Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
World Contemporary History
Teaching staff
Ask for appointment via email with professor Fernando Sánchez Costa fersancos@uic.es
Introduction
Today's world is the result of a set of complex political, social and cultural processes that humanity has undergone from the mid-18th century to the present day. Throughout this course we will analyse the main events, processes, structures and personalities that have shaped the configuration of the contemporary world.
We will focus on our own sphere of civilisation - Europe and the West - but we will also study the historical evolution of the other spaces that make up our global world. We will focus on political history, but we will also look at economic transformations, technological leaps, cultural currents and the evolution of mentalities.
We will work from an open hermeneutic, i.e., understanding that historical phenomena were not already decided or closed in advance, but could have taken several paths. Understanding why they followed the course they did and how we have arrived at our present is the main objective of this course, as well as the best way to awaken an awareness of freedom and responsibility in each and every one of us.
Pre-course requirements
No pre-course requirements are needed to enrol in this subject
Objectives
The goal is not to memorize dates, or the names of battles or people, but to help students develop, through the study of the past, basic, transferable abilities. Students will learn how to:
- Analyze primary sources (textual, visual or audiovisual)
- Critically analyze secondary sources
- Structure a well-reasoned historical argument
- Critisize traditional historical discourses in a structured manner
- Use digital tools for academic work
- Work as a team
In order to achieve these objectives students will be given the opportunity to engage in historic research the same way as a professional historian does.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
- 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
- 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 09 - The ability to objectify, quantify and interpret (data, statistics, empirical evidence )
- 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
- 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
- 12 - The ability to meet deadlines, develop the ability to be punctual and respect for human, technical and material resources
- 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
- 14 - Knowledge and mastery of rhetoric and oratory to communicate own ideas
- 15 - Knowledge and mastery of body language and techniques for public speaking
- 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
- 19 - The ability of informative documentation
- 20 - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic media
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 22 - Knowledge and mastery of the distinction between opinion and information / colloquial and cultured register
- 23 - The ability to prioritize newsworthy events and contrast information
- 24 - The ability to plan and organize both short term and long term projects
- 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Learn about the major events that have shaped and help understand the present
Understand and analyze the main socio-economic features of modern societies
Develop the ability to critically analyze reality.
Syllabus
- Introduction to Contemporary History: Definitions and Practical Utility
- The Birth of the Modern World: European Expansion, Political and Religious Conflict, Ancien Régime, Enlightenment, and Liberalism
- The Atlantic Revolutions: England, the United States, France
- The Restoration of the Monarchy, Liberal Nationalism, and European Romanticism
- The Industrial Revolution and the Consolidation of Capitalism
- The Labor Movement and Social Revolution
- Empires and Nation-States in the 19th Century
- The Crisis of Modernity, World War I, and Its Consequences
- Russia: The Empire, the Revolution, and the Soviet Union
- Turkey: From Empire to Republic
- World War II
- The Cold War: United States vs. Soviet Union
- Post-War Europe: Reconstruction, Division, and Unity
- The 1960s and 1970s: Sociocultural Change and Economic Challenges
- China: The Rise of the Dragon in the Second Half of the 20th Century
- The World from the 1980s Onward: The “End of History,” Liberal Capitalist Globalization, and the Crises of the Current Globalization Model
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.2 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 1.4 |
| 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. | 3.6 |
| Peer learning. The aim of this activity is to ensure that students gain the ability to analyse and be critical. One way of achieving this is by correcting their peers' exercises and results, etc. Each student will be evaluated twice: as both a recipient and a transmitter of critical knowledge. | 0,8 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
First Midterm Exam – 30%
Second Midterm Exam – 30%
Dossier for the Podcast: (1) approximately 5 pages with detailed and structured information by chapters, as well as bibliographic references; (2) tentative script for the podcast – 20%
Podcast – 15%
Participation and In-Class Activities – 5%
Grade Supplement: Oral Presentations, Article Reviews, Course Journal – 10%
Bibliography and resources
Bayly, C. A. El nacimiento del mundo moderno, 1780-1914: Conexiones y comparaciones globales. Traducción de Richard García Nye. Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2010.
Blanning, T. C. W. El siglo XVIII, 1688-1815. Traducción de Estellar Omar Rodríguez. Barcelona: Crítica, 2002.
Gaddis, John Lewis. La Guera Fría. Traducción de Catalina Martínez Muñoz. Barcelona: RBA, 2008.
Hobsbawm, Eric J. Historia del siglo XX, 1914-1991. Traducción de Juan Faci, Jordi Ainaud y Carme Castells. Barcelona: Crítica, 2000.
Judt, Tony. Posguerra: Una historia de Europa desde 1945. Traducción de Jesús Cuéllar y Victoria E. Gordo del Rey. Madrid: Taurus, 2006.
McNeill, J. R. y W. H. McNeill. Las redes humanas: Una historia global del Mundo. Traducción de Jordi Beltrán. Barcelona: Crítica, 2004.
Veiga, Francisco. El desequilibrio como orden: Una historia de la Posguerra Fría, 1990-2008. Madrid: Alianza, 2009.