Ateneo - UPO

The course will consist of two parts. The first part will address the relationship between research and the teaching of geography. The second part will provide the essential information and concepts of two new branches of historiography, which often intersect in digital public history.

For the first part of the course:
ATTENDING STUDENTS:
- E-learning lessons and documents uploaded on DIR; digital teaching platform; - articles available in the following volume: Giovanna Filosa, Emanuela Gamberoni (a cura di), Una scuola inclusiva. Azioni per contrastare i rischi di dispersione di alunne e alunni di origine straniera, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2023 First Part ‒ Ricognizioni sul fenomeno: Studenti Nai: emergenza, risorsa, opportunità. L’azione della scuola come comunità educante inclusiva e il ruolo chiave del dirigente scolastico di Anna Sturino; La didattica della geografia come antidoto alla dispersione formativa di Claudio Gambino; Finalità e obiettivi geografici per l’accoglienza, l’integrazione e la cittadinanza: ruolo e significato della formazione geografica di Maria Fiori; L’inclusione 4.0: come abbattere le distanze di Sabrina Malizia; I confini del dialogo interculturale e i ponti dell’apprendimento/formativi di Felice Arona, Vincenzo Di Natale, Sabrina Malizia, Daniela Turrisi; Le aree interne italiane e le sfide dell’accoglienza e della formazione della popolazione migrante: alcune note preliminari di Gianni Petino. Articles available in OpenAccess: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/952

NON ATTENDING STUDENTS:
Gino De Vecchis, Daniela Pasquinelli d'Allegra, Dentro la geografia. Teorie e Pratiche per la scuola secondaria, UTET Università, Milano, 2026
One of the following volumes:
1) Daniela La Foresta (a cura di), Territori digitali e nuove progettualità educative per l’insegnamento della geografia, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2025. Available in OpenAccess: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/1489;
2) Giovanna Filosa, Emanuela Gamberoni (a cura di), Una scuola inclusiva. Azioni per contrastare i rischi di dispersione di alunne e alunni di origine straniera, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2023. Available in OpenAccess: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/952;
3) Cristiano Giorda, Giacomo Zanolin (a cura di), Idee geografiche per educare al mondo, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2020. Available in OpenAccess: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/470

For the second part of the course all students will prepare for the exam by reading:

1. Gabriella Gribaudi, La memoria, I traumi, la storia. La guerra e le catastrofi nel Novecento, Roma, Viella, 2020.

2. Marcello Ravveduto, Giampaolo Salice, Enrica Salvatori, Storia digitale pubblica, Milano, Pearson, 2026 (only in e-book format).



Students who are unable to attend and participate in the seminar will also prepare for the exam by reading:

Emanuele Ertola, Tracce fasciste. L’eredità materiale del Ventennio, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2026.

For the first part of the course, at a basic level, the student will be able to identify, learn and evaluate the main problems of contemporary world; to know the main methodologies of application of knowledge to disciplinary teaching; to understand different geographical scales (global, supranational, national, regional and local). He/she will be able to understand the role of humanity in shaping the organization of the territory and to analyse the relations between the different global and local territorial systems. Critical understanding of the texts studied, the basic skills of bibliographical research and the main topics related to disciplinary teaching methodologies (the main conceptual nodes, the use of technologies and the specific role of the teacher).

At a more advanced level, the aim of the course is to acquire: - an in-depth and full knowledge of the most relevant topics of Geography. The course aims to enable the student to analyze the geographical phenomena, to use the theoretical knowledge acquired appropriately and to apply to disciplinary teaching methodologies. The aim of the course is also to acquire the ability to express critical judgements on the topics discussed, also as the result of a personal re-elaboration of students.

The measurement of the mentioned objectives will be possible during the examination.

The second part of the course, at a basic level, the course aims to provide students with an overview of the concepts of public history, oral history, memory, and digital history, as well as their interrelationships. The secondary objective is to provide, through the seminar component, an opportunity to practice research skills and apply the concepts learned in the first part of the course in a practical way by analyzing a specific case study.

At the advanced level, the course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the historiographical debate on public history and the tools used in digital history, both for research and in relation to public history. The objective of the second part of the course is to develop a critical understanding of the concepts and tools used to study the examples of public history and digital public history that will be discussed in the various seminar sessions.
The credits for classroom instruction are divided between lecture-based instruction (DE) and interactive instruction (DI) in the following proportion: DE 1.8 credits and DI 0.7 credits.
The credits for self-study total 9.5.

Basic knowledge of human and economic geography.

The first part of the course will use lectures (in class lessons and itinerant in Vercelli region), slides, PowerPoint presentations, materials and link on case studies and discussions in class and in the DIR platform.
The second part of the course will consist primarily of frontal lectures: the instructor will cover the three main thematic areas of the course, beginning with the topics necessary for the seminar component. Throughout the course, at the end of each lecture and during office hours, the instructor will discuss with the groups their choice of topic for the seminar and provide advice and guidance. The last three sessions will be seminar-based: each group will present a case study, and the entire class will be invited to ask questions and offer comments, comparing the various cases.

This course gives 6 credits in the M - GGR / 01 sector. These credits are essential for access to teaching in secondary school. The objectives and contents of the course take into account the provisions of laws about educational methodologies and technologies. 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://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentesse-e-studenti-condizione-di-fragilit%C3%A0-disabilit%C3%A0-dsa-bes. 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.

For the first part of the course the exam is written and will last one hour.
For those attending the test will cover the topics proposed during the course to be developed in the form of a Learning Unit. For non-attending students, the test consists of six questions and the requirement to answer five of them on the following points: 1) checking the acquired knowledge on topics treated in bibliography proposed on the teaching methodologies (example of question: “How the textbook is a teaching resource for geography?”); 2) check of the ability to apply knowledge and its understanding, by contextualizing the main examined phenomena in an appropriate geographical framework (example of question: “Illustrate how story maps and digital storytelling are useful resources for geography teaching”) 3) check of the ability in expressing critical opinions on tools and teaching methodologies, also through an analysis of the bibliography proposed (example of question: What are the main features of CLIL?”); 4) check of the ability in communicating acquired knowledge and in organizing a synthetic presentation of the main problems (example of question: “What are the main characteristics of geographical competence development through the flipped classroom?”). The grade is expressed in thirtieths and the evaluation is carried out according to the following parameters: 1) knowledge and understanding of the basic notions and contexts treated in the course and their clear exposition: 18 points out of 30 (sufficiency); 2) ability to frame the geographical literature and tools for teaching the discipline with particular reference to the main conceptual nodes, the use of technology and the specific role of the teacher: 6 points out of 30; 3) adequate skill in connecting subjects and methodological approaches as well as in using scientific terminology associated to the discipline: 6 points out of 30.
For the second part of the course the assessment will take place both during the seminar portion and during the final oral exam.
With regard to the seminar portion, the evaluation will consider not only each student’s presentation but also their engagement during other presentations and their participation in the discussion to compare the different cases and arrive at an overall interpretation. The final grade will be determined as follows:
60% oral exam
30% presentation
10% participation during the seminar.
The grade will be determined by the following elements:
- A general knowledge of concepts and events—as a collection of facts without a conceptual link between them, accompanied by the use of inappropriate language in oral discussion—will be considered sufficient. Simply presenting one’s own case study without interaction during the seminar portion will be considered barely sufficient. Corresponding grade: 18–22
- A more in-depth but not detailed knowledge of concepts and events, with the use of language generally appropriate to the topic at hand, will be considered fair. Interaction during the seminar portion with the cases presented by other participants, making comparisons and references to one’s own case study, will be considered fair. Corresponding grade: 22–26.
- In-depth knowledge, demonstrating a good understanding of the relationships between different phenomena and the ability to use the concepts learned independently, applying them to various events, will be judged satisfactory. It will be judged fully satisfactory if the student demonstrates the ability to discuss the texts they have read with independent judgment, identifying the author’s point of view and engaging with it critically. Interaction during the seminar portion that demonstrates a willingness to develop a general interpretation of the phenomenon encompassing all case studies will be considered excellent. Corresponding grade: 27–30 with honors.
The final grade will be determined collectively by both instructors, calculating a weighted average of the grades assigned to each section.

The first part of the course will present:
- Current issues in geographical research and teaching.
- Themes, methods and tools.
- Reflections on the history of geographic education.
- Main teaching methodologies and the use of photography.
-GIS for a modern Geography. A Geography of emotions.
- Integration of the gender dimension.
Within this part lectures will focus on the condition of women, with examples and in-depth analysis related to teaching methodologies.
The lectures of the second part of the course will follow this general outline:
Lecture 1 General introduction to the course: topics and practical matters. What are history and memory?
Lecture 2 World War I and collective memory.
Lecture 3 The public use of history from the Historikerstreit to the Italian “Civil War”; the political use of history in Italy: Southern Italian identity, the foibe, Marxism, and textbooks.
Lecture 4 “Sites of memory” and monuments.
Lecture 5 Origins, methodology, and history of oral history.
Lecture 6 Research topics in oral history; two examples of oral source analysis: Lina Kostenko and the memory of the Chernobyl disaster.
Lecture 7 Public history and historical communication. The concept of heritage.
Lecture 8: The Advent of Computer Science and the Birth of the Digital Humanities.
Lecture 9: Approaches and Historiography of Digital History.
Lecture 10: Historical Sources in the Digital Environment.
Lecture 11: Major Projects and Technological Tools.
Lecture 12 Two Examples: The History of Hackers and the Use of Generative AI in History.
Lecture 13 Seminar Presentations.
Lecture 14 Seminar Presentations.
Lecture 15 Seminar Presentations.
Gender mainstreaming.
The course also devotes space to the study of gender, particularly in lessons 2 and 6.

The first part of this course aims to provide advanced tools to understand the contemporary world geography and the main differences in the contemporary development. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING - Knowledge of current issues in geographical research and teaching ; - Knowledge of the history of geographic education; - Knowledge of the main teaching methodologies and the use of photography and GIS ; - Knowledge of geography of emotions; - Critical understanding of the topics studied; - Critical understanding of specific teaching activities about geographical topics. APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING - Ability to understand the connections between texts and geographical contexts, using the critical and methodological tools appropriate to the analysis; - Ability to propose specific teaching activities about geographical topics; - Ability to use the appropriate lexicon to communicate - clearly and effectively - knowledge, information and opinions related to the topics dealt with.
The outcomwe of the second part of the course are:
Basic Level:
Knowledge and Comprehension:
Demonstrate knowledge of and an understanding of issues related to public, oral, and digital history in contemporary society. Demonstrate knowledge of the key stages in the development of historiography within these three subdisciplines. Understand the connection between digital history and public history.
Applied Knowledge and Comprehension:
Demonstrate the ability to understand and discuss issues concerning public and oral history in contemporary society. Be familiar with the main tools of digital history.

At the advanced level:
Knowledge and understanding:
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the evolutionary stages of the three subdisciplines covered, and demonstrate an understanding of their differences and interactions, referring both to the leading authors in historiography and providing concrete examples.
Applied knowledge and understanding:
Demonstrate the ability to use the tools covered in the seminar to analyze an example of public history or digital public history and demonstrate the ability to discuss it by comparing it with the other case studies examined by the other seminar groups.

These learning outcomes are consistent with the provisions of the SUA for the degree program, framework A4.b2 (particularly for the History Area).