Learning objectives
Students:
- will learn and understand which economic, social and cultural processes have led in the long run to the integration of global markets;
- should be able to apply such learning to critically tackle issues deriving from the complex structure of the current framework of global economy;
- should be able to evaluate the international economy in a multilateral perspective, bypassing the idea that the Western world is the main player of processes that are currently developing on a global scale;
- should acquire a cultural background useful to communicate and interact with institutional subjects on the issues related to globalization;
- will be stimulated in developing their learning skills by experiencing a varied approach in teaching.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of economic history.
Course unit content
The Laboratory is structured on a series of different cycles devoted to the globalization of the economy in a long term historical perspective and with a broad geographical angle. A set of crucial topics will be considered during these cycles: the “economy-worlds” before globalization (Europe, China, and India); the integration of commodities and capital markets; the impact of developments in transportation, communication, and information technologies; the process of economic convergence; the dialectical interaction between markets regulation and deregulation; global and local crises.
These cylces will be integrated by the individual research work “Quotidiani globali”. The guiding idea is to let students interact with original historical documents, taking advantage of digital sources that can be accessed through the internet. The research will deal with newspapers of the early 20th century to understand how muche was the world economy globalized in that period. It will be possible to work on Italian language newspapers, like “La Stampa” of Turin, as well as “La libera parola” and “Il patriota” that were published in the USA.
Students interested on English language documentation will have the chance to do so, working on newspapers published in the USA on in Australia.
Full programme
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Bibliography
Selected readings from:
- Niall Ferguson, Ascesa e declino del denaro: una storia finanziaria del mondo, Milano, Mondadori, 2009.
- Robert C. Allen, Storia economica globale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013.
Other readings will be selected according to the research work chosen.
Teaching methods
Standard lectures will be integrated by guided collective discussions concerning specific case-studies, to which the individual research work has to be added.
Assessment methods and criteria
It will be assessed whether the student has passed the Laboratory according to the following elements: (a) knowledge and understanding (b) the ability in applying knowledge and understanding, (c) the learning skills and the ability in making judgments, (d) the communication skills and the ability in using the proper technical language. The evaluation will depend for 1/3 from the quality of the individual research group, for 1/3 from the answers provided during the guided discussions, and for 1/3 from the degree of participation showed during the Laboratory activities.
Other information
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