Ateneo - UPO

History of Tourism between modern and contemporary times in global dimension and Social and economic history of Europe.

All students will prepare for the exam by reading:
P. Battilani, Vacanze di pochi vacanze di tutti. L’evoluzione del turismo europeo, Bologna: il Mulino, 2009;
E.G.E. Zuelow, A History of Modern Tourism, London, Palgrave, 2016;
Storia di Vercelli in età moderna e contemporanea, a cura di E. Tortarolo, Torino, Utet, 2011;
Storia della Valsesia in età moderna, a cura di E. Tortarolo, Vercelli, Gallo editore, 2015;
Tony Judt, Postwar. A History of Europe Since 1945, London, Penguin, 2005 (va bene anche l’edizione italiana di Laterza o Mondadori).

Those unable to attend classes and participate in the seminar will read both:
1. Philipp Ther, Europe Since 1989. A History, Princeton, Princeton UP, 2016.
2. Serhii Plokhy, The Russo-Ukrainian War. The Return of History, New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 2023.

The course aims to provide the advanced analytical tools to understand the historical depth of cultural categories and socio-economic phenomena of European and world history of the modern and contemporary ages, critically identifying peculiarities, continuities, and ruptures in the formation of modernity, offering depth of vision and critical ability to historically interpret contemporary processes and phenomena.

To this goal, at a basic level, the course aims to supply:
- Knowledge of topics and junctures in European historical development in relation to the main social, cultural and institutional events of specific contexts, at local and global level.
- Acquisition of the specific language of scholarly literature regarding the historical sciences.
A more advanced goal is to provide students with methodological tools of analysis and critique to read, interpret and develop critically based judgments about past phenomena.

General knowledge of major events in modern and contemporary European history.

Lectures with use of media supports and audio/visual aids, educational visits, Q&A, discussion and exchange of opinions during the classes. Part of the course will consist of seminar lessons.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Assessment method consists in oral exams (Italian and English) and a written test with 4 open questions.
Students are asked to demonstrate:
1.KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of the basic events and major themes of modern and contemporary European history from the cultural and socio-economic perspectives.
Knowledge of the various types of mobility and tourism practices over the modern period at large.
Knowledge of the central landmarks of the economic and social history of contemporary Europe.
2.SKILLS
Acquisition of fundamentals of analysis of modern and contemporary history.
Acquisition of interpretive tools of historical dynamics at local, European and transnational levels.
3. SOFT SKILLS
Ability to present with clarity and argumentative effectiveness the themes developed during the course, using the appropriate terminology, in oral and written form.
The final grade will be the outcome of the average of the results achieved in the individual modules. Excellent level will be achieved if the candidate demonstrates: a precise and organic knowledge of the topics covered; advanced ability to synthesize and critically reflect in a personal and autonomous form; very good ability to contextualize and connect the topics in time and space; excellent expressive mastery (oral and written). Good/fair good level will be achieved if the candidate demonstrates: good but not fully organic knowledge of the topics; limited ability to reflect and synthesize in original and personal form; good ability to contextualize and connect the themes learned; correct but not completely appropriate language. Sufficient level will be reached if the candidate demonstrates: basic knowledge of the syllabus and a concise presentation of topics; limited formulation of personal critical remarks; scarce ability to contextualize and connect the topics; use of language that is not entirely correct and appropriate. The level will be insufficient if the candidate demonstrates: manifest gaps in the topics covered in the course; inability to orient himself/herself among the main themes of the course program; limited or scarce ability to critically rework the topics and to place them in due space and time; inaccuracy and incorrectness of language.

The course focuses on fundamental aspects of Europe’s cultural, political, social and economic history, approached in relation to the more general context of world history. From various perspectives, ranging from the diffusion of new forms of knowledge and mobility to cultural and leisure transformations, from the transportation revolution to the creation of colonial spaces and the emergence of mass society, from the rise and fall of twentieth-century totalitarianisms, major junctures in modern and contemporary history are covered. In the two modules in which the course is articulated, the historical period under consideration covers a broad chronological span, extending from the age of sixteenth-century geographic expansion to the continental context that emerged at the end of the Cold War in 1989. Through this long period the course aims to trace salient political, social and economic phenomena, as well as important evolutions in the mental and cognitive horizons, that most strongly and longest marked the events and developments of modern Western civilization. The coverage of the topics addressed is structured on various levels, considering both the framework of general European and international history and the local level, through more circumscribed references and some case studies concerning "minor" realities, so as to move in an elaborated and problematized confrontation between multiplicity of scales and viewpoints of historical analysis. The two modules of the course provide a broad and multifaceted picture of the evolution of dynamics and issues that have affected Western societies and influenced their paths and specificities along several centuries until very recent times. One module (History of Modern Tourism in a Global Dimension) focuses on the history of the conditions and practices that in European societies led to the emergence of new mobilities and new ways of understanding and experiencing leisure and vacation up to the spread of modern forms, with more complex organizational features and patterns and in a wide context regarding different continents, and to the emergence of mass tourism modes and practices approaching the twentieth century. The second is meant to be a quick survey of European and global history from the end of WWII to the present time. The main focus will be on the reasons for the birth and success of a European model of economic, social and cultural development that has produced a period of peace and prosperity without equal in the history of humanity. The course will then examine the reasons for the crisis of this model, which started from the turning point of 1973-75 and led up to the current situation of uncertainty and to the return of war.

To achieve knowledge and skills corresponding to a minimum level of sufficiency, the student is asked to demonstrate:
KNOWLEDGE
- Knowledge of the fundamental events and major junctures in modern and contemporary European history.
- Knowledge of the variety of phenomena in their historicity and their connections with specific cultural, political, and socio-economic contexts.
SKILLS
- Acquisition of fundamental notions of analysis of historical development.
- Acquisition of interpretive tools of historical dynamics at both local and global levels.
SOFT SKILLS:
- Ability to present with clarity and argumentative effectiveness the themes of the course, making use of appropriate terminology.
- Ability to critically analyze different phenomena in time and space.

To achieve an advanced level, the student must demonstrate:
- Comprehensive and unified understanding of the course together with theoretical-methodological and interpretive skills.
- Active and confident competence in the use of disciplinary language, combined with an excellent property of expression.
- Ability to autonomously rework the contents of the course and develop interdisciplinary connections.