History of the Contemporary Period

Code:

LRI026

Acronym:

HEC

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	History

Instance: 2023/2024 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of History, Political and International Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Languages and International Relations

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LRI	55	Study plan	3	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

At the end of the semester, the students must be capable of: -

• Knowing and understanding the connection of the events that occurred between 1914 and 1945, namely the causes of the Bolshevik Revolution and the building of socialism, as well as the reasons of the emergence of the totalitarian regimes such as Nazism and the several “versions” of Fascism.
• Understand the causes and consequences of World War II and the ascent to superpowers of the United States and of the Soviet Union
• Understand the concept of the Coil War and understand how for almost half a century the world lived under the sign of polarity and the terror of an atomic conflict.
• Understand how the world changed with the fall of the Berlin Wall as well as and how the implosion of the Soviet Union gave rise to new international alignments.
• Reflect about the challenges that Europe and the world have to face in the 21^st

Learning outcomes and competences

• The teaching methodologies in the theoretic-practical classes will be used for the students to acquire a theoretic-conceptual framework that will allow their development in the areas of acquisition of knowledge and skills of the themes studied in this case Political History of the 20st century.


• During the semester we shall give during the classes a panoramic of the Historical evolution of Europe and the other continents, as this is the way students will be able to understand the challenges of the 21^st century


• During classes we shall try that the students, through book readings, texts commentaries, graphics and statistics, in class context, will be able to acquire the skills that a curricular unit of this type demands and allow them in the future to adapt themselves to new technics of methodology, research and investigation.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1.      Europe and World on the eve of World War I

2.      The world after the war.

         2.1.            The Bolshevik Revolution and the building of Socialism in The Soviet Union and in China.

         2.2.            Origin and spreading of totalitarian regimes; Nazism and Fascisms.

3.         Causes and consequences of World Wat II

          3.1.            The two superpowers (United States and Soviet Union. The Cold War.

4.         The world after 1989

5.         Challenges for Europe and the World in the 21st century

Mandatory literature

COMELLAS, José Luis; La guerra civil europea (1914-1945), Ediciones RIALP, 2010. ISBN: 978-84-321-3822-5
PAYNE, Stanley G.; Civil war in Europe, 1905-1949, Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-107-6485-9
GADDIS, John Lewis; A Guerra Fria, Edições 70, 2007. ISBN: 978-972-44-1340-2
KENEZ, Peter; História da União Soviética, Edições 70, 2007. ISBN: 978-972-44-1361-7
FIDGES, Orlando ; A Tragédia de um Povo. A Revolução Russa 1891-1924, Publicações Dom Quixote, 2017. ISBN: ISBN: 978-972-20-6370-8
FERGUSON, Niall ; O Horror da Guerra (1914-1918, Temas e Debates/Círculo dos Leitores, 2018. ISBN: 978-989-644-331-3
BURBANK; Jane; COOPER, Frederick; Empires in World History. Power ans the politics of difference, Princeton University Press. ISBN: 978-0-691-15336-3
BURBANK, Janes; COOPER, Frederick; Empires in World Politics, Princeton Universirty Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-691-15236-3

Teaching methods and learning activities

• Theoretical-practical classes: -


• Lectures as an introduction to the topics of the subject, in order to stimulate class debates on those same topics. Use of graphics, statistics, and cartographic material


• The teacher will also promote the discussion of the main bibliography, and debates on the reports/papers on books (or parts of books) done during the students' independent work. The books can be chosen by the students, as long as the teacher doesn't object to them.


• The book review to be presented must, however, be chosen from one of the works belonging to a list given by the teacher.

Software

Data-show

keywords

Social sciences > Political sciences > Policy studies > International relations
Humanities > History > Contemporary History
Humanities > History > Political history

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	80,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	60,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Trabalho de investigação	38,00
Trabalho escrito	23,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Final Exam

Accordingly, to the FLUP rules is mandatory to attend a minimum of 75% of the classes. 

The non-attendance of this minimum of classes, MEANS THAT THE STUDENT IS NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE ANY EXAMS IN ANY OF THE EXAM EPOCHS.

From this obligation are exempt all the cases set in the FLUP rules.

Calculation formula of final grade

Accordingly, to the FLUP rules is mandatory for the students to attend a minimum of 75% of the classes, in order to be admiited to the exams.

The final exam (closed book) will consist in the evaluation of the theory taught in the classes. - The final exam will assess the mastery of information and the essential theoretical frameworks; critical skills, selection skills and systematization required to answer the exam questions.

The critical analysis of the book chosen by the student. from a list that the teacher will publish at the beginning of the semester. will assess the level of skills acquired during the classes.

The critical analysis will be handed until the last class of the semester.

The exam counts for 80% and the critical analysis for 20%

Written test: 80%+ Book report:20% = 100%

Examinations or Special Assignments

In accordance with the general regulations.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

In accordance with the general regulations.

Classification improvement

The process for improving grades must comply with the types of assessment planned for the course unit. Students may repeat the test, if they are not satisfied with the grade.

Observations

The mobility students have the obligation to contact with the teacher during the first week of the semester or, if they can duly prove that they arrived after the beginning of the classes, they have a week to do it after their arrival.

Lectures will always be in Portuguese.