89219 - Seminar in Comparative History and Politics

Learning outcomes

The seminar is intended to introduce students to the analysis of case studies and research topics. By the end of the seminar the student: 1) will be able to read and discuss scientific essays in comparative Politics and History 2) will be able to interact appropriately in a seminar situation

Course contents

The Seminar will take place in the second period of the second semester and will consist of participation in a series of lectures given in English by the lecturer and visiting professors on the main topics of European history, politics and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The Seminar aims to introduce students to international research. By the end of the workshop, students will have improved their ability to discuss research topics in English, to explore the topics studied in depth using international literature as well as to conduct small comparative literature searches and to translate this knowledge into a short paper written using word processing systems.
Part of the lectures will be given by historians and political scientists mainly coming from foreign universities such as university of Trier, Sciences Po Lyon, Berlin Humboldt, Potsdam, Dresden.
 The schedule of lectures will be announced before the start of the second semester and will publish on virtuale.unibo.it
The lecturer coordinating the seminar will explain to the students how to write the paper according to a historical perspective. 

To understand the type of lectures the student can look at the list of last year's lectures.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Readings/Bibliography

Readings are planned to enable interested students to explore the topics covered in class in greater depth. These readings are not compulsory for students who regularly attend the class. To the Students with more than 4 absences the teacher will assign on a group of readings to be discussed in the final examination. The readings as well as the Guideliens for writing the final paper will be published on virtuale unibo

Teaching methods

Lectures with seminar discussions.

Assessment methods

At the end of the seminar students will write a short paper, in Italian (if they are BA Students of DAMS, SPOSI and SVIC) or in English (if they are BA students in in Economics, politics and social sciences and MA Students in legal studies), accompanied by a bibliography on one of the topics covered by the visiting professors. The size of the paper must be at least 25,000 characters (counting spaces and footnotes, but excluding the bibliography). International exchange students can write in English or if they are Native speaker in French or German.
The assessment will be the result of the evaluation of the paper and the final interview.
On Virtuale Unibo, students will download the editorial rules and criteria for writing the paper, which they must adhere to during the drafting phase.
At the end of the seminar, The teacher will assign the topics to all participants and schedule individual meetings with each student in order to assist in setting up the research work. After the meeting, students will then have to construct a bibliography and a paper’s table of contents that should be approved by the teacher and then proceed to writing. The method of delivery of the paper will be indicated during the seminar.

During a dedicated meeting, the seminar coordinator will explain how to prepare the paper and the deadlines for its delivery.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend at least 70 per cent of the lessons (11 lectures). Students who for justified reasons (overlap with other courses) fall below this threshold should agree additional work with the lecturer to compensate for absences (readings to be discussed during the final exame).

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted at least 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

beamer and other audiovisual tools

Links to further information

https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/stefano.cavazza

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Cavazza