HIS-30141 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

In 1870, Rome was a city of 250,000 under the political rule of the Popes and only just beginning to resemble something like a modern city. But on 20 October of that year the troops of the recently unified Kingdom of Italy forced their way into the city and established it as the national capital. In the following hundred years, Rome's territory and population expanded tenfold; but more importantly, the city went through three distinct political regimes - including a Fascist dictatorship that lasted more than two decades; political instability; war and foreign occupation; economic transformation and diverse social struggles; and tumultuous change in its urban and social environment.
This module will explore how the city was shaped by all these historical events and processes, using selected urban locations/landmarks as the starting point for exploring each weekly theme. Important events such as the death of King Victor Emmanuel II and Pope Pius IX (1878), Italy¿s fraught entry into World War One (1915), the Fascist March on Rome (1922), the referendum on monarchy (1946), the `economic miracle¿ of the 1950s, the student uprising of 1968, and the assassination of prime minister Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades in 1978, will be situated on the physical landscape of Rome, with the use of interactive maps and audiovisual material. Studying the history of Rome during this tumultuous period will also serve as a window into the history of Italy and Europe as a whole.

The module aims to acquaint students with the tumultuous history of Rome during the approximately hundred years between the annexation of the city by the recently unified Italian Kingdom (1870) and the violent political conflicts of the 1970s. The module will examine how historical change was inscribed on the landscape and cityscape of the city, drawing on approaches that highlight the role of power, ideology, religion, class, and urban transformation.

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate an ability to apply theoretical and conceptual tools to the study of history: 1,2
undertake research in a comparative and trans-disciplinary context: 1,2
handle, relate, and analyse different types of primary evidence (texts, images, maps, statistics): 1,2
discuss, evaluate, and engage with historiographical debates on modern Italian history: 1,2
analyse the ways in which different historical events and processes of change have been inscribed on the landscape, cityscape, and memory of a city: 1,2
appreciate how effects of radical change (political, economic, cultural) can be inscribed on urban environment: 1,2
construct and communicate historical arguments informed by both primary and secondary sources: 2
develop knowledge and understanding of the modern history of Rome and Italy from 1870 to 1978: 2

Study hours

20 hrs seminars
15 hrs study of asynchronous material
50 hrs seminar preparation
40 hrs researching and writing project
25 hrs researching and writing portfolio tasks

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment