Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Contemporary History
Teaching staff
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Introduction
El mundo actual es fruto de un conjunto de complejos procesos políticos, sociales y culturales que vive la humanidad desde mediados del siglo XVIII hasta día de hoy. A lo largo de esta asignatura analizaremos los principales hechos, procesos, estructuras y personajes que han decidido la configuración del mundo contemporáneo.
Nos centraremos en nuestro ámbito de civilización -Europa y Occidente- pero estudiaremos también la evolución histórica de los otros espacios que conforman nuestro mundo global. Nos focalizaremos en la historia política, pero recorremos también las transformaciones económicas, los saltos tecnológicos, las corrientes culturales o la evolución de las mentalidades.
Trabajaremos desde una hermenéutica abierta, es decir, comprendiendo que los fenómenos históricos no estaban ya decididos ni cerrados de antemano, sino que podían haber tomado varias trayectorias. Comprender por qué siguieron el curso que siguieron y cómo hemos llegado hasta nuestro presente es el objetivo principal de este curso, así como la mejor forma de despertar la conciencia de la libertad y la responsabilidad en cada uno y cada una.
Pre-course requirements
No pre-course requirements are needed to enrol in this subject
Objectives
- Develop critical thinking and the ability to analyse complex historical and current realities
- Know the main historical data to help understand the present
- Analyse and understand the different political models, in its temporal development and its viability
- Understand and critically assess the human rights developments
- Understand and analyse the social changes that have occurred in the different forms of living
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 31 - The ability to critically analyse and contextualise events related to international politics
- 65 - Knowledge and mastery of the different resources of historical investigation
- 66 - Knowledge and mastery of the resources to encourage contextualized interest in history
- 96 - The ability to objectively analysis reality and the extraction of valid considerations
Learning outcomes of the subject
Learn about the major developments that have marked and help understand the present.
Understand the evolutionary processes of different state models, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Understand and analyse key socio-economic dynamics of western society
Analyse changes in those elements that are considered human rights.
Develop a critical assessment of reality
Syllabus
INTRODUCTION
0. History as a discipline and Cinema as an art
UNIT I: THE LIBERAL REVOLUTION: The bourgeoisie comes to power
1. The Old Regime and the development of the state
2. The revolutionary cycle: the English revolution (1688)
3. The revolutionary cycle: the American revolution (1776)
4. The revolutionary cycle: the French revolutions (1789, 1830, 1848, 1870)
UNIT II: THE NATIONAL REVOLUTION: The bourgeoisie develops power
5. Romanticism and the development of nationalism
6. The Industrial Revolution and the consolidation of capitalism
7. Nation-states in 19th-century Europe
8. Colonialism, Imperialism, and World War I
UNIT III: THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION: the bourgeoisie maintains power
9. The emergence of the Labor movement and the rise of socialism
10. The revolutionary cycle: the Soviet Revolution
11. The revolutionary cycle: the Fascist Revolution
12. World War II
UNIT IV: THE MODERN WORLD
13. The Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall
14. American hegemony
15. China and the rise of the Asian tigers
16. The Islamic world: pan-Arabism, Iran, and Turkey.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The development of the subject is based on the use of cinema as a historical learning tool, and therefore, a significant percentage of the content will consist of the viewing of several feature films of historical fiction. Part of this viewing will be done in class and another part will be done individually.
It is important to emphasize that the viewing of the films and their study is not a complementary activity but one of the two fundamental axes of the content along with the master classes. For this reason, they do not have their own evaluation section.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 4 |
| Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). | 2 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The assessment of the subject will have two axes:
- Two partial exams of content achievement [25% + 25%]
- A final exam [40%]
- Participation in the development of the subject: attendance, participation, assignments, reflection diary [10%].
In the second call, the criteria are the same as in the first call. Exams and assignments may be retaken.
In the third call and subsequent calls, the student will be able to choose whether to opt to take the exams only (in this case they will be worth 100% of the grade) or to follow the ordinary assessment procedure.
Bibliography and resources
Recomended Bibliography
Briggs, Asa, Historia contemporánea de Europa, 1789-1989, Barcelona. Crítica, 2000
Brower, D.R., Historia del mundo contemporáneo, 1900-2001. Madrid, Pearson Educación, 2002, 5ª edición.
Caparrós, J.M. Introducción a la historia del arte cinematográfico Madrid, Rialp, 1990
-100 películas sobre Historia Contemporánea Madrid, Alianza, 1997; 3ª ed. 2017)
Comellas, J. L., La guerra civil europea (1914-1945). Madrid, Rialp ,2010.
-Historia breve del mundo reciente. Madrid, Rialp, 2005.
-Los grandes imperios coloniales. Madrid, Rialp, 2001.
-Historia breve del mundo contemporáneo. Madrid, Rialp, 1998.
Kinder, Hermann, Atlas histórico mundial, Madrid Istmo 1999-2000
Palmer, R., y Colton, P, Historia contemporánea, Madrid Akal D.L.1981
Procacci, Giulano, Historia General del siglo XX, Crítica, 2001
V.V.A.A, Historia Universal, vols. IX-XIII, EUNSA, Pamplona, 1990.
Carr, E. H., La revolución rusa: de Lenin a Stalin, 1917-1929, Madrid, Alianza, 1981
Guizot, F., Historia de la Revolución de Inglaterra, Madrid, Sarpe, 1985
Haffner, Sebastian, Historia de un Alemán. Memorias 1914 - 1933. Barcelona, Destino, 2001
Smith, Adam, 1723-1790, La riqueza de las naciones (Libros I-II-III y selección de los librosIV y V, Madrid Alianza Editorial 2001
Soboul, Albert, Compendio de la historia de la Revolución Francesa, Madrid Tecnos 1979
Tocqueville, Alexis de, El antiguo régimen y la revolución, Madrid Istmo, 2004