand the complexity of the present world, the course will focus on three "Global Powers": India, the United Kingdom and the United States. In particular, in view of the current relevance of India in international relations, the course will examine, from a historical perspective, the rise and fall of the British Empire in India between the second half of the nineteenth century and the 1940s, U.S.-Indian relations during the Cold War and how regional dynamics influenced US policy in South Asia, particularly after the China-India war in 1962.
The course will look at British and U.S. policy in India from a particular perspective, namely that of focusing our attention on the personalities involved and on how their actions shaped history, dwelling, for example, on figures such as those of the British Viceroys and U.S. ambassadors to India.
From a methodological perspective the course will privilege a critical examination of the most qualified trends in historiography and a rigorous analysis of available primary sources.

On successful completion of the course, students will be provided with an understanding of important issues of international and global history and will be able to use the most appropriate terminology and also to apply their acquired knowledge to the analysis of the current international arena.