Modern History
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course intends to address the problems related to the political, economic and social dynamics of the early-modern age states from the mid-15th century to the revolutionary age and the new order imposed with the Congress of Vienna. At a methodological level, it is intended to promote a critical reading of historical events and monographs.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Summerize the basic methodological tools, including IT ones, of the historiographical investigation.
- Identify the relationships between philosophy and historical knowledge in the analysis and discussion of texts and problems
- express the concepts learned in a clear and effective way.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- use appropriately the sources, the basic bibliographic and IT tools for historiographic research.
Making judgements
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
- interpret the verification of the authenticity of the information found
Learning skills
At the end of the course the student will be able:
- to use the sources and the basic bibliographic and IT tools for historiographic research in an autonomous and appropriate way
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Summerize the basic methodological tools, including IT ones, of the historiographical investigation.
- Identify the relationships between philosophy and historical knowledge in the analysis and discussion of texts and problems
- express the concepts learned in a clear and effective way.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- use appropriately the sources, the basic bibliographic and IT tools for historiographic research.
Making judgements
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
- interpret the verification of the authenticity of the information found
Learning skills
At the end of the course the student will be able:
- to use the sources and the basic bibliographic and IT tools for historiographic research in an autonomous and appropriate way
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Course title: The Hero Factory: Practices, Languages and Subjects of Celebrity in the Age of Revolutions
Part 1: Outline of the history of the early modern period (1515-1715)
Part 2: From sovereign absolutism to the turning point of the 1820s (1715-1820)
Part 3: Reflections on the practices of memorial construction between absolutism and revolution (1750-1820 approx.).
In the second half of the 18th century, people were outraged by Voltaire, wept with Rousseau, paid homage to Hume and Beccaria, and commemorated generals who had fallen on the battlefield... The social climate of nations was changing. Kings and God were joined by secular heroes, whose civil or military merits became the object of admiration and worship first by public opinion and then by the nation. This module aims to encourage reflection on the social mechanisms of celebrity construction and their political consequences and meanings within European society, thus constructing a framework for reflection capable of questioning contemporary events.
Part 1: Outline of the history of the early modern period (1515-1715)
Part 2: From sovereign absolutism to the turning point of the 1820s (1715-1820)
Part 3: Reflections on the practices of memorial construction between absolutism and revolution (1750-1820 approx.).
In the second half of the 18th century, people were outraged by Voltaire, wept with Rousseau, paid homage to Hume and Beccaria, and commemorated generals who had fallen on the battlefield... The social climate of nations was changing. Kings and God were joined by secular heroes, whose civil or military merits became the object of admiration and worship first by public opinion and then by the nation. This module aims to encourage reflection on the social mechanisms of celebrity construction and their political consequences and meanings within European society, thus constructing a framework for reflection capable of questioning contemporary events.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is in fact designed and developed to address students at the beginning of their university career. However, the study of modern history is based on the ability to develop a critical learning of the notions transmitted during the lectures or individual reading of the texts that will be indicated from time to time.
Teaching methods
This course is taught in person through a series of thirty lectures given by the lecturer, aimed primarily at acquiring the knowledge, skills and language specific to the discipline. Respecting each student's individual needs, the lecturer encourages individual and group work in class to promote the acquisition and critical re-elaboration of the knowledge acquired. For this reason, attendance is strongly recommended, although not compulsory. The course makes use of teaching materials, including multimedia materials available on the ARIEL platform, which students are encouraged to consult regularly. In addition to lectures, group work (reading and presentation of original documents or historiographical sources) may be assigned.
Teaching Resources
For attending students:
Programme for 6 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the topics covered in class and knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or later editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
In addition, knowledge of the topics covered in the lectures is required, as well as ONE volume chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fortunes of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critica illuminista e crisi della società borghese, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, History and Critique of Public Opinion, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The Invention of Célébrité: 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la celebrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in eighteenth-century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Programme for 9 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the topics covered in class and knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or subsequent editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
For module 3, knowledge of the topics covered in the lectures is required, as well as TWO volumes chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fortunes of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critica illuminista e crisi della società borghese, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, History and Critique of Public Opinion, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The Invention of Célébrité: 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la célébrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
J. Van Horn Melton, The rise of the public in Enlightenment Europe, Cambridge, 2001
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Non-attending students:
Programme for 6 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or subsequent editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
In addition, knowledge of the lecture topics is required, in addition to TWO volumes chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fate of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critica illuminista e crisi della società borghese, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, Storia e critica dell'opinione pubblica, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The invention of célébrité : 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la celebrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
J. Van Horn Melton, The rise of the public in Enlightenment Europe, Cambridge, 2001
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in eighteenth-century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Programme for 9 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or subsequent editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
For module 3, knowledge of the lecture topics is required, in addition to THREE volumes chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fortunes of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critique of Enlightenment and Crisis of Bourgeois Society, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, History and Critique of Public Opinion, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The invention of célébrité: 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la celebrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
J. Van Horn Melton, The Rise of the Public in Enlightenment Europe, Cambridge, 2001
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Programme for 6 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the topics covered in class and knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or later editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
In addition, knowledge of the topics covered in the lectures is required, as well as ONE volume chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fortunes of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critica illuminista e crisi della società borghese, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, History and Critique of Public Opinion, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The Invention of Célébrité: 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la celebrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in eighteenth-century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Programme for 9 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the topics covered in class and knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or subsequent editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
For module 3, knowledge of the topics covered in the lectures is required, as well as TWO volumes chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fortunes of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critica illuminista e crisi della società borghese, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, History and Critique of Public Opinion, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The Invention of Célébrité: 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la célébrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
J. Van Horn Melton, The rise of the public in Enlightenment Europe, Cambridge, 2001
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Non-attending students:
Programme for 6 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or subsequent editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
In addition, knowledge of the lecture topics is required, in addition to TWO volumes chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fate of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critica illuminista e crisi della società borghese, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, Storia e critica dell'opinione pubblica, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The invention of célébrité : 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la celebrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
J. Van Horn Melton, The rise of the public in Enlightenment Europe, Cambridge, 2001
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in eighteenth-century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Programme for 9 credits:
For parts 1 and 2, knowledge of the textbook:
1. V. Criscuolo, Storia moderna, Pearson, Milan 2019 or subsequent editions.
To this must be added knowledge of Franco Motta, Sabina Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna, Concetti, processi, spazi, Rome, Carocci, 2024, pp. 316
For module 3, knowledge of the lecture topics is required, in addition to THREE volumes chosen from the following:
B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Origins and Fortunes of Nationalism, Bari; Rome, Laterza, 2018
H. Bots, F. Waquet, La Repubblica delle lettere, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005
Koselleck, Reinhart, Critique of Enlightenment and Crisis of Bourgeois Society, Bologna, il Mulino, 1984
J. Habermas, History and Critique of Public Opinion, Rome, Laterza, 2005
A. Lilti, The invention of célébrité: 1750-1850, Cambridge, 2017 or A. Lilti, L'invention de la celebrité, Paris, 2015
A. Lilti, Le monde des salons: sociabilité et modernité a Paris au XVIII siècle, Paris, 2005 or A. Lilti, The World of the Salons, Sociability and Worldliness in Eighteenth-Century Paris, 2015
J. Van Horn Melton, The Rise of the Public in Enlightenment Europe, Cambridge, 2001
K. O'Brien, Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain, 2010
J. Clarke, Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France, Revolution and Remembrance, 1789-1799, Cambridge, 2011
Assessment methods and Criteria
Learning assessment can take place in two different ways, depending on the students' circumstances and choices.
In both cases, however, the assessment criteria are: 1. the ability to organise knowledge discursively through the use of specialist vocabulary and full command of the Italian language (approximately 30% of the final mark). 2. The ability to accurately communicate the main knowledge acquired through individual study (approximately 60% of the final mark). 3. The ability to develop critical thinking about the concepts learned, placing them in a basic social historiographical context (10%)
Option 1:
1. Mid-term written test + final oral exam (reserved for attending students)
The written mid-term exam consists of closed questions and takes place at the end of the second module (module B). It concerns the chronology and main events of the modern era and, more generally, relates to the contents of the textbook. It will take place during class hours and the results will be communicated on Ariel in accordance with privacy regulations. The mid-term exam lasts approximately 90 minutes. Students may refuse to accept their mark.
The final oral exam covers the third module and the monographs indicated in the programme. The exam lasts approximately 20 minutes. thirtieths). The marks of the two partial exams are added together to give the final mark, weighted as follows: two-thirds (module A+B) and one-third (module C) for those with 9 credits. For those who have earned 6 credits, the weighting is 80% written test and 20% oral test.
2. Single oral test: For all those who are absent from the written test or refuse to accept the grade, knowledge will be assessed through an oral exam at the end of the course according to the standard procedure common to all other exams.
In both cases, however, the assessment criteria are: 1. the ability to organise knowledge discursively through the use of specialist vocabulary and full command of the Italian language (approximately 30% of the final mark). 2. The ability to accurately communicate the main knowledge acquired through individual study (approximately 60% of the final mark). 3. The ability to develop critical thinking about the concepts learned, placing them in a basic social historiographical context (10%)
Option 1:
1. Mid-term written test + final oral exam (reserved for attending students)
The written mid-term exam consists of closed questions and takes place at the end of the second module (module B). It concerns the chronology and main events of the modern era and, more generally, relates to the contents of the textbook. It will take place during class hours and the results will be communicated on Ariel in accordance with privacy regulations. The mid-term exam lasts approximately 90 minutes. Students may refuse to accept their mark.
The final oral exam covers the third module and the monographs indicated in the programme. The exam lasts approximately 20 minutes. thirtieths). The marks of the two partial exams are added together to give the final mark, weighted as follows: two-thirds (module A+B) and one-third (module C) for those with 9 credits. For those who have earned 6 credits, the weighting is 80% written test and 20% oral test.
2. Single oral test: For all those who are absent from the written test or refuse to accept the grade, knowledge will be assessed through an oral exam at the end of the course according to the standard procedure common to all other exams.
Parte A e B
M-STO/02 - MODERN HISTORY - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Parte C
M-STO/02 - MODERN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Thursday 2.30 p.m. 5.30 p.m.
Entrance E, 3° floor, room 3007 (B23)