Programme

Narratives centered on the contemporary political history of the individual nation-states that comprise it have traditionally dominated the view of North American History. In contrast, this course privileges continental rather than national, thematic rather than chronological, and long-lasting rather than just contemporary dimensions. With a particular focus on the colonial and nation-building period, it seeks to recognize neuralgic ganglia, historical gaps, and continuities that unite or bring into dialogue the histories of Canada and the United States, as well as Mexico, a Latin American but at least geographically North American country. The tools of comparative history and the perspectives of environmental history, social history and public history will guide the excursus through the complexity of a continent in which the battle for history, its political use and its narrative is often a matter of public attention.

Expected learning outcomes
To know the basic outline of the history of the North American continent
Become aware of the environmental perspective of history knowledge
Think critically and creatively about the relationship between public narrative of American history and sources
To know some of the methods and places (digital and spatial) to study American history
Approach the tools and problems of digital humanities and digital history in particular

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion.
Support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments will follow the university rules. Please do contact me in case of specific needs.

Erasmus students
It is highly suggested to come along and talk to the lecturer at the beginning of the lectures.
Lectures will be in Italian, but you can request that your examination be in English or Spanish. Readings will be suggested accordingly.

Type of evaluation

In Italy, attendance is recommended but not mandatory. Assessment methods diverge accordingly. ATTENDEES (minimum 80% of the lectures) are required to: 1. Present an oral or written examination (your choice, it will count for the 50% of the final mark) based on the content of the lectures PLUS ONE of the following books: - Testi, Arnaldo. La formazione degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2003. OR - Brescia, Michael M., and John C. Super. North America: An Introduction. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013. (a digital version will be provided for your personal use) 2. A research exercise (individual or group, max. 3 students) about one of the topics of the Syllabus. You will be required to hand in your result in an oral presentation in class (25% of the final mark) and in a digital format (other than a PPT. (25%) uploaded in Moodle o Teams. The lecturer will give further details in the first session. As an example, it might be a virtual gallery with Omeka-S, a Storymap, a Network analysis visualisation, an academic poster with Canva, a timeline, a collaboration with a Wikimedia Italia project (incl. Wikipedia), a curated article for Historiana, ecc.. NON-ATTENDEES will take an oral exam to test their knowledge about ALL the following readings: 1. Codignola, Luca, and Luigi Bruti Liberati. Storia Del Canada: Dal Primo Contatto Tra Europei e Indiani Alle Nuove Influenze Nel Panorama Politico Mondiale. Ed. riveduta. Firenze: Bompiani, 2018. SOLO CAP. da 1 a 10. 2. Testi, Arnaldo. La formazione degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2003 3. ONE at your choice: - Vezzosi, Elisabetta. Mosaico Americana: Società e Cultura Negli USA Contemporanei. Roma: Carocci, 2011. - Eric Foner. Storia degli Stati Uniti d’America: La «libertà americana» dalle origini a oggi. Donzelli Editore, 2017. - Cronon, William. La Terra Trasformata: Indiani e Coloni Nell’ecosistema americano. Milano: Selene, 1993 (o altra edizione. Vers.or: ….) - Testi, Arnaldo. Il secolo degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2008 - Cartosio, Bruno. Verso Ovest. Storia e mitologia del Far West. Feltrinelli, 2018.