Florence, Italy - Course Descriptions - History of Modern Italy

Course Information

Contact Hours and Credits

Availability

Summary

CONTENT INTRODUCTION
Introduction to major cultural, literary, artistic movements and media in Italy are covered, as well as social aspects of Italian life, including topics such as: the development of the Italian industrialization, migratory issues, the Italian Mafia, its roots and its influence and the change of family values within the Italian society.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to the history and politics of modern Italy from the time of its political Unification to the present. The major topics covered throughout the course include the process of political unification in the mid-late 1800s, the birth and growth of Fascism in Italy (1922-1943), the Second World War (1940-45), the workings of governing institutions in the post-war period (1946-48), the role of the Church, political parties and movements, as well as the industrialization (1950-60’s), political terrorist events (1960-80’s), as well as political corruption and political conspiracy. There will also be an in-depth analysis of the political crisis and transformation of the Italian democratic system in the early 1990s.

COURSE RATIONALE
The course is particularly recommended to all those students that want to gain an indepth knowledge of the contemporary social and political history of Italy.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
This course is intended to provide students – whether they are majors in History, Political Science or whether they have taken only an introductory course – with specific answers to the question "what is Italy?" and to stimulate discussion and critical thinking about representations and idealizations of the concept of Italy, its role during the 20th century in particular, as well as its current significance.

Students will develop their awareness and understanding of the major historical and political issues that characterize modern Italy, and they will be able to trace them through the history of the past two centuries. They will also be able to identify the main regional cultural traits and differences.

Students should gain a command not only of the "facts" of modern Italian political history--the dates of key events, the importance of major personalities, and such - but also come to understand the dynamics involved: the basic trends of continuity and change, cause and effect and the role and influence of regional, national and international events in the Italian historical and political scenario.

By the end of the course, students should be well acquainted with modern Italian history and politics, governing institutions, parties and electoral rules, Italy’s role within the EU and its complex relationships to the United States.

GRADING POLICY AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES
15% attendance
15% class participation
10% assignment
20% mid-term test
15% final paper
25% final test

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS

The course has one mandatory textbook:
CLARK, M., Modern Italy 1871-1995, 2nd ed, London: Longman, 1996

Other suggested readings:
BARANSKI, Z.G. and WEST, R.J., The Cambridge Companion to Modern Italian Culture, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001
DE GRAND, A. Italian Fascism. Its Origins and Development, Third Edition, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2000
DOUMANIS, N., Inventing the Nation – Italy, London, Arnold, 2001
DUGGAN, Ch., A Concise History of Italy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000
FALASCA-ZAMPONI, S., Fascist Spectacle – The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini’s Italy, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1997
FORGACS, D. and LUMLEY, R. (eds.), Italian Cultural Studies – An Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996
FURLONG, P., Modern Italy, London and New York, Routledge, 1994
GINSBORG, P., A History of Contemporary Italy – Society and Politics 1943-1988, London: Penguin, 1990
GINSBORG, P., Italy and Its Discontents – Family, Civil Society, State 1980-2001, London: Penguin 2001
GUNDLE, S and PARKER, S. (eds.), The New Italian Republic. From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to Berlusconi, London and New York: Routledge, 1996
HAYCRAFT, J., Italian Labyrinth, London, Penguin, 1987
HOFMANN, P., That fine Italian Hand, New York, Henry Holt and co., 1990
MCCARTHY, P., The Crisis of the Italian State. From the Origins of the Cold War to the Fall of Berlusconi & Beyond, London: Macmillan, 1997
MCCARTHY, P., Italy since 1945, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000
SASSOON, D. Contemporary Italy – Politics, Economy & Society since 1945, London: Longman, 1988
STILLE, A., Excellent Cadavers. The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic, London: Vintage, 1996