History

This course explores the city of Barcelona from a historic, artistic, literary, and cinematographic perspective. Topics include: the roman city; the Gothic Quarter; a bohemian and modernist city; a global city-- Universal Exposition, Olympic Games, and Universal Forum of Cultures.

This course examines the major developments in United States history from the end of the Second World War to Watergate. The issues to be covered include the onset of the Cold War, McCarthyism, civil rights, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, 1960s culture, Watergate, and the institution of the presidency. The roles played by key individuals, such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Richard Nixon, are explored. Declassified documents are used in analyzing some of these topics. The course develops students' basic knowledge of this era in American history, to hone their analytical skills, to develop their ability to examine documentation, and to heighten their ability to respond to historiographical debates. Students develop an understanding of the global impact of American politics, from the Vietnam War to the Civil Rights Movement, and compare international perspectives.

This course explores the history of early modern Japan, approximately from the 16th to the 19th century. It studies examples to understand the views and mentalities of ordinary people during the Edo period as well as discusses whether their way of thinking changed during the late Edo era and early Meiji period. Please note that this course will not always examine topics in chronological order; it will move back and forth between the 16th and 19th centuries, depending on the topics.

This course examines female scientists in history from antiquity to present day. It also discusses Nobel prizes won by women, Spanish women in science, and the current roles of women in science. 

This course surveys the history of modern Japan from the late‐Tokugawa period to the present. The course gives an understanding of major events and analyzes the modern history of Japan in transnational and comparative contexts. It explores a number of common themes of modern global history: nation building, colonialism, total war, and various transformations and social conflicts in the postwar period. Students think critically about diverse historical interpretations and controversies. The course includes a broad range of historical debates and viewpoints.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course focuses on the concepts, methods, procedures and techniques concerning the archaeological research on the landscape. The main keywords, sources, issues, and approaches to the discipline will be presented and discussed, with particular attention to the most recent experiences in the Mediterranean area. From the first pioneering projects, the principal stages of the evolution of the subject matter will be presented, introducing the most innovative lines of research and future perspectives. The three main objectives of the contemporary discipline will be addressed: reconstruction of the landscapes of the past, proactive conservation of the contemporary landscape, public and social dissemination of knowledge. A special emphasis is given to non-invasive methods of exploration and mapping of subsoil and landscape, such as field walking surveys, remote sensing techniques, aerial photography and geophysical prospections. In all cases, methods and practices are considered in relation to different environmental, topographical, and archaeological conditions and problems. By the end of the course students understand and contextualize the approaches to the study of landscape in archaeology; know the main sources, the methods, tools and strategies applicable to the different contexts and scales of analysis; display awareness of the multidisciplinary nature of the subject, the importance of dialogue with subsidiary sciences and specialists in the study of landscape, and the various entities responsible for protecting, planning and managing the territory; have an updated understanding of the evolution of the discipline and of the current international scientific debate; have a global and critical approach to the study of the ancient landscape, attentive to both geographical, natural and anthropic aspects, whilst maintaining archaeological and historical research problems in central place; be versed in the main diagnostic non-invasive survey methods and know how to choose the most appropriate ones according to variables in the environmental and cultural context; and participate in debates on the contribution of information sources and methods of investigation and diagnosis.

This course characterizes indigenous American societies from a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary perspective. It offers a study of the main events and processes that occurred on the continent prior to the 16th century as well as the challenges of recovering the history of pre-Columbian America. 

This course discusses politics, society, and culture through the history of the United States, focusing on the socially vulnerable in US. history. The course aims to see the United States from a broader perspective as well as multiple angles.

This course covers the history of Egypt from the Predynastic period to the Middle Kingdom. The course focuses on the "official" history of Egypt rather than the cultural/social history which is covered in a separate course. The scope of "official" history includes: the rise of the Egyptian state, the different rulers of Egypt and their contributions to the state in terms of buildings, religious changes and foreign policy, the economy, social organization, and Egypt’s foreign relations. Literary sources are augmented by archaeological evidence. Field trips to archaeological sites in the Cairo area are an obligatory aspect of the course.