Learning objectives
i) Understanding ability and comprehension skills
The student will learn and understand the economic, social, institutional and political-regulatory processes that characterize the global economy development.
ii) Applying knowledge and comprehension skills
The student will use the studied issues to understand the economic processes complexity, also with regard to the other disciplines.
iii) Independent judgment
The student will be able to evaluate the economic processes and develop a critical analysis of the powerful factors that characterize their evolution.
iv) Communication skills
The student will get a lexical and conceptual property essential for the education and the communication of a triennial student in economic issues.
v) Learning skills
The student will explore an innovative teaching method based on group work.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of history
Course unit content
Why are some countries rich and others poor? What factors have allowed Europe and North America, between the 18th and 19th centuries, to complete the great leap towards industrialization and social development? And what are the reasons that in the current decades are making possible the rise of economies whose development (India, China, Brics) is reshaping the global balance of wealth?
The course shows and takes into analysis factors – such as geography, globalization, technical progress, economic policies, institutions – that determined the economic development of the different regions of the world.
By adopting a global perspective of analysis, lessons will consider the so-called “rise of the Western world”, the following spread of industrialization in North America, with the consequent change in the hierarchy of world economies. Moreover the cases of Russia and Japan – typical of the late-comers’ development – will be considered, not leaving on one side the dynamics occurring in the African continent, the achievements of so-called “Asian Dragons”, nor the upsurge of China.
Students who will be engaged in the group activities will further deepen the aspects related to the market globalization and to the rise of new economic powers.
Full programme
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Bibliography
Please note: students of the Corso di Laurea in Economia e Management who take this class in substitution of the course “Global History” must refer to prof. Gian Luca Podestà’s Syllabus.
SPERI students.
(A) Innovative curriculum (attending students who, having passed the intermediate test, attend group activities):
(1) Robert C. Allen, Storia economica globale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013;
(2) Texts, slides and notes of the lessons;
(3) Readings, materials and documents indicated for group activities, and classroom presentations.
(B) Traditional curriculum (not attending students; attending students who fail the intermediate test; students who, having passed the intermediate test, do not match the minimum attendance requirements envisaged in the second part of the course, or decide not to take advantage of the teaching options offered in the second part of the course, or fail the in-class presentation at the end of the second part of the course):
(1) Robert C. Allen, Storia economica globale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013;
(2) Robert C. Allen, La rivoluzione industriale inglese, Bologna, il Mulino, 2011;
(3) Jurgen Osterhammel, Niels P. Petersson, Storia della globalizzazione, Bologna, il
Mulino, 2005.
Teaching methods
Please note: students of the Corso di Laurea in Economia e Management who take this class in substitution of the course “Global History” must refer to prof. Gian Luca Podestà’s Syllabus.
SPERI students.
The first part of the course (around 60% of the scheduled hours) will be carried out with traditional teaching methods (classroom lectures). The second part (approximately 40% of the scheduled hours) will be characterized be an innovative teaching approach:
(A) Those students who score at least 18/30 in the intermediate test will be allowed to follow the second part of the course, and the related in-depth analysis activities. Students will form little teams (4-5 individuals) that, holding on the information supplied by the teacher (bibliography, documents, etc.), will prepare a short in-class Power Point presentation (approximately 15 minutes), and a short abstract. During this second part of the course students are required to attend at least 80% of the lessons hours.
The overall score will come from the average between the mark achieved in the intermediate test of the first part of the course and the score of the in-class presentation at the end of the second part of the course.
(B) In all the remaining cases the final score will be assessed through a standard written exam. These include:
- not attending students;
- students who fail the intermediate test;
- students who, notwithstanding a score of 18/30 or above in the intermediate test, do not match the minimum requirements of attendance, or decide not to take advantage of the teaching options offered in the second part of the course;
- students who fail the in-class presentation at the end of the second part of the course.
Assessment methods and criteria
Please note: students of the Corso di Laurea in Economia e Management who take this class in substitution of the course “Global History” must refer to prof. Gian Luca Podestà’s Syllabus.
SPERI students.
(A) Innovative curriculum
(A1) Intermediate written test
i) Understanding and comprehension skills will be assessed through two open questions, to be chosen among a list of three, to which the student has to answer in a written essay form. The maximum score for each question is 15.
ii) Answers will be evaluated according to the degree of independent judgment, of critically understanding skills and to make cross references among different topics they provide.
iii) Communication skills will be assessed by checking how adequate and effective is the language used; the student’s propensity to explain the meaning of technical terms and concepts used will be moreover evaluated.
(A2) In-class presentation
The in-class presentation will be evaluated according to the following elements:
a) originality and innovativeness of the work (the ability in carrying on the assigned topic in an original way with reference to literature and documentation considered).
b) precision and effectiveness of the slides (style, language).
c) quality and precision of the abstract (in presenting its aims and outcomes, the sources and materials used).
c) coherence among the sources considered, the analysis carried on, and the synthesis provided.
d) coherence between the questions from which the investigation moves and the analysis that is conducted (i.e.: if I want to study the skin quality of the shoes that I’m wearing I cannot take into analysis the cotton of my shirt).
The overall score will result from the average between the mark achieved in the intermediate test (A1) and in-class presentation (A2).
(B) Traditional curriculum
Final written exam
i) Understanding and comprehension skills will be assessed through two open questions, to be chosen among a list of three, to which the student has to answer in a written essay form. The maximum score for each question is 15.
ii) Answers will be evaluated according to the degree of independent judgment, of critically understanding skills and to make cross references among different topics they provide.
iii) Communication skills will be assessed by checking how adequate and effective is the language used; the student’s propensity to explain the meaning of technical terms and concepts used will be moreover evaluated.
Other information
Please note: students of the Corso di Laurea in Economia e Management who take this class in substitution of the course “Global History” must refer to prof. Gian Luca Podestà’s Syllabus.
