Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
World Contemporary History
Teaching staff
Ask for appointment via email with professor.
Introduction
Contemporary history is not only a succession of wars and political changes, but also the history of ideas, cultures and media that have shaped the way we see and explain reality. This course offers a global vision of the main historical processes from the French Revolution to today’s globalization, with special attention to Europe and the West, but also considering other decisive contexts such as the Middle East, Russia, China and the United States.
For Audiovisual Communication students, history is presented as a fundamental tool to critically interpret the present and to understand the narratives transmitted through cinema, documentaries and the media. In addition to analyzing facts and processes, we will learn to read them in a narrative, audiovisual and cultural key.
Pre-course requirements
No pre-course requirements are needed to enrol in this subject
Objectives
- Understand the major political, social, cultural and economic processes of the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Relate these processes to current affairs and the global challenges of the 21st century.
- Critically analyze a variety of sources: texts, images, films and documentaries.
- Recognize and evaluate the role of cinema and audiovisual media as transmitters of historical ideas.
- Develop argumentation, debate and academic writing skills.
- Work in teams and use digital tools applied to historical and communicative research.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
- 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
- 16 - The ability to manage, analysis and reflect on content
- 17 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the events of social reality and to represent Contemporary History
- 18 - The capacity and development of general culture and interest in social events
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 35 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the products of the audiovisual industry
Learning outcomes of the subject
- To know and understand the main events and processes of contemporary history.
- To identify the major ideas and cultural currents that have shaped the modern era.
- To develop a critical and interpretative perspective on historical and media discourses.
- To apply historical analysis tools to audiovisual and narrative sources.
Syllabus
Block I – Foundations and historical method
1. Introduction: what is contemporary history and why it matters.
2 Cinema and history: the audiovisual as mirror and constructor of historical narratives.
Block II – Birth of the contemporary world
3. The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution: turning points.
4. Nationalisms, empires and conflicts in the 19th century.
Block III – Wars and changes of the 20th century
5. The Great War and the interwar period.
6. The Second World War.
7. The Spanish Civil War and Francoism in the European context.
8. The contemporary Middle East: from the interwar period to the Cold War.
Block IV – Bipolar world and cultural transformations
9. The Cold War: blocs, ideologies and a bipolar world.
10. Europe’s reconstruction and the path towards unity.
11. The 1960s and 1970s: social and cultural transformations.
Block V – Recent world and current challenges
12. The world after 1989: globalization, new conflicts and global challenges.
13. The Vietnam War: a global and audiovisual conflict.
14. Post-truth, memory and new narrative formats.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
- Lectures and debate (2.0 ECTS).
- Weekly responses (1.0 ECTS).
- Practical exercises and source analysis (1.0 ECTS).
- Final exam (1.0 ECTS).
- Final project: podcast + written report (1.5 ECTS).
- Tutorials and follow-up (0.5 ECTS).
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
- Active participation in class – 15%
- Weekly responses (0/1/2) – 20%
- Exercices / dissertations - 15%
- Final exam (synthesis) – 20%
- Final podcast (individual or pairs) + written report – 30%
Bibliography and resources
Basic
- Paredes, Javier. Historia Universal Contemporánea. Manual Universitario. Madrid: Ariel, 2002.
- Fazio, Mariano. Historia de las ideas contemporáneas. Madrid: Rialp, 2006.
- Caparrós Lera, José María. 100 películas sobre historia contemporánea. Barcelona: Ariel, 2007.
- Caparrós Lera, José María. 100 documentales para explicar la historia. Barcelona: Ariel, 2011.
Complementary
- Hobsbawm, Eric J. Historia del siglo XX, 1914-1991. Barcelona: Crítica, 2000.
- Judt, Tony. Posguerra: Una historia de Europa desde 1945. Madrid: Taurus, 2006.
- Bayly, C. A. El nacimiento del mundo moderno, 1780-1914. Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2010.
- McNeill, J. R. & McNeill, W. H. Las redes humanas: Una historia global del mundo. Barcelona: Crítica, 2004.
- Fromkin, David. La Gran Guerra por la Civilización. La conquista de Oriente Medio. Barcelona: Península, 2006.