The course History of International Relations B LM (Module ‘The US and Europe since 1945’) falls within the domain of the Core learning activities labelled “Sectorial Languages, advanced language skills, and linguistic mediation from and to the studied languages” of the Master’s Degree Course in Modern Languages for International Communication, specifically the activities aiming at providing adequate tools for the analysis and the theoretical study of the social-political and historical context. The course will analyse the evolution of relations between the United States and Europe from the end of the Second World War to the crisis of U.S. global hegemony. Students who have successfully passed the course will have acquired sufficient knowledge to provide an analytical evaluation of the evolution of U.S.-European relations from the end of WWII until today.
teacher profile teaching materials
Core Textbook:
G. Lundestad, The United States and Western Europe Since 1945: From "Empire" by Invitation to Transatlantic Drift (Oxford University Press, 2005)
Together with the core textbook students are also required to study one one the following books:
E. Hallams, L. Ratti, B. Zyla (eds), NATO Beyond 9/11: The Transformation of the Atlantic Alliance, (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2013)
L. Ratti, A Not-So-Special Relationship: The US, The UK and German Unification, 1945-1990 (EUP, 2017)
S. Sloan, Defense of the West. NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain (MUP, 2016)
M.E. Sarotte, Not One Inch America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (YUP, 2021) M. de Leonardis (ed.), NATO in the Post-Cold War era (Routledge, 2022)
Additional Bibliograhy: Seth A. Johnston, How NATO Adapts: Strategy and Organization in the Atlantic Alliance Since 1950 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017) S. Sloan, Defense of the West. NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain (MUP, 2016) NATO 2030, United for a new Era, Reflection Group Final Report, https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2020/12/pdf/201201-Reflection-Group-Final-Report-Uni.pdf Riviste di riferimento: NATO Review, International Affairs, European Journal of International Relations, Journal of Transatlantic Studies, Foreign Affairs, International Spectator, Jane’s Intelligence Review, International Organization, Survival, Diplomacy & Statecraft, Journal of Common Market Studies, Baltic Security and Defense Review, The RUSI Journal
One additional book from the following list:
E. Hallams, L. Ratti, B. Zyla (eds), NATO Beyond 9/11: The Transformation of the Atlantic Alliance, (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2013)
L. Ratti, A Not-So-Special Relationship: The US, The UK and German Unification, 1945-1990 (EUP, 2017)
S. Sloan, Defense of the West. NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain (MUP, 2016)
M.E. Sarotte, Not One Inch America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (YUP, 2021)
M. de Leonardis (ed.), NATO in the Post-Cold War era (Routledge, 2022)
Programme
The course will analyze the evolution of relations between the United States and Europe from the end of the Second World War to the crisis of US global hegemony and the return of great power competition. More specifically, the course will debate key moments in the origins and evolution of the transatlantic relationship during the Cold War, such as the Atlantic Charter, the Marshall plan, the formation and evolution of NATO, détente and the Vietnam conflict, Germany's unification and the end of the East-West division. The evolution of relations between the United States and Europe after the end of the Cold War and the new surge in tension between Russia and the West until the 2022 Ukraine war will also be presented and debated together with a specific analysis of the role of Italy within the transatlantic community.Core Textbook:
G. Lundestad, The United States and Western Europe Since 1945: From "Empire" by Invitation to Transatlantic Drift (Oxford University Press, 2005)
Together with the core textbook students are also required to study one one the following books:
E. Hallams, L. Ratti, B. Zyla (eds), NATO Beyond 9/11: The Transformation of the Atlantic Alliance, (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2013)
L. Ratti, A Not-So-Special Relationship: The US, The UK and German Unification, 1945-1990 (EUP, 2017)
S. Sloan, Defense of the West. NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain (MUP, 2016)
M.E. Sarotte, Not One Inch America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (YUP, 2021) M. de Leonardis (ed.), NATO in the Post-Cold War era (Routledge, 2022)
Additional Bibliograhy: Seth A. Johnston, How NATO Adapts: Strategy and Organization in the Atlantic Alliance Since 1950 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017) S. Sloan, Defense of the West. NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain (MUP, 2016) NATO 2030, United for a new Era, Reflection Group Final Report, https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2020/12/pdf/201201-Reflection-Group-Final-Report-Uni.pdf Riviste di riferimento: NATO Review, International Affairs, European Journal of International Relations, Journal of Transatlantic Studies, Foreign Affairs, International Spectator, Jane’s Intelligence Review, International Organization, Survival, Diplomacy & Statecraft, Journal of Common Market Studies, Baltic Security and Defense Review, The RUSI Journal
Core Documentation
Mandatory Textbook: G. Lundestad, The United States and Western Europe Since 1945: From "Empire" by Invitation to Transatlantic Drift (Oxford University Press, 2005)One additional book from the following list:
E. Hallams, L. Ratti, B. Zyla (eds), NATO Beyond 9/11: The Transformation of the Atlantic Alliance, (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2013)
L. Ratti, A Not-So-Special Relationship: The US, The UK and German Unification, 1945-1990 (EUP, 2017)
S. Sloan, Defense of the West. NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain (MUP, 2016)
M.E. Sarotte, Not One Inch America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (YUP, 2021)
M. de Leonardis (ed.), NATO in the Post-Cold War era (Routledge, 2022)
Type of delivery of the course
TraditionalAttendance
It is highly recommended participation to all lectures and seminarsType of evaluation
Oral examination and written research paper