Piattaforma Kiro - Didattica Curriculare 3+2 e Lauree Magistrali Ciclo Unico

This course aims at examining the constitutional traditions and forms of government of Italy, Britain and the USA from a historical and comparative perspective. These countries are examples of representative democracy which are similar in many respects, but nonetheless differ in significant ways. In the first part of the course, students will study the genesis and the theoretical evolution of the “modern state” and the concomitant development of the principal forms of government. Then, focusing on the selected country cases, they will examine the constitution, the organization and functioning of the executive, legislature, and judiciary, devolution and local government, and how political parties, interest groups, and the media influence policy-making. Discussion sessions will focus on specific aspects of the organisation of governments and of governmental policies, including – but not limited to - the relationship between market and democracy, corruption, liberty and pluralism.

On completion of this course, students should have (i) understood the main differences between government and state, and (ii) developed and problematized historical-comparative approaches to the government of Italy, Britain and the USA. Skills that will be practised and developed include an ability to: communicate ideas and arguments effectively, whether in class discussion or in written form; formulate and justify arguments and conclusions about a range of issues, and present appropriate supporting evidence; think critically and challenge assumptions; to use a range of information technology resources to assist with information retrieval and assignment presentation. Students will also acquire time management skills and an ability to independently organise their own study methods and workload and an ability work effectively with others as part of a team or group in seminar discussions.

The course is held every week, according to the academic calendar. Every week consists of 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion. Each discussion is related to the weekly lecture and the readings needed will be always provided a week in advance. 

This course is composed of 4 modules of 3 credits each offered in succession by the course’s conveners and by 1 visiting professor each year teaching in collaboration with Professor Poggiolini, Professor Berkofsky or Professor Zaccaria. A pre-course will also be available.
The main aim of this course is to provide students with basic knowledge of the main trends, events and developments of politics and security in the Transatlantic region, Middle East/Africa and East Asia during the Cold War and in the post-Cold War era. As students will be asked to prepare a presentation and write a final paper, the course will equip them with those skills and abilities necessary to conduct in depth-research on a selected topic in international history and to present convincingly the results of their study/investigation. Students will learn to select and work with relevant archival digital sources and secondary literature in view of writing their final paper. At the end of this course students are expected to be familiar with basic facts and trends in international relations over the last 50 years (in the areas previously described) and to be able to compare and discuss different interpretations of these facts and trends on the basis of the existing literature and data. Students are also expected to establish connections between the contents of the modules of this course. Finally, students are expected to be able to exercise critical thinking in relation to this area of study and to orientate themselves objectively in accessing relevant web sources and dealing with the flow of information available on-line on this subject.

STORIA E POLITICA DELL'AFRICA OCCIDENTALE E ATLANTICA

LETTURA PROPEDEUTICA

Il corso e l’esame presuppongono una conoscenza almeno generale di storia dell’Africa. Gli studenti che ne fossero sprovvisti, sopperiscano con la lettura attenta di uno fra i seguenti volumi (verifica nel quadro dell’esame):
-G. Calchi Novati e P. Valsecchi, Africa: la storia ritrovata. Dalle prime formazioni politiche alle indipendenze nazionali, Carocci, Roma 2016 (nuova edizione ampliata)
-J. Iliffe, 1995. Africans. The History of a Continent, Cambridge Un. Press, Cambridge 1995. Disponibile anche in versione italiana: Popoli dell’Africa. Storia di un continente, Bruno Mondadori, Milano 2010.

PREPARARE ACCURATAMENTE LE SEGUENTI LETTURE:

1) Adu Bohaen, with J. F. Ade Ajayi, M. Tidy, Topics in West African History, (Second Edition) Longman Group, Harlow 1986

2) Tre capitoli a scelta di R. Law (a cura di), From Slave Trade to 'Legitimate' Commerce, Cmbridge Un. Press 1995

3) G. Casentini, Al di là del fiume. Storia e antropologia di un confine africano (Ghana e Togo), Viella, Roma 2015