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STORIA E ISTITUZIONI DELLE AMERICHE
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Dati Generali
Periodo di attività
Syllabus
Obiettivi Formativi
The primary objective of this course is to provide students with the analytical tools necessary to interpret the history and contemporary culture of the United States. The course is designed to foster the acquisition of the knowledge and critical understanding required to engage with the major chronological developments and conceptual issues in contemporary U.S. history. These competencies will also enable students to develop a more informed and critical understanding of current political, social, and cultural developments in the United States.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will have achieved the following learning outcomes:
1. Applying knowledge and understanding
Students will demonstrate the ability to critically understand and interpret the principal historical processes and the social and cultural dynamics that have shaped the recent history of the United States. They will acquire methodological skills that enable them to analyze and interpret a wide range of primary and secondary sources of varying complexity, while developing an appreciation of the multifaceted nature of American society. Students will also be able to apply the knowledge and critical thinking skills acquired during the course to identify, evaluate, interpret, organize, and communicate information drawn from a variety of sources.
2. Making informed judgments
Students will develop the ability to engage critically with scholarly literature, including texts written in English, and to interpret historical evidence in order to formulate independent judgments on major issues in North American historiography. Particular emphasis will be placed on identifying historical relationships, causation, and continuity in order to construct well-founded critical arguments. Students will also acquire the ability to work independently with primary sources and bibliographical resources, developing research skills that will be valuable for future academic work.
3. Communication skills
Students will be able to formulate and communicate informed ideas, arguments, and critical assessments concerning historical texts, documents, and sources, including those in English. They will develop the ability to discuss complex historical and historiographical issues clearly, accurately, and effectively, both orally and in writing.
4. Learning skills
Students will develop an awareness of their own learning processes and strategies for knowledge acquisition, as well as the capacity for independent and lifelong learning. These skills will strengthen their ability to pursue further academic study and to acquire new knowledge autonomously.
Prerequisiti
Metodi didattici
The course is taught in English and follows a seminar-based format. Lectures are supported by PowerPoint presentations and selected clips from films and documentaries, and combine instructor-led presentations with active class discussion.
Prior to each class, attending students are expected to complete the assigned weekly readings listed in the syllabus, as well as any additional preparatory activities indicated by the instructor. Completion of these readings and activities is essential for meaningful participation in class discussions and forms an integral part of the assessment of class participation.
No later than two weeks before the start of the course, students must contact the instructor to obtain access to the Google Drive folder containing all the required readings. Students will be considered attending students provided that they:
* attend preferably at least 19 of the 27 scheduled class meetings (attending students for 8 or 9 ECTS credits); or 14 of the 27 scheduled lesson class meetings (attending students for 6 ETCS credits);
* deliver an in-class oral presentation on a research topic agreed upon with the instructor;
* submit a written research paper on the same topic presented in class (required only for students enrolled for 8 or 9 ECTS credits).
Verifica Apprendimento
1. Active and informed participation in class discussions, demonstrating consistent engagement with the assigned readings and course materials.
2. An in-class oral presentation of a research project on a topic agreed upon with the instructor.
3. For students enrolled for 8 or 9 ECTS credits only, a written research paper based on the research project presented in class. During the first class meeting, students will receive detailed guidelines regarding both the oral presentation and the written paper. The final paper must be submitted to the instructor at least one week before the scheduled oral examination.
4. A final oral examination covering all topics discussed during the course and the assigned readings. Students are expected to bring their lecture notes and copies of all assigned readings to the examination. The final examination consists of an oral exam designed to assess students’ knowledge and critical understanding of the course content, as well as their ability to discuss the subject matter clearly and accurately. Particular attention will be paid to the appropriate use of historical terminology and to the correct identification of key events, historical figures, and chronological developments.
Students who do not attend classes will be assessed, for all types of credits, through an oral examination based on the readings assigned to them.
Testi
Course Requirements:
Attending students (8 or 9 ECTS credits) are required to complete the weekly readings assigned by the instructor before each class to facilitate in-class debate. Students must contact the instructor at least 15 days before the beginning of the course to request access to the reading materials. In addition, they are required to deliver an in-class oral presentation and submit a written research paper on a topic to be agreed upon with the instructor.
Attending students (6 ECTS credits) are required to complete the same weekly readings and deliver an in-class oral presentation on a research topic agreed upon with the instructor. However, they are not required to submit the written research paper.
Non-attending students are expected to complete the following coursework. For students earning 6, 8, or 9 ECTS credits:
- Complete three books from the list below (for 8 or 9 ECTS credits) or two books from the list below (for 6 ECTS credits). At the student’s discretion, one of these books may be replaced by the set of readings assigned to attending students.
• Peter Andreas, Border Games: Policing the U.S.-Mexico Divide, Cornell University Press 2009.
• John Bodnar, Divided by Terror: American Patriotism after 9/11, University of North Carolina Press 2021.
• Patrick J. Charles, Armed in America, Prometheus Books 2018.
• Warren I. Cohen, America’s Response to China: A History of Sino-American Relations, New York, Columbia University Press 2010.
• Michael Cox, Agonies of Empire: American Power from Clinton to Biden, Bristol University Press 2022.
• Jorge I. Dominguez, Rafael Fernandez De Castro, The United States and Mexico: Between Partnership and Conflict, Routledge 2009.
• Gary Gerstle, The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era, Oxford University Press 2022.
• Andrew Hartman, A War for the Soul of America, University of Chicago Press 2015.
• Kelly L. Hernandez, Migra! A History of the US Patrol, University of California Press 2010.
• Elizabeth Hinton, America on Fire, William Collins 2021.
• Daniel Immerwahr, How to Hide an Empire. A Short History of the Greater United States, Bodley Head 2019.
• Mary Nolan, The Transatlantic Century. Europe and America, 1890-2010, Cambridge University Press 2010.
• Michael Waldman, Second Amendment: A Biography, Simon & Schuster 2018.
• Ian Tyrrell, Transnational Nation. United States in Global Perspective since 1789, Palgrave 2007
• Julian E. Zelizer, The Presidency of Barack Obama, Princeton University Press, 2018.
• Julian E. Zelizer, The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment, Princeton University Press 2022.
Contenuti
This course examines the evolution of American society from the end of the Cold War to the beginning of Donald J. Trump’s second presidential term. Through an analysis of successive presidential administrations—from George H. W. Bush to Donald J. Trump—it explores the major developments in both U.S. domestic and foreign policy during this period. Attention is also devoted to the transformation of the international system, from the unipolar order that characterized the 1990s, when the United States emerged as the world’s sole superpower, to the increasingly multipolar global order of the twenty-first century. The course also investigates a range of major social and cultural issues that have shaped contemporary American society, including the culture wars, multiculturalism, immigration, race relations, violence, and gun culture. By examining these developments, the course seeks to explain the roots of the profound political and social polarization that characterizes the United States today, as well as the deep divisions surrounding a wide range of moral and ethical issues, most notably abortion.