CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY

Course objectives

The course aims to offer to the students the conceptual and methodological tools for a critical knowledge of the past and its complex and changing relationships with the present time. The general goal of the course is to transfer to the student the ability to problematize and contextualize, in a long-term framework, the analysis of the political-institutional, social and cultural processes of the contemporary age, stimulating a constant and close comparison between the historical method and the disciplines that concur to widen its visual angle and to enrich its analytical-conceptual instrumentation: mainly the sciences of the social and cultural processes, political and juridical-institutional sciences, social psychology, political philosophy, anthropology, sciences of language. A more specific objective of the course is to provide students, within the framework of the more general knowledge and the multidisciplinary vision described above, an adequate basic knowledge of the history of information systems and of the cultural industry in the age of the 'public' and 'global networks', with particular attention to the political, social and cultural dimension of the relationship between communication and power. At the end of the learning process the student will have to demonstrate knowledge and ability to understand history as a study of long-term change, in order to develop adequate and discerning skills in the analysis of social, political and cultural contexts, to raise awareness look at the diversity of the points of view on social reality, to develop a complex and problematic approach to the increasingly global and interconnected society of our time. The student will then have to demonstrate his ability to face complex issues in the field of contemporary history, mainly in its international, political-institutional, socio-cultural dimensions, and, more specifically, in the social history of the media and the relationship between power and communication, with the support of advanced textbooks, seminar meetings, multimedia resources. The student must also demonstrate that he is able to apply the acquired knowledge in a competent and reflective way, both to conceive and support arguments, and to solve problems in his field of study. It will therefore have to show itself capable of gathering and systematizing data, as well as selecting, cross-checking and analyzing information sources, organizing them in a congruent manner, establishing links and logical links to support his own reasoning skills and a more mature individual critical sense. The study of contemporary history is consequently indispensable also in order to acquire, in line with the educational objectives of the degree course in Public and business communication, both general and specific communication and expressive abilities, in the face of the student's more general need to be endowed with that cultural sensitivity essential to dialectical confrontation, to relational activity in public and private organizations and institutions, in problem solving activities.

Channel 1
ANDREA GUISO Lecturers' profile
Channel 2
ELENA PAPADIA Lecturers' profile
Federico Goddi Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course aims to provide knowledge of the general history of the 20th century. The main phenomena that characterised the 20th century will be covered: wars and the system of international relations; the rise of totalitarianisms; the Cold War, decolonisation and the emergence of supranational organization; the welfare state and the consumer society.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites required.
Books
Required textbook for all students: A.M. Banti, L'età contemporanea. Dalla grande guerra a oggi, Laterza Monograph of your choice: J. Chapoutot, Controllare e distruggere. Fascismo, nazismo e regime autoritari in Europa, Einaudi 2015 L. Benadusi, C. Giunta, E. Papadia (a cura di), Effimero Novecento. Il costume degli italiani, il Mulino 2024 S. Romeo, L'altra faccia del benessere. Una storia ambientale nell'Italia contemporanea, Carocci 2024
Frequency
Lecture attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended.
Exam mode
Writing exams.
Lesson mode
Frontal teaching.
  • Lesson code1052002
  • Academic year2024/2025
  • CourseCorporate and Public Administration Communication
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDM-STO/04
  • CFU9
  • Subject areaDiscipline sociali e mediologiche