HISTORY OF THE ATLANTIC WORLD
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
None
The final examination comprises four oral questions and is structured as follows:
1) Two questions, concerning the reading suggested for the “General part” of the course:
Francesco Benigno, L'età moderna. Dalla scoperta dell'America alla Restaurazione, Bari, Laterza, 2005
2) Two questions concerning the readings suggested for the “Monographic part”. Specifically:
- One question concerning the book by John Thornton, L’Africa e gli africani nella formazione del mondo atlantico, 1400-1800, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2010
- One question concerning one of these two handbooks according to choice: John Elliott, Imperi dell’Atlantico. America britannica e America spagnola 1492-1830, Torino, Einaudi, 2010; or Antonino De Francesco, Repubbliche atlantiche, Milano, Cortina, 2022.
The mark of the oral examination (expressed on a scale of 30) will take
into account the accuracy of the answers (worth 60% of the mark), as
well as students’ analytical and presentation skills (worth 40% of the
mark). Attending students who prepare the final output will be asked only three oral questions.
The pass mark is 18/30.
The course provides an in-depth knowledge of the early modern Atlantic
World, from the age of discoveries to the 19th century.
Among the learning objectives we find:
• the knowledge of the main processess and dynamics that characterized
the early-moder history of the Atlantic World in a global perspective;
• the knowledge of the different interpretations of the main historical
events;
• the ability to interpret, discuss and present the acquired information
under the lens of the historical processes.
The course aims to explore the dynamics that characterized the
European expansion in the Atlantic World through the analysis of the
relations interwoven among Europe, Africa, and the Americas from the
16th to the 19th century.
The course is structured in two parts:
1) a "general part" (30 hours) outlines the main socio-economic and institutional
features of early-modern Europe;
2) a "monographic part" (30 hours) focuses on the economic and cultural exchanges
that marked the history of the Atlantic World in the shadow of the
establishment of colonial empires. Particular attention is devoted to the
issue of the slave trade, and the active role of African states in the
establishment of trans-Atlantic exchanges.
The "general part" (of about 30 hours) explores in particular the following
topics:
- Society in the ancien regime: orders, social groups and forms of political
representation
- The European political systems
- The great religious conflicts
- The pre-industrial economy
- The European wars
The "monographic part" (of about 34 hours) analyses the following topics:
- Europe and the Atlantic World: conquest and domination systems
- The formation of the Atlantic empires
- American plantations, the slave trade and the role of Africa
- Crisis and dissolution of colonial empires.
Materials uploaded in the e-learning page of the course
General part:
- Francesco Benigno, L'età moderna. Dalla scoperta dell'America alla
Restaurazione, Bari, Laterza, 2005
Monographic part:
- John Thornton, L’Africa e gli africani nella formazione del mondo atlantico, 1400-1800, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2010
One of the following monographs:
1-John Elliott, Imperi dell’Atlantico. America britannica e America spagnola 1492-1830, Einaudi, Torino, 2010
2-- Antonino De Francesco, Repubbliche atlantiche, Milano, Cortina, 2022.
The learning objectives will be achieved through 64 lecture hours. Students are expected to participate in the discussions and analysis of additional materials (documents short videos, films, and texts) provided by the lecturer. Attending students will be offered the opportunity to prepare a final output to be presented in class orally at the end of the course. The output consists in a 10-to-15-slides powerpoint file (bibliography included) on a topic to be chosen in agreement with the lecturer and presented in class orally. All those who have attended 50% minimum of the class hours are considered attending students.
Students are required to previously schedule a meeting by sending an e-mail to catia.brilli@uninsubria.it