Insegnamento a.a. 2024-2025

30328 - HISTORY (MODULE I - GLOBAL HISTORY)

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English
code 30328 ‘History - Module 1 (Global history)’ and code 30329 ‘History - Module 2 (History of political institutions)’ are respectively the first and the second module of the course code 30327 ‘History’

Class timetable
Exam timetable
Go to class group/s: 23
BIG (6 credits - I sem. - OB  |  M-STO/04)
Course Director:
ANDREA COLLI

Classes: 23 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 23: ANDREA COLLI


Suggested background knowledge

Students may have already gathered knowledge in areas such as macroeconomics, development economics, social sciences, and political sciences.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The aim of the course is to explore the evolution globalization in economy, politics, and culture in the modern era for the purpose of enabling students to better understand developments in the present. After all, contemporary processes of significance—from China’s rise to economic power to geopolitical strategies—can only be fully understood along historical trajectories. Students will develop a sense of how economic, political, military, social, cultural, and ideological developments interrelate to facilitate change over time. They will understand global history as the sum of complex processes that connect local, regional, national, and continental actors. In order to gain these insights, students will work with a variety of primary and secondary sources to hone their analytical and writing skills.

CONTENT SUMMARY

·       Globalization as a leitmotif in the history of human civilization

·       Economic decline of empires

·       Industrial Revolutions

·       Global conflicts

·       The American Century

·       East-West Competition

·       Decolonization

·       Developments leading into the twenty-first century

 

 

 

 

 


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

- better understand the concept of globalization in its different manifestations.

- apply historical knowledge to assessing contemporary phenomena by understanding them in a broader context.

- better understand the historical roots of present international relations framework and dynamics in the realm of contemporary geopolitics.

- discuss interrelations between developments in different spheres such as economy, politics, and culture.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

- analyze, dissect, and reflect on historical components of contemporary economic, social, political, and cultural trends.

- gain analytical tools in the examination of historical material, sources, and documents.

- compare events and perspectives by evaluating different sources.

- improve skills in academic writing.


Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Individual assignments
  • Group assignments
  • Interactive class activities on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

DETAILS

The learning method in this course blends traditional frontal lecturing with discussion-based class activities. Students who consistently and constructively participate in class discussion may receive up to 2 extra points on their course grade at the discretion of the instructor.

 

Lecture- and discussion-based sessions are accompanied by the viewing of two significant films which offer historical reconstructions of major events. Both films will be discussed in class before students produce a short individual response essay on each of them.

 

In addition, students will work in groups to critically engage with historical sources under the guidance of the instructor during two separate sessions (called Being Historians), focusing on themes of the course. They will produce an assignment for each session that interprets and contextualizes the material under scrutiny as graded homework.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
x   x
  • Individual assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

The assessment of attending students consist of:

 

- A final written exam combining multiple-choice and open questions, which allows the instructor to evaluate students’ acquired knowledge and understanding of central facts and key concepts from lectures and activities. The exam acccounts for the 50% of the final grade and is based on the syllabus.

This is graded out of a maximum of 30 points, 18 is the threshold for passing.

 

- Two group assignments engaging primary and secondary sources, written in the aftermath of Being Historians sessions (continuous assessment), each accounting for 15% (combined: 30%) of the final grade. These assignments test students’ ability to apply the knowledge acquired during the course to critique, review, and evaluate historical evidence.

These are each graded out of maximum of 30 points, 18 is the threshold for passing. The grade is valid for up to 3 exam sessions.

 

- Two individual short response essays written in class after the viewing and discussion of the films (continuous assessment), each accounting for 10% (combined: 20%) of the final grade. The assignments test students’ ability to evaluate historical reconstructions.

These are each graded out of maximum of 30 points, 18 is the threshold for passing. The grade is valid for up to 3 exam sessions.

 

- Class participation (discussion, pop-up questions and other) to add up to 2 additional points to the final grade, strictly as the discretion of the instructor.

 

The course is considered as passed if the average of these components is equal or above 18 points.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The assessment of attending students consist of:

 

- A final written exam combining multiple-choice and open questions based on the full syllabus for the attending students plus a number of extra readings assigned by the instructor. The exam allows the instructor to evaluate students’ acquired knowledge and understanding of central facts and key concepts from lectures and activities. The exam acccounts for the 50% of the final grade.

This is graded out of a maximum of 30 points, 18 is the threshold for passing.

 

- An academic essay of ca. 1500 words that critically engages a book assigned by the instructor. The academic essay acccounts for the 50% of the final grade.

This is graded out of a maximum of 30 points, 18 is the threshold for passing.

 

The course is considered as passed if the average of these components is equal or above 18 points.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING STUDENTS

Attending students benefit from a selection of different course materials such as slides and source material in addition to a main text:

 

Andrea Colli (ed), A Global History of Globalization (Egea, 2018).

Further readings will be published with the full syllabus before the start of the course and as the semester progresses.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Not attending students base their preparation on the textbook:

 

- The full volume: Andrea Colli (ed), A Global History of Globalization (Egea, 2018), plus all material in the syllabus for attending students.

 

- A second book assigned by the instructor.

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