SOCIETA', POLITICA E CULTURA CONTEMPORANEA
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: ERMANNO TAVIANIExpected Learning Outcomes
The course aims to understand the historical roots of the most significant cultural, political, and social processes in the world today, as part of a global history. Furthermore, the monographic section of the program will explore the history of women in Italy in the contemporary age.
The expected learning outcomes, according to the guidelines outlined by the Dublin Descriptors, are as follows:
- DD1: learning and understanding the vocabulary and terminology of the proposed disciplinary program, with particular reference to the historical-social aspects of the phenomena studied and their interpretation in broader spatial-temporal contexts. The goal is also to provide a basic overview of the fundamentals of historical method.
- DD2: understanding and mastery of the concepts underlying the topics studied. The course aims to provide a framework for the historical trajectory of the twentieth century, in its various political, economic, and cultural aspects. Furthermore, a profile of Italian society between the late 19th and early 21st centuries will be offered from the perspective of the history of women in Italy, the struggles for emancipation, and the recognition of sexual difference. Specific paths and cases will also be illustrated, using various types of documentary sources: both traditional and specific to the "Information Society."
- DD3 and DD4: The proposed course aims to provide students with specific skills to develop specific individual paths aimed at implementing and strengthening independent judgment and at structuring a comprehensive curriculum that allows them to disseminate the skills learned.
- DD5: The primary objective of the proposed course and curriculum is to enable the development of targeted learning skills that can represent an essential asset for the student, which can be used in future contexts beyond the university.
Course Structure
Lectures with projection of audiovisual documents. Attending students will carry out an ongoing test.
Required Prerequisites
No prerequisites are required.
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance of the lessons is strongly recommended for all students.
Detailed Course Content
Italian, European and World History from 1900 to the present. The great issues of contemporary history from the “Age of Revolutions” to the globalization age. The Nation-State: Germany and Italy. Nationalism and Imperialism. Industrialisation and political change 1870-1914. The World War I. Postwar and revolution. Fascism and communism. The 1929 crisis and his consequences. The Thirties. The World War Two. The Cold War. The “Golden Age”. The Cultural and Social Revolution. Welfare State and citizenship. The European integration. The Italian Republic. From the Oil Crisis to 1989. The fall of the Berlin wall and its consequences. Changes and conflicts in a global world. Historical research methods.
Monographic course: The history of women in Italy in the twentieth century from the Giolittian age to the present day.
Textbook Information
1) G. Monina - E. Taviani, Il mondo contemporaneo. Dall'età delle rivoluzioni al XXI secolo, Carocci, Roma 2026. From chapter 5 (included).
2) Perry Willson, Italiane, biografia del Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari, varie edizioni.
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monina, Taviani | Il mondo contemporaneo. Dall'età delle rivoluzioni al XXI secolo | Carocci | 2026 | 978-88-290-3739-1 |
| Willson | Italiane, biografia del Novecento | Laterza | Varie edizioni | 978-8842092933 |
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The '900: an overview. The years 1900-1914. World War I. | Il mondo contemporaneo, , chapters 5-6 |
| 2 | The Russian Revolution. The Post-war age. Fascism in Italy. | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 7-8 |
| 3 | The 1929 crisis, the New Deal. The Fascism. | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 9-10 |
| 4 | The Totalitarian regimes. The Non-European Worlds | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapter 11-12 |
| 5 | The Thirties and the Second World War | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 13-14 |
| 6 | Shoah. The Postwar period and the Cold War. | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 15-17 |
| 7 | The Golden Age; Decolonization. The Sixties. | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 18-20 |
| 8 | Italy from the Economic Miracle to today | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 21-22 |
| 9 | From the Sixties to the end of the Cold War. Globalization's scenarios. Europe and the challenges of the global era. | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 23-25 |
| 10 | The History of the Present. | Il mondo contemporaneo, chapters 25-26 |
| 11 | History of women in Italy: | Willson, italiane |
| 12 | History of women in Italy | Willson, Italiane |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The exam includes an oral exam or, if there are a high number of students enrolled, a written test. Students attending the course will also be required to take an optional midterm exam, open anyway to alla the students. Students who achieve a score of at least 18/30 may complete the exam on the remainder of the syllabus in subsequent exam sessions. Students who do not take the midterm exam or who fail it may take the exam on the entire syllabus in the exam sessions for the subject.
The evaluation will be based on: ability of exposure and lexical correctness; elaboration of knowledge and in-depth analysis of contents.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
The questions will focus on the main topics of the course. Examples: Belle Epoque Europe; the first and second world wars; the Russian Revolution; the first postwar period; fascism and Nazism; the crisis of '29 and the New Deal; the Shoah; the cold war; the foundation of democratic Italy; the "golden age"; decolonization; the sixties; the Vietnam War; Italy from 1945 to today; the crisis of the 1970s; united Europe; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the globalization.
The condition of women in early 20th century Italy. Women during the fascist regime. World wars and women. Women in Republican Italy.