CONTEMPORARY HISTORY
cod. 13003

Academic year 2024/25
2° year of course - First semester
Professor
Piergiovanni GENOVESI
Academic discipline
Storia contemporanea (M-STO/04)
Field
Discipline storiche
Type of training activity
Basic
30 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in ITALIAN

Learning objectives

At the end of the course, the student will be given the opportunity to acquire a critical knowledge of the main issues and events of Contemporary history (knowledge and understanding) and to develop the ability to express their arguments with competence and clarity (communication skills).
The student will acquire specific skills and methodologies useful to improve their knowledge of particular topics of Contemporary history (learning skills) in relation to the topics studied during the course (applying knowledge and understanding) and apply it to different contexts.
From this viewpoint the course offers the opportunity to strengthen, starting from the specific themes of Contemporary history, students' cognitive and communicative abilities to understand and re-organize their personal comprehension of the world (making judgments).

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of the principal issues and events of contemporary history (from 1815 until nowadays). Particular attention will be given to their geographical setting (for this purpose it is strongly recommended the use of an historical atlas). The modules available on the Elly platform will be a reference point for studying or revising.

Course unit content

The course, after a historiographical introduction, offers an overview of the main issues and events of Contemporary history and focuses on the turning point of WWI. Key themes will be: the age of Revolutions; the age of the Restoration; the Italian Risorgimento; the “European world” in the XIXth century; the First World War; the age of totalitarianisms; the age of the Cold War; the European integration.

Full programme

- - -

Bibliography

6 cfu
a) P. Genovesi, Parma 1914-1918. Vita quotidiana di una città al tempo della Grande Guerra, Mup.
b) Notes of the course (integrated with an individual work*) or E. Gentile, Due colpi di pistola, dieci milioni di morti, la fine di un mondo. Storia illustrata della Grande Guerra, Laterza.

12cfu
a) P. Genovesi, Parma 1914-1918. Vita quotidiana di una città al tempo della Grande Guerra, Mup.
b) Notes of the course (integrated with an individual work*) or E. Gentile, Due colpi di pistola, dieci milioni di morti, la fine di un mondo. Storia illustrata della Grande Guerra, Laterza.
c) B. Bongiovanni, Storia della guerra fredda, Laterza.

*Individual work (to be sent to piergiovanni.genovesi@unipr.it one week before the exam): do an interview asking to talk about personal memories on a topic proposed at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

Oral lessons and seminars.

Assessment methods and criteria

The oral exam will be divided into two parts (to be completed in the same day): the first part will verify the general topics (see “prerequisites”); the second part will consist in questions about the specific themes and bibliography of the course. The evaluation (out of 30) has to reach at least 18/30 in both parts in order to be positive. The result will be communicated on Esse 3.
The evaluation will be based on the following points: a) comprehension of the course’s contents; b) ability of setting in the right place and period the events; c) accuracy of the answer; d) speaking skills and specific terms; e) individual ability in the organization of the contents; f) capability of creating links between the different events and issues studied.

Other information

The Erasmus students have to contact the professor at the beginning of the course.

2030 agenda goals for sustainable development

- - -