STORIA CONTEMPORANEA
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: GIANCARLO POIDOMANIExpected Learning Outcomes
1. Knowledge and Understanding
The student will acquire critical knowledge of the main events, processes, and transformations of contemporary history (19th–21st centuries), with particular reference to:
political and industrial revolutions
formation of nation states
imperialism and colonialism
world wars and the Cold War
globalization and contemporary scenarios
2. Applying Knowledge and Understanding
The student will be able to:
analyze historical sources (textual, iconographic, statistical)
contextualize historical events and processes
use interpretative categories of the discipline
3. Making Judgements
The student will develop:
critical ability in interpreting historical events
ability to compare different historiographical interpretations
4. Communication Skills
The student will be able to:
express historical content orally and in writing with appropriate vocabulary
construct coherent arguments
5. Learning Skills Skills)
The student will be able to:
Independently explore historical topics
Use bibliographical and digital tools for research
Course Structure
Lectures
Analysis of historical sources
Guided discussions
Possible thematic seminars
Required Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of modern history
Ability to understand text
Adequate language skills for reading textbooks and sources
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.
Students who attend will be able to:
participate in supplementary activities
take any ongoing tests
Detailed Course Content
Module 1: From the French Revolution to the Napoleonic Era
Crisis of the Ancien Régime
Political Revolutions
Module 2: Nineteenth-Century Europe
Restoration and Revolutionary Uprisings
Risorgimento and National Unification
Industrial Revolution
Module 3: Imperialism and Mass Society
Colonialism
Economic and Social Transformations
Module 4: World Wars
Causes and Consequences of the First World War
Totalitarianism
World War II
Module 5: Cold War and the Bipolar World
USA and USSR
Decolonization
Module 6: The Contemporary World
Globalization
Recent Geopolitical Crises
Textbook Information
G. Poidomani, Al centro del Mediterraneo. I bombardamenti alleati sulla Sicilia (1940-43), FrancoAngeli 2024
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. Sabbatucci e V. Vidotto, Il mondo contemporanea, Laterza 2019 | ||||
| G. Poidomani, Al centro del Mediterraneo. I bombardamenti alleati sulla Sicilia (1940-43), FrancoAngeli 2024 |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Final oral exam (main)
Possible midterm written exam (optional)
Evaluation based on:
Knowledge of the content
Critical analysis skills
Clarity of presentation
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
What are the causes and consequences of the French Revolution?
How did the Industrial Revolution transform European society?
Analyze the characteristics of twentieth-century totalitarian regimes.
What dynamics characterized the Cold War?
What is meant by globalization?
The Resistance in Italy
The birth of the democratic and anti-fascist Italian Republic
Imperialism and colonialism
Decolonization
The Spanish Civil War
The air war
The Allied bombings of the Italian civilian population
The interwar crisis
The Great War: society and culture
The Second World War
The crisis of the 1970s
The Years of Lead