History

The course focuses on the ancient history of the Emilia Romagna region through the direct analysis of various sources: literary, epigraphic, and archaeological. Students are introduced to research methodology regarding the study of the ancient world, in particular institutions, society, and culture. The course offers a general outline of Augustus' VIII region, starting from the Roman conquest of the Po valley. Various aspects of the Romanization process in the Cispadana region are covered (social, economic, religious, institutional) based on different types of data. Different methodological examples are used in the analysis of general historical value. The last section of the course focuses on the most recent archaeological discoveries concerning the ancient town of Mutina (Modena). The course includes visits to Emilia Romagna regional Museums (Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, the Antiquarium di Marzabotto, and the Museo Archeologico di Ferrara). Assessment is based on a final oral exam covering class materials, general knowledge, and the fundamentals of research methodology. Main topics are: the different types of sources available in the reconstruction of the ancient history of a specific geographic area and their correct methodological use in the historical reconstruction process; the political and economic history of the Emilia Romagna region; basic history of a number of Roman colonies including Ariminum, Bononia, Mutina, and Parma; the most recent archaeological discoveries and their relationship to previous knowledge.

This course traces the central features of the development of US-China relations from the end of imperial China to the present, including analysis of current issues and problems. The course provides a survey of the rise of China from the decline of the Qing dynasty to the triumph of Deng Xiaoping's ''Reform and Opening to the Outside World.'' It discusses the rise of China's neighbors, including Japan, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, as viewed from the perspective of the foreign policy interests of China and the US.

This course examines the historical origins and development of welfare states. In addition, the course analyzes the principles and values underlying the welfare state such such as (different conceptions) equality, personal responsibility, and exploitation; and different philosophical proposals about how trade-offs between different principles and values should be made. The course interprets the welfare state as an idea, practice, and set of institutions in a historical and philosophical context; analyzes contemporary debates about the welfare state from a historical and philosophical perspective; and discusses crucial social and political themes related to the welfare state from an interdisciplinary perspective.

This course provides an introduction to the study of culture, society, and tradition in Scotland, with the emphasis on deconstructing competing conceptions and images of the nation. Theoretical approaches to the investigation of cultural construction, representation, and expression are introduced through heritage, literature, folklore, music, song, visual art, and the popular media. Students are also invited to consider the political context of cultural representation and investigate the interface between culture and industry.

This course has as its subject Paul Kennedy’s stimulating thesis on the rise and fall of the great powers and the extensive criticism which arose. The focus is on the history of the great powers, their strengths and weaknesses, since 1500: the Habsburg Empire, the France of Louis XIV and of Napoleon, the British Empire, the German bid for mastery in the 20th century, the fate of Japan, the rise and demise of the Soviet Union, and the fall and subsequent rise of China in the 19th and 20th centuries. Special attention is paid to the United States, which played a crucial role in the history of the 20th century and was after 1991 the only remaining superpower. Since the publication of Kennedy’s study the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the rise of China and the seeming decline of the United States have given the debate a sense of immediacy. In addition, the conflicts among the great powers, such as the Napoleonic wars, the world wars, and the Cold War, have fundamentally changed the course of history. The rivalry among great powers often also functioned as a powerful dynamo that spurred development and modernization.