Contemporary History
Code: 101141Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Sociology | FB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Pau Casanellas Peñalver
- Email :
- pau.casanellas@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Andreu Navarra Ordoño
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
It is not considered necessary to have any prerequisites, but it is advisable for students to have a basic understanding of contemporary history concepts and events, as well as knowledge of foreign languages (especially English).
Objectives
The course aims to provide students with a thorough and nuanced understanding of recent world history, moving away from stereotypes. It covers the emergence of major political alternatives that marked the 20th century up to the present. The focus of the course will be on what is known as contemporary history, that is, the period from the end of World War II to the present, analysed through a non-Eurocentric lens and with a gender perspective. The syllabus offers an overview of the main processes and historical events that occurred during this period, with special emphasis on their relationship to current global issues. Classes will combine political, social, economic, and cultural history.
The primary objective is for students to acquire a broader and more rigorous intellectual and historical knowledge, enabling them to analyse the present with more tools and to think historically about current issues.
Learning outcomes
- Students must be capable of assessing the quality of their own work.
- Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Describing the social changes of these phenomena in the 20th century.
- Discussing their causes and effects from several historiographical perspectives.
- Distinguishing historical precedents of specific policies or conflicts.
- Distinguishing the historical processes where these principles were formulated.
- Differentiating the eventual progresses and regressions of these principles in the main historical changes of the 20th century.
Contents
The course syllabus will be structured into the following sections:
1. The major political alternatives of the 20th century
2. The foundations of the contemporary world: the international order after World War II
3. The emergence of the Third World: decolonization and revolutionary scenarios
4. The long ’68: cultural transformations and political struggles
5. The end of the Cold War and the consolidation of neoliberalism
6. Current conflicts and issues
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorials | 13 | 0.52 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Seminars | 26.5 | 1.06 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| Study and autonomous work | 74 | 2.96 | 1, 2, 4 |
| Theoretical-practical classes | 23 | 0.92 | 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
Teaching will consist of 80% theoretical sessions supported by a variety of materials, combined with 20% practical sessions requiring the active participation of students. Additionally, students will be required to carry out independent work based on class materials and assigned readings.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exams | 70% (35% + 35%) | 6 | 0.24 | 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Assignement/s | 30% | 7.5 | 0.3 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
Continuous assessment will consist of three tests:
-A first midterm exam on the first half of the syllabus: 35% of the final grade.
-A second midterm exam on the second half of the syllabus: 35% of the final grade.
-One or more practical assignments or exercises: 30% of the final grade.
Single assessment will consist of two tests:
-A written exam covering the entire syllabus: 70% of the final grade.
-A practical assignment or exercise: 30% of the final grade.
Students — whether under continuous or single assessment — who have completed at least two-thirds of the assessment activities and do not achieve a final average grade of 5 will be entitled to take a resit exam, which will cover the entire course syllabus.
At the time of completion or submission of each assessment activity, the lecturer will inform students of the procedure and date for reviewing the grades.
If the student has not submitted at least 30% of the assessment activities, they will receive the grade of “not assessable.”
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage of this course. Should a student commit any irregularity that may lead to a significant alteration of the grade awarded for an assessment activity (including academic misconduct, plagiarism, or the use of AI), that assessment activity will be graded 0, irrespective of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. The teaching staff reserves the right to conduct oral interviews or require an alternative assessment in order to verify the student's effective acquisition of the relevant knowledge and competences, and consequently the validity of the assessment activities submitted by the student. In the event that irregularities are detected in more than one assessment activity, the final grade for the course will be 0.
Bibliography
ANTENTAS, Josep Maria; VIVAS, Esther: Resistencias globales. De Seattle a la crisis de Wall Street. Madrid: Editorial Popular, 2009.
—: Planeta indignado. Ocupando el futuro. Madrid: Sequitur, 2012.
ARENDT, Hannah: Eichmann en Jerusalén. Barcelona: Debolsillo, 2015.
ARRUZZA, Cinzia; CIRILLO, Lidia: Dos siglos de feminismos. Los ejemplos más significativos, los problemas más actuales. Barcelona: Sylone, 2018.
BANTIGNY, Ludivine: 1968. De grands soirs en petits matins. Paris: Seuil, 2018.
CANFORA, Luciano: La democracia. Historia de una ideología. Barcelona: Crítica, 2004.
EICHENGREEN, Barry: La globalización del capital. Historia del Sistema Monetario Internacional. Barcelona: Antoni Bosch, 2000.
FONTANA, Josep: Por el bien del imperio. Una historia del mundo desde 1945. Barcelona: Pasado & Presente, 2011.
—: El futuro es un país extraño. Una reflexión sobre la crisis social de comienzos del siglo XXI. Barcelona: Pasado & Presente, 2013.
—: El siglo de la revolución. Una historia del mundo desde 1914. Barcelona: Crítica, 2017.
FREEDMAN, Estelle B.: No Turning Back. The History of Feminism and the Future of Women. New York: Ballantine, 2003.
GEORGE, Susan: Informe Lugano. Barcelona: Icaria/Intermón, 2001.
GERGES, Fawaz A.: The Far Enemy. Why Jihad Went Global. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
GRAEBER, David: En deuda. Una historia alternativa de la economía. Barcelona: Ariel, 2012.
HERRERO, Yayo: Els cinc elements. Una guia d’alfabetització ecològica. Barcelona: Arcàdia, 2024.
JUDT, Tony: Postguerra. Unahistoria de Europa desde 1945. Madrid: Santillana, 2006.
HARVEY, David: Breve historia del neoliberalismo. Madrid: Akal, 2007.
HESSEL, Stéphane: Indigneu-vos! Un al·legat contra la indiferència i a favor de la insurrecció pacífica. Barcelona: Destino, 2011.
HOBSBAWM, Eric J.: Historia del siglo XX. 1914-1991. Barcelona: Crítica, 1995.
HORN, Gerd-Rainer: The Spirit of ’68. Rebellion in Western Europe and North America, 1956-1976. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
HUSTVEDT, Siri: Els miratges de la certesa. Reflexions sobre la relació entre el cos i la ment. Barcelona: Edicions 62, 2021.
KERSHAW, Ian: Descenso a los infiernos. Europa 1914-1949. Barcelona: Crítica, 2016.
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KHALIDI, Rashid: Palestina. Cien años de colonialismo y resistencia. Madrid: Capitán Swing, 2023.
KLEIN, Naomi: La doctrina del xoc. Barcelona: Labutxaca, 2012.
LEWONTIN, R.C.; ROSE, Steven; KAMIN, Leon J.: No está en los genes. Crítica del racismo biológico. Barcelona: Grijalbo, 1996.
MURAD, Nadia: Jo seré l’última. La història del meu captiveri i la meva lluita contra l’Estat Islàmic. Barcelona: Rosa dels Vents, 2017.
NASH, Mary: Mujeres en el mundo. Historia, retos y movimientos. Madrid: Alianza, 2012.
PAPPÉ, Ilan: Deu mites sobre Israel. Barcelona: Tigre de Paper, 2024.
POCH, Rafael: La actualidad de China. Un mundo en crisis, una sociedad en gestación. Barcelona: Crítica, 2009.
—: Entender la Rusia de Putin. De la humillación al restablecimiento. Madrid: Akal, 2018.
—: La invasión de Ucrania. Madrid: Contexto, 2022.
PRASHAD, Vijay. Las naciones oscuras. Una historia del Tercer Mundo. Barcelona: Península, 2012.
REVELLI, Marco: La lucha de clases existe… ¡y la han ganado los ricos! Madrid: Alianza, 2015.
RIECHMANN, Jorge: Ecologismo: pasado y presente (con un par de ideas sobre el futuro). Madrid: Catarata, 2024.
ROSS, Kristin: Mayo del 68 y sus vidas posteriores. Ensayo contra la despolitización de la memoria. Madrid: Acuarela / A. Machado, 2008.
SÁNCHEZ CERVELLÓ, Josep: La descolonización y el surgimiento del Tercer Mundo. Barcelona: Hipòtesi, 1997.
SERRA, Clara; GARAIZÁBAL, Cristina; MACAYA, Laura (coord.): Alianzas rebeldes. Un feminismo más allá de la identidad. Manresa: Bellaterra, 2021.
TOUSSAINT, Éric: Una mirada al retrovisor. El neoliberalismo desde sus orígenes hasta la actualidad. Barcelona: Icaria, 2010.
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ZINN, Howard: La otra historia de los Estados Unidos (Desde 1492 hasta hoy). Hondarribia: Hiru, 2005.
Software
Basic knowledge of word processing software (Word, LibreOffice, etc.) and proficiency in online sources.
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 51 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 51 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |