History of Slavic Countries

This course provides an overview of Central and Eastern Europe with a focus on Slavic countries. It provides the geographic, cartographic, historical and historiographical tools needed to analyse the economic, political and social development processes occurring in this region in the modern-contemporary age, in a transnational and transcultural perspective.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired knowledge of the main historical events occurring in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Slavic countries between 19th and 20th century, as well as their historiographical interpretations, also referring to what came immediately before and after this period, and to the history of Europe in general. They will be aware of the political, institutional, social and economic development of the region, being able to situate the most relevant facts and characters in time and space. Students will also be able to: use a proper language and correct terminology to describe political, institutional, economic, cultural and religious topics in a clear and effective form; critically read historiographical works; use the main tools to find and evaluate sources, including digital tools. The aforementioned skills will be acquired thanks to a continuous dialogue with the professor in class. The analysis of the proposed bibliography will represent a moment of critical reflection and methodological learning. Particular relevance will be given to participation in seminars and other meetings organised by the Department of Historical Studies. Non-attending students can avail themselves of the teaching material available on the Ariel platform, and contact the professor via email or during office hours to be assigned specific reading on the main topics of the course.