BOSTON UNIVERSITY STUDY ABROAD PADUA

Transcription

1 BOSTON UNIVERSITY STUDY ABROAD PADUA COURSE COURSE LANGUAGE INSTRUCTOR INSTRUCTOR OFFICE HOURS SCHEDULE COURSE VALUE LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE IESP PROGRAM COURSE DESCRIPTION CAS HI MODERN ITALIAN HISTORY English Piergabriele Mancuso, Ph.D. gmancuso@bu.edu Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11.00am to 11.30am and Thursday, from 11.00am to 12.00am Monday and Wednesday, from to 10.55am 4 CREDITS Demonstrate increased proficiency in Italian language from elementary to advanced level. Demonstrate knowledge of Italian culture with respect to at least one of the following areas: history, religion, literature, or the arts. Develop an awareness of the cultural difference and an understanding of culture s role in shaping beliefs and practices. The history of Italy in modern times is that of a young country transformed in a short range of time from an agricultural economy to an industrial and postindustrial one. Modern Italy is a country full of contradictions, in which the political movement called Fascism was invented and then defeated after twenty years by a new Republican democracy based on a remarkable cooperation between democratic and conservative Christians (DC), Socialists, Communists and Liberals. With a focus on political developments, the course will begin with a discussion of the liberal period (from 1870 to Italy s entry into World War One in 1915). Class sessions will be then devoted to the last years of liberal Italy ( ) and to the Fascist era, from Mussolini s becoming prime minister in 1922 to his dismissal in the wake of the Allied invasion of Italy in In the second half of the course, we ll explore the post-war Republican period up to the late 1970s and the drastic changes in Italian society stemming from the economic crisis and the raising of a problematic wave of terrorism. The course presents the opportunity to visit some of the most significant places where history of contemporary Italy took place: museums, streets, squares, workplaces, among which the Museo del Risorgimento e della Storia Contemporanea and other important places located nearby the BU Study Abroad center will be visited during class. LEARNING STATEMENT The course is taught in English. It is composed of 2 class appointments per week of 110 minutes each. During the class sessions, students will see documentaries and parts of films related to the topic of the course and will read and debate articles taken from the English editions of some of the most important Italian newspapers. The course includes also several on-site classes and visits to places of historical interest. Students are expected to arrive in class on time and prepared for the class discussion, having completed the assigned readings. All this will certainly require at least 6/8 hours per week from a student. TEACHING METHODOLOGY While focusing on Italian history, students will be required to frame the events, both political-military and cultural, in the broader European frame. Students also are invited to exercise critical understanding and approach the analysis of Italian historical issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. For some of the topics the teacher will use PowerPoint slides simply aiming at summarizing the most important features of the topic analyzed in class. Active participation to class

2 discussion and during guest-speaker sessions is a requirement. COURSE MATERIALS Course main textbook: Nick Carter, Modern Italy in Historical Perspective, Bloomsbury Academic, London and New York, (available at Carter/dp/ /ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=8-1&keywords=Modern+Italy+in+Historical+Perspective). Paul Ginsborg, A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics, , Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2003 (available at BUSA Padua Library). BIBLIOGRAPHY Readings (in the copy pack): Paul Ginsborg, Italy and its Discontents , Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2003 (selected chapters). John Dickie, Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2004 (selected chapters) Ugo Moretti, Italy Decentralizes, Journal of Democracy, Volume 13, Number 2, April 2002, pp Federica Bindi, Italy and the European Union, Brookings Institution Press, Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione, 2011, pp Petra Reski, The Honored Society: A Portrait of Italy's Most Powerful Mafia, Atlantic Books, London, 2013 (selected chapters).more materials and articles will be provided during the course. Excerpts from the following videos: La grande guerra, by Mario Monicelli. 1959, 130 min. Mio fratello è figlio unico, by Daniele Luchetti, 2007, 100 min. La meglio gioventù, by Marco Tullio Giordana, 2003, 2 discs, min. L'uomo che verrà, by Giorgio Diritt, 2009, 115 min. Miracolo a Sant'Anna, by Spike Lee, 2008, 120 min, On-line sources: OTHER READINGS HELPFUL FOR ASSIGNEMENTS AND FINALS AIMS OF THE COURSE Jstor is probably the richest and most update academic databases. It includes millions of articles and academic materials covering virtually any aspect of the humanities, including modern Italian history. It s accessible for free from any BU s registered account and it s the most useful user-friendly tool for the composition of final papers and dissertation. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive and critical view over the most important events of modern Italy, from the post- Risorgimento era (1861) to contemporary events. We will study the development of Italy s major historical events, the main factors

3 GRADING CRITERIA that determined its economic and political development in the post-wwii period, through the mid 1960s and to most recent facts. Attendance and active class participation: 10% 1st Quiz: 15% 2nd Quiz: 15% Class presentation: 15% Final paper: 25& Final exam: 20% Attendance and class participation: Students are expected to be punctual, ask and answers questions (especially when concerning homework and course readings), express curiosity and participate actively in the discussions. Before each class students will be asked to make short review (3-5 minutes max) summarising and explaining the main topics and contents of the past class. Field trips are part of the curriculum and participation is absolutely mandatory. Two Quizzes: aim of the each quiz is to ascertain both punctual knowledge of the most important events, people and topics studied in class and the student s ability to deal critically with some of the most important topics studied in class. Each quiz consists of two sections, one consisting of circa 10 multiple-choice questions, the second with two short open questions where students are asked to deal analytically and critically with some of the topics included in the syllabus. Quizzes will be done on Monday 9 October and Monday 6 November. One class presentation: topics will be assigned at the beginning of the course. Students are expected to prepare a class presentation of about 20 minutes using the bibliography indicated by the instructor. Final paper: A comprehensive analysis on a selected topic assigned by the teacher and concerning any aspect of modern Italian history, 6 page long, written in Times New Roman 12 double-spaced and justified, including footnotes but not bibliography. One book/monographic essay and no less than four academic articles is the minimum bibliographical study load required for the preparation of the paper. Online sources can also be included (in which case web addresses and date they were browsed and checked [e.g December 2016 ] should be indicated) as long as they provide academically relevant information. Paper based exclusively and solely on online sources will not be accepted. Students will send a first draft of their work, together with bibliography on Monday 4 December, by 12:00pm, by (gmancuso@bu.edu). Final oral exam: it will last approximately 30 minutes and will cover all the topics studied after mid-term, including on-site classes, course trips and guest speaker lectures. Exam will take place Wednesday 13 December. BU POLICIES ATTENDANCE Boston University Padua students are expected to attend each and every class session, tutorial, and field trip required for the class. Students should note that

4 attendance would be taken into account by faculty when determining final grades. PLAGIARISM Simply stated, plagiarism is taking another s work and presenting it as your own. Dictionary definitions of plagiarism frequently include terms such as theft or steal. Plagiarism is, in fact, intellectual theft. It is one of the most serious forms of academic misconduct. Plagiarism committed by a student will certainly result in course failure and may result in suspension or dismissal. For more details please see Boston University s Academic Conduct Code: RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS Boston University s Office of the University Registrar states: The University, in scheduling classes on religious holidays and observances, intends that students observing those traditions be given ample opportunity to make up work. Faculty members who wish to observe religious holidays will arrange for another faculty member to meet their classes or for cancelled classes to be rescheduled. See Chapter 151C of the General Laws, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS If you are a student with a disability or believe you might have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at to coordinate any reasonable accommodation requests. For more information, please visit:

5 CALENDAR DATE TITLE AND CONTENT OF THE LESSON ASSIGNEMENTS 1 - September 11 Monday Introduction to the course Overview of the history and geography of contemporary Italy. Sources and problems 2 - September 13 Wednesday : from the Risorgimento to the unification of the Italian peninsula. Liberal Italy: different interpretations. Historical Left and Right. The urban Risanamento of the Italian cities: style, forms, architectural and cultural patterns applied. Carter, part I, chapter 1 pp September 18 Monday Padua and the history of contemporary Italy On-site class at Museo di Storia del Risorgimento e dell età Contemporanea at Caffè Pedrocchi. 4 - September 20 Wednesday World War I and Italy Newspaper article reviews and screening of selected scenes from La grande guerra movie. 5 - September 25 Monday After WWI: social and political conflicts that led to the advent of Fascism. Carter, part I, chapter 3 pp Carter, part II chapter 4 pp Power Point n September 27 Wednesday Class activity on-site class at Museo della Terza Armata in Padua. 7 - October 2 Monday Emergence and consolidation of the Fascist regime - The anti-fascist diaspora. 8 October 4 Wednesday GUEST SPEAKER LECTURE Carter, part II chapter 4 pp ; and part II chapter 6 pp Prof. Giulia Albanese (Università degli Studi di Padova) The March on Rome and the Rise of the Fascist Movement (T.B.C.) 9 October 9 Monday The years of consent; imperialist wars; racial laws. Quiz n. 1 Carter, part II chapter 5-6 pp ; Ginsborg, chapter 1, pp October 11 Wednesday NO CLASS 10 October 16 Monday Overview on Italian politics The Constituent Assembly and the birth of the Carter, part III chapter 7 pp

6 Republican Constitution Institutional continuity and discontinuity The political party system The Christian Democrats (Democrazia Cristiana) 11 October 18 Wednesday The political party system The Communist Party (PCI) and the Socialist Party (PSI) Power Point n. 3: The Assemblea Costituente Newspaper article review and assignment of topics for the class presentation (to be done on 6 Dec.; see below) Carter, part III chapter 7 pp October 23 Monday Industrialization and economic miracle. Carter, part III chapter 8 pp Newspaper article reviews. 13 October 25 Wednesday On-site class: the modern Padua, tour guided by Dr. Alvise Torresin ( am): Padua, from ancient to modern. The Risanamento urban plan and the birth of the new Padua (t.b.c) n.b. meeting at Padua railway station in front of Mondadori bookstore at 8.20am. 14 October 30 Monday Mass protest and unrest in the late 1960s and 1970s. Images from the past: exam of some pictures conserved in the Trade Union Archive in Padua Power Point n. 4: Economic transformation Carter, part III chapter 9 pp November 1 Wednesday NO CLASS National Holiday 15 November 6 Monday Economic crisis and social unrest and newspaper article reviews. Ginsborg, chapter 9, pp Quiz n November 8 Wednesday Padua and the transformation of Italy; Ugo Moretti, Italy Decentralizes, Journal of Democracy, Volume 13, Number 2, April 2002, pp

7 17 November 13 Monday Recession: economic crisis and social achievements. Ginsborg, chapter 10, pp Screening of selected scenes from La meglio gioventù. Introduction to the International Education Week Research. 18 November 15 Wednesday Italian Mafia: history, structures and characteristics of Italy s most ancient criminal association. Dickie, Cosa Nostra, chapters 1-4. International Education Week Research Project. 19 November 17 Friday History Program Trip and on-site class to Udine 21 November 20 Monday On-site visit to Museo dell Educazione, Padova (T.B.C.) 22 November 22 Wednesday Italian Mafia, German ndrangheta: rise and growth of the Italian mafias in the US and in the EU (Germany) Petra Reski, The Honored Society, pp N.B. submit provisional draft of the final paper 23 November 27 Monday Tommaso Buscetta s revelations and the Palermo mattanza. The anti-state Mafia strategy and the killing of prosecutors Falcone and Borsellino. Dickie, Cosa Nostra, chapter 9, Petra Reski, The Honored Society, pp The political meaning and social impact of Pax Mafiosa: new threads of an old fabric 24 December 4 Monday GUEST SPEAKER LECTURE Prof. Selena Grimaldi (Università degli Studi di Padova): The birth and evolution of the European Union. Italy and the European Union: meaning and reasons for a common house. Genesis of the European Union; Post-war European dream ; The Brexit strategy and the Scottish home geo-political concept: far from Bindi, Italy and the European Union, pp Submit draft of the final paper.

8 the UK, in the heart of Europe. A model also for Italy? 25 December 6 Wednesday Oral presentations session Discussion of final paper draft (individual session) 26 - December 11 Monday Course review, final discussion and end of the course December 13 Wednesday FINAL ORAL EXAM ( am)