UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI ROMA TOR VERGATA
| Teacher: Prof. Enrico Acciai |
| E-mail: enrico.acciai@uniroma2.it |
| CFU: 6 Course code: 804002567 Degree: Master’s Degree “Scienze della Storia e del documento” Course delivery modalities: In-presence |
Language: English Pre-requisites: No Prerequisites required Attendance: Optional Assessment method: Oral examination |
| Period: 2nd term |
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Global History has come into its own as a scholarly enterprise at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Spurred by ongoing processes of globalisation, it flourishes as one of the most critical developments in the discipline of history today. This course will introduce students to the literature on and practice of global history, looking at the relationship between Europe and the rest of the world from the late eighteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this course, global Entanglements and local specificities, interactions, and hierarchies will be expressed in critical historical approaches. Moreover, global history will be investigated on defined objects and multiple scales (of objects themselves, time and space). The course will be divided into two main parts. After a week dedicated to the historiographical debates related to Global history, the main focus of the classes will be on Actors and Spaces on a global scale. Students will be expected to write a short research paper on a topic in global history. |
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| Educational goals and expected learning outcomes: |
| A) Learning Outcomes: Achieve a good understanding of the main events and issues of global history. Develop the students’ critical spirit and their ability to explain what has been learned. B) Knowledge and Understanding: Students will have to acquire a solid basic preparation on the main issues of global history; they will also have to acquire awareness of the fundamental methodological tools of the discipline and of the existence of different historiographic trends and interpretations regarding the various events treated. All this will be the result, in addition to frontal teaching activities, also of the practical involvement of students through the reading and analysis in the classroom of historical documents and historiography. C) Applying Knowledge and Understanding: Students must be able to apply the acquired skills and methodological tools to the analysis and interpretation of historical documents and historiographic texts D) Making Judgements: Students will be able to collect and interpret data useful for the understanding and analysis of historical documents and historiographic texts, to comment critically in autonomy the contents and for the reflection on social, scientific, or ethical issues related to them, having acquired the ability to formulate independent judgments. This also through the address to an intense reading activity, with appropriate guidance to critical comment. E) Communication Skills: Students will have to know how to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions concerning the main issues addressed, both to specialist interlocutors of the discipline and to non-specialists. For this purpose we will try to direct the student to structure and refine their communication skills, also through discussion and debate in the classroom. F) Learning Skills: Students will have made progress in developing the cognitive abilities and theoretical-critical skills necessary for an independent study of the historical disciplines; all this also conceived for the purpose of a positive access to subsequent cycles of study, with a high degree of autonomy. |
| Methods and criteria for verifying the learning: |
| The exam assesses the student’s overall preparation, the ability to combine knowledge about each part of the syllabus, the coherence of argumentation, the analytical ability, and the autonomy of judgment. In addition, the student’s command of language and clarity of presentation are also assessed, in adherence with the Dublin descriptors (1. knowledge and understanding; 2. applying knowledge and experience; 3. making judgments; 4. learning skills; 5: communication skills). The final grade will be based 70% on the student’s depth of knowledge and 30% on the student’s ability for expression (written and oral) and independent critical thinking. The exam will be evaluated according to the following criteria: – Failed: significant deficiencies and inaccuracies in the knowledge and the understanding of the subject matter; poor analytical and synthesizing skills, recurrent generalizations, limited critical and judgmental skills; the arguments are exposed inconsistently and with inappropriate language. – 18-20: Knowledge and understanding of topics barely adequate, with occasional generalizations and imperfections possible; sufficient capacity for analysis synthesis and autonomy of judgment, the arguments are frequently exposed in an incoherent manner and with inappropriate/non technical language. – 21-23: Fair knowledge and understanding of the subject; proper analysis and synthesis skills with coherent, logical argumentation, but with language that is often inappropriate/non technical. – 24-26: Moderate knowledge and understanding of the subjects; good analytical and synthesis skills with arguments expressed rigorously but with language that is not always appropriate/technical. – 27-29: Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the subjects; remarkable analytical and synthesis skills. Good autonomy of judgment. Topics expounded rigorously and with appropriate/technical language. – 30-30L: Excellent level of in-depth knowledge and understanding of the subjects. Excellent skills in analysis, synthesis, and independent judgment. Arguments are expressed in an original way and with appropriate technical language. |
| Teaching methods: |
| Teaching Methods: frontal lessons; practical involvement of students through the reading and analysis in the classroom of historical documents and historiographic texts. The assessment for this module is as follows: Description: A short-written examination composed of 6 open questions will be held in mid-term to understand how familiar the students have become with the arguments of the course. The questions will be based on the teacher’s lessons and the mandatory readings by Sebastian Conrad and Gareth Austin. The time at students’ disposal will be 45 minutes. Every answer will be evaluated from 0 to 5. Therefore, the highest possible mark in each mid-term test will be 30/30. The student will pass the mid-term if he gets at least 18/30. Students who will succeed in the mid-term test will be admitted to the final oral exam, where they will be asked to discuss the second block of the course and the chosen book. Students who fail the mid-term test and non attendant students who don’t take it at all must undergo a final oral examination on all the programs and the chosen books. A 2.500 to 3.000 words research paper (either in English or Italian) will be submitted at least two weeks before the final oral examination day. |
| Attendance modalities: |
| Every week consists of 3 classes (2 hours each). Week 1 Why global history? The historiographical debate, and beyond Week 2 Actors. Migration and exile: the making of the modern global world Week 3 Actors. Transnational War Volunteers as global actors in Modern Times Week 4 Actors. Global radical lives Week 5 Mid-Term test and “How to write a research paper”? Week 6 Spaces. Revolutions in global perspective Week 7 Spaces. Globalizing the decolonization Week 8 Spaces. Red Internationalism Week 9 A global approach to our times and general conclusions of the course. |
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