Ateneo - UPO

History of Modern Tourism in a Global Dimension and States, Nations and Colonies

P. Battilani, Vacanze di pochi vacanze di tutti. L’evoluzione del turismo europeo (Bologna: il Mulino, 2009); Eric G.E. Zuelow, A History of Modern Tourism (London, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), chap. 1-6; Storia di Vercelli in età moderna e contemporanea, edited by E. Tortarolo (Torino: Utet, 2011); Storia della Valsesia in età moderna, edited by E. Tortarolo (Vercelli: Gallo editore, 2015). Harold James, Europe reborn: a history, 1914-2000, Harlow: Longman, 2003. John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe. Form Renaissance to the Present, 3rd edition, Norton and Co, New York and London, 2010.

The course aims to provide the advanced analytical tools for understanding the historical depth of cultural categories and socio-economic phenomena in European history of the modern and contemporary period, critically identifying peculiarities, continuities, and fractures in the dynamics of Western modernity.
To this goal, 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 historical sciences.
A more advanced mission is to provide students with methodological tools of analysis in order to read, interpret and develop critically based judgments about the past.

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

Lectures with use of media supports and audio/visual aids, Q&A, discussion and exchange of opinions during the classes.

Additional readings and handouts will be given during the classes.

Assessment method consists in oral examination (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.
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. 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 (proto-tourism ) up to the spread of modern forms, with more complex organizational features and patterns and in an expanded context to the different continents, and to the emergence of mass tourism modes and practices approaching the transition to the twentieth century. The other module (Social and Economic History of Europe) focuses on the period of the late nineteenth and twentieth century from the specific point of view of social and economic history, considering the political and ideological forms and institutional spaces of the European societies, approaching the main events, tensions and upheavals that marked its history in the so-called “age of extremes." 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.

To achieve knowledge and skills corresponding to a minimum level of sufficiency, the student is asked to demonstrate: 1.
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. 2.
SKILLS:
- Acquisition of fundamental notions of analysis of historical development.
- Acquisition of interpretive tools of historical dynamics at both local and global levels.
3.SOFT SKILLS:
- Ability to present with clarity and argumentative effectiveness the themes of the course, making use of appropriate terminology.

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.