Contemporary History
Code: 101141 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2500262 Sociology | FB | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Pau Casanellas Peņalver
- Email:
- pau.casanellas@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
It is not considered necessary to have any prerequisites, but it is advisable for students to have a basic understanding of contemporary history concepts and events, as well as knowledge of foreign languages (especially English).
Objectives and Contextualisation
The course aims to provide students with a thorough and nuanced understanding of recent world history, moving away from stereotypes. It covers the emergence of major political alternatives that marked the 20th century (labour movements, fascism, parliamentary democracy) up to the present. The focus of the course will be on what is known as contemporary history, that is, the period from the end of World War II to the present, analysed from a non-Eurocentric perspective and with a gender perspective. The syllabus offers an overview of the main processes and historical events that occurred during this period, with special emphasis on their relationship to current global issues. Classes will combine political, social, economic, and cultural history.
The primary objective is for students to acquire a broader and more rigorous intellectual and historical knowledge, enabling them to analyse the present with more tools and to think historically about current issues.
Competences
- Analysing the problems arising from the implementation of public policies and conflict situations by recognising the complexity of the social phenomena and political decisions affecting democracy, human rights, social justice and sustainable development.
- Applying the concepts and approaches of the sociological theory, specially the explanations of social inequalities between classes, between genders and between ethnic groups, to the implementation of public policies and to the resolution of conflict situations.
- Describing social phenomena in a theoretically relevant way, bearing in mind the complexity of the involved factors, its causes and its effects.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Students must be capable of assessing the quality of their own work.
- Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
Learning Outcomes
- Describing the social changes of these phenomena in the 20th century.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Differentiating the eventual progresses and regressions of these principles in the main historical changes of the 20th century.
- Discussing their causes and effects from several historiographical perspectives.
- Distinguishing historical precedents of specific policies or conflicts.
- Distinguishing the historical processes where these principles were formulated.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Students must be capable of assessing the quality of their own work.
- Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
Content
The course syllabus will be structured into the following sections:
1. The major political alternatives of the 20th century: labour movements, fascism, parliamentary democracy
2. The foundations of the contemporary world: the international order after World War II
3. The emergence of the Third World: decolonization and revolutionary scenarios
4. The long ’68: cultural transformations and political struggles
5. The end of the Cold War and the consolidation of neoliberalism
6. Current conflicts and issues
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Seminars | 26.5 | 1.06 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Theoretical-practical classes | 23 | 0.92 | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 13 | 0.52 | 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Study and autonomous work | 74 | 2.96 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
Teaching will consist of theoretical sessions supported by various materials, combined with student participation. Additionally, students will be required to carry out independent work based on class materials and assigned readings.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignement/s | 30% | 7.5 | 0.3 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 |
| Exams | 70% (35% + 35%) | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
Continuous assessment will consist of three tests:
-A first midterm exam on the first half of the syllabus: 35% of the final grade.
-A second midterm exam on the second half of the syllabus: 35% of the final grade.
-One or more practical assignments or exercises: 30% of the final grade.
Single assessment will consist of two tests:
-A written exam covering the entire syllabus: 70% of the final grade.
-A practical assignment or exercise: 30% of the final grade.
Students (both those under continuous assessment and single assessment) who do not achieve an average final grade of 5 will be entitled to a make-up exam, which will cover the entire syllabus of the course. This exam will only allow a maximum grade of 5 (pass).
At the time of completion or submission of each assessment activity, the lecturer will inform students of the procedure and date for reviewing the grades.
If the student has not submitted at least 30% of the assessment activities, they will receive the grade of “not assessable.”
If the student commits any type of irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment activity, it will be graded with a 0.
Bibliography
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—: Planeta indignado. Ocupando el futuro. Madrid: Sequitur, 2012.
ARENDT, Hannah: Eichmann en Jerusalén. Barcelona: Debolsillo, 2015.
ARRUZZA, Cinzia; CIRILLO, Lidia: Dos siglos de feminismos. Los ejemplos más significativos, los problemas más actuales. Barcelona: Sylone, 2018.
BANTIGNY, Ludivine: 1968. De grands soirs en petits matins. Paris: Seuil, 2018.
CANFORA, Luciano: La democracia. Historia de una ideología. Barcelona: Crítica, 2004.
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SÁNCHEZ CERVELLÓ, Josep: La descolonización y el surgimiento del Tercer Mundo. Barcelona: Hipòtesi, 1997.
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Software
Basic knowledge of word processing software (Word, LibreOffice, etc.) and proficiency in online sources.
Language list
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 51 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 51 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |