00932 - Contemporary History

Learning outcomes

The course aims to teach the main problems and events of contemporary history, offering essential cognitive tools for understanding society and then for the development of the profile of the sociologist. As the phenomena related to the changes of the global world intensify, the knowledge of history becomes even more crucial to interpret and deal with the complex problems of contemporary society, which have ancient roots: migration, redefinition of citizenship, new forms of integration, religious pluralism, racisms, nationalisms, wars, neo-colonialisms. In this perspective, the course adopts a global history approach aiming at rereading the history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the light of current global issues. For details of the learning objectives, please refer to the section on expected learning outcomes

Course contents

The course is divided into two sections General section (6 ECTF/36h) • Introduction: from Contemporary History to Global History • The Boxer Revolt, the Anglo-Boer War, the "great divergence" between West and East • The Second Industrial Revolution • Imperialism, Racism, Orientalism: the world at the beginning of the 20th century • The Great War and the decline of European economic hegemony • Totalitarian regimes • The first global crisis of the twentieth century: 1929 • The Second World War and the end of the European political hegemony • The revolt of the colonies • 1968 • The second global crisis of the twentieth century: 1973 • The fall of communism • Globalization/terrorism and the new global order Monograph section (4 ECTS/24 h) • History and memory of anti-fascism

Readings/Bibliography

The exam program is the same for both attending and non-attending students. 1) Albertina Vittoria, Il Novecento. dall'età dell'imperialismo alla globalizzazione, Carocci, Roma, 2019. 2) Valeria Deplano, Alessandro Pes, Storia del colonialismo italiano. Politica, cultura e memoria dall’età liberale ai nostri giorni, Carocci, Roma, 2024). 3) Andrea Rapini, L’antifascismo. Una tradizione generativa (1861/2025), Donzelli, Roma, 2025.

Teaching methods

The course is delivered through face-to-face lessons with the help of audiovisual materials (Power Point presentations, movies, music). The course is held in Italian.

Assessment methods

The learning will be verified through a written test (open questions and multiple choice). During the course will be carried out 2 intermediate tests without distinction between attending and non-attending students. The first test will focus on Albertina Vittoria’s Book from the beginning to the Second World War (included) and the Deplano/Pes’s book on the history of Italian colonialism. It will consist of an open question (10 points) and five multiple choice questions (1 point each one). Passing is achieved by reaching 9 points. The maximum score is 15. The duration 40 minutes. Those who do not pass must take the written test in the ordinary exam session. Those who pass the intermediate test may take part in the second intermediate test, which will have the same structure and duration as the first. It will focus on the remaining program: the volume of Albertina Vittoria from 1945 to today and that of Andrea Rapini on anti-fascism. The sum of the results of the two intermediate tests will be the final score of each student. The maximum score is 30 with a possible praise. Those who fail the second test shall take the written test in the ordinary exam sessions.

 

Teaching tools

The course is delivered through face-to-face lessons with the help of audiovisual materials (Power Point presentations, movies, music). The course is held in Italian.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Rapini