Contemporary World History

Code:

CC025

Acronym:

HMCNT

Instance: 2011/2012 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Communication Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CC	150	Plano Oficial a partir de 2008/2009	1	-	5	52	135

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The news about world events has a prominent foothold in the information of all social media. This subject describes and explains the most significant political events in the last two centuries, such as wars and conflicts, but is also an analysis of the political, economic and cultural trends. Particular focus is given to the presentation and explanation of current processes in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin wall, making way for new economic, political and cultural globalisation processes.
At the end of the course, and in order to better report the news on the events in our world today, students must understand the key events since the Liberal Revolution until the present day. They must also understand the current situation in international relations; understand the extent of the transformation in Eastern countries, and explain the new types of relationships between states and peoples in the world.

Program

COURSE UNIT PROGRAMME
I - INTRODUCTION
1. Nature, purpose and methodology of subjects
1.1. History
1.2. International relations
II – LIBERAL REVOLUTION
2.1. French Revolution
2.2. The Congress of Vienna
2.3. Industrial Revolution
2.4. Liberalism
2.5. Nationalism
III - WORLD WAR I
3.1. Causes of war
3.1.1.Imperialism
3.1.2. Hegemony of the British Empire
3.1.3. The challenge of the Second Reich
3.2. Four years of war
3.3. Versailles Conference
IV - WORLD WAR II
4.1. Causes of war
4.1.1. The Great Depression of 1929
4.1.2. Socialism (Communism)
4.1.3. Fascism
4.2. Six years of war
4.3. Allied conferences
4.4. United Nations
V - THE COLD WAR
5.1. Concept of Cold War
5.2. The beginning of the Cold War (Prague Coup)
5.3. Formation of ideological, economic and military blocs
5.4. Conflicts of the hard cold war: the Berlin crisis, the war of Korea, the Cuba crisis
5.5. The “revolutions” in the Eastern bloc (Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia) and in the Western bloc (France, Federal Republic of Germany)
5.6. The Vietnam War
VI - TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
6.1. Roots of transition: three personalities, three policies (John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbatchev)
6.2. The fall of the Berlin wall
6.3. Transition in Eastern countries
6.4. The end of the USSR
6.5. The German reunification
6.6. The conflict in Yugoslavia
VII – CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
7.1. The complexity of the Middle East
7.2. The Arab-Israeli conflict
7.3. Iraq War – Iran (First Gulf War, 1980-1988)
7.4. Second Gulf War (1991)
7.5. Third Gulf War (2003)
VIII - HISTORY OF THE PRESENT
8.1. Elements of analysis of the world of today
8.2. Major States
8.2.1. United States of America
8.2.2. China
8.2.3. Russia
8.2.4. European Union
8.3. International organisations
8.3.1. World Trade Organisation
8.3.2. International Monetary Fund
8.4. Globalisation

Mandatory literature

Carpentier, Jean e Lebrun, François; História da Europa, Referência/Editorial Estampa, 1993. ISBN: 972-33-1085-6
Carpentier, Jean e Lebrun, François; História da Europa, Referência/Editorial Estampa, 1993. ISBN: 972-33-1085-6
Maldwyn, Jones; Historia de Estados Unidos 1607-1992, Cátedra, 2001. ISBN: 84-376-1407-4
Maldwyn, Jones; Historia de Estados Unidos 1607-1992, Cátedra, 2001. ISBN: 84-376-1407-4
Kissinger, Henry; Diplomacia, Gradiva, 1996
Kissinger, Henry; Diplomacia, Gradiva, 1996
Rados, Milan; Mundo e Comunicação, uma história política contemporânea, Afrontamento, 2008. ISBN: 978-972-36-0943-1
Rados, Milan; Mundo e Comunicação, uma história política contemporânea, Afrontamento, 2008. ISBN: 978-972-36-0943-1

Complementary Bibliography

Churchill, Winston; Memórias, Editora Nova Fronteira, 1995. ISBN: 85-209-637-0
Churchill, Winston; Memórias, Editora Nova Fronteira, 1995. ISBN: 85-209-637-0
Rados, Milan; Quem matou Jogoslávia?, Campo das Letras, 1999. ISBN: 972-610-206-5
Rados, Milan; Quem matou Jogoslávia?, Campo das Letras, 1999. ISBN: 972-610-206-5
Rados, Milan; A Política Externa da União Europeia, O Espírito das Leis, 2003. ISBN: 972-9020-03-5
Rados, Milan; A Política Externa da União Europeia, O Espírito das Leis, 2003. ISBN: 972-9020-03-5

Teaching methods and learning activities

The methods and techniques to be followed in this course will focus on those that are common in social sciences, especially the lecture method. We will use all sorts of audiovisual aids, namely the board, overhead projector, transparencies, thematic maps, etc.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	52,00
	Exame	2,00
	Trabalho escrito	81,00
	Total:	-	0,00

Eligibility for exams

- attending at least 75% of classes
- written assignment and oral presentation
- final exam

Calculation formula of final grade

- final exam – 65% ( 13,0 valores)
- work – 25% (5,0 valores)
- attending – 10%(2,0 valores)

Examinations or Special Assignments

- written assignment and oral presentation

Classification improvement

- established in the FLUP Assessment Regulations