Programme

With a keen eye on the long-term history and processes of state-nation building, the course aims to identify historical differences and continuities that have intertwined the histories of the countries that currently make up North America: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Inevitably, prominence will be given to the history of the United States, given its role in the region and the ongoing reverberations from current events. The tools of comparative history and the perspectives of environmental, social, and public history will guide the course's journey through the complexity of a continent where the battle for history, its political use, and its narration are often the subject of public attention.

The course also provides an opportunity to experiment with digital history. Visits to the Library of the Center for American Studies in Rome and guest speakers are planned.

Core Documentation

Mandatory Reading list for everyone:
- Testi, Arnaldo. La formazione degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2003.
- Testi, Arnaldo. Il secolo degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2008

Non-attending students and attending students who do not take the "in itinere" exams must also choose 1 book from the following:
- Codignola, Luca, e 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.
- Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L’impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Torino, Einaudi, 2024
- Vezzosi, Elisabetta. Mosaico Americana: Società e Cultura Negli USA Contemporanei. Roma: Carocci, 2011.
- Cronon, William. La Terra Trasformata: Indiani e Coloni Nell’ecosistema americano. Milano: Selene, 1993 (o altra edizione. Vers.or: ….)
- Cartosio, Bruno. Verso Ovest. Storia e mitologia del Far West. Feltrinelli, 2018.
- Grandin, Greg, America, América: a new history of the world, Torva/Penguin 2025
- Fiege, Mark. The Republic of Nature : An Environmental History of the United States. University of Washington Press, 2012.
- Baritono, Raffaella. Eleanor Roosevelt. Una biografia politica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021
- Ferdinando Fasce, Le anime del commercio. Pubblicità e consumi nel secolo americano, Carocci, 2012
- Ferlan, Claudio. Il Lungo Sentiero. La Storia Mai Conclusa Dei Nativi Nel Nordamerica. Il Mulino, 2025.

Type of evaluation

For attending students (with at least 80% attendance): 1. In itinere evaluations on an individual or team research project (up to 3 students). Evaluations include an oral presentation in class and the submission of final results in digital or audiovisual format. (50% of the final grade). Those who prefer not to carry out the research will follow the exam instructions for non-attending students. 2. Final oral exam (50% of the total grade). For non-attending students: Oral exam

Programme

With a keen eye on the long-term history and processes of state-nation building, the course aims to identify historical differences and continuities that have intertwined the histories of the countries that currently make up North America: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Inevitably, prominence will be given to the history of the United States, given its role in the region and the ongoing reverberations from current events. The tools of comparative history and the perspectives of environmental, social, and public history will guide the course's journey through the complexity of a continent where the battle for history, its political use, and its narration are often the subject of public attention.

The course also provides an opportunity to experiment with digital history. Visits to the Library of the Center for American Studies in Rome and guest speakers are planned.

Core Documentation

Mandatory Reading list for everyone:
- Testi, Arnaldo. La formazione degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2003.
- Testi, Arnaldo. Il secolo degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2008

Non-attending students and attending students who do not take the "in itinere" exams must also choose 1 book from the following:
- Codignola, Luca, e 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.
- Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L’impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Torino, Einaudi, 2024
- Vezzosi, Elisabetta. Mosaico Americana: Società e Cultura Negli USA Contemporanei. Roma: Carocci, 2011.
- Cronon, William. La Terra Trasformata: Indiani e Coloni Nell’ecosistema americano. Milano: Selene, 1993 (o altra edizione. Vers.or: ….)
- Cartosio, Bruno. Verso Ovest. Storia e mitologia del Far West. Feltrinelli, 2018.
- Grandin, Greg, America, América: a new history of the world, Torva/Penguin 2025
- Fiege, Mark. The Republic of Nature : An Environmental History of the United States. University of Washington Press, 2012.
- Baritono, Raffaella. Eleanor Roosevelt. Una biografia politica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021
- Ferdinando Fasce, Le anime del commercio. Pubblicità e consumi nel secolo americano, Carocci, 2012
- Ferlan, Claudio. Il Lungo Sentiero. La Storia Mai Conclusa Dei Nativi Nel Nordamerica. Il Mulino, 2025.

Type of evaluation

For attending students (with at least 80% attendance): 1. In itinere evaluations on an individual or team research project (up to 3 students). Evaluations include an oral presentation in class and the submission of final results in digital or audiovisual format. (50% of the final grade). Those who prefer not to carry out the research will follow the exam instructions for non-attending students. 2. Final oral exam (50% of the total grade). For non-attending students: Oral exam

Programme

With a keen eye on the long-term history and processes of state-nation building, the course aims to identify historical differences and continuities that have intertwined the histories of the countries that currently make up North America: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Inevitably, prominence will be given to the history of the United States, given its role in the region and the ongoing reverberations from current events. The tools of comparative history and the perspectives of environmental, social, and public history will guide the course's journey through the complexity of a continent where the battle for history, its political use, and its narration are often the subject of public attention.

The course also provides an opportunity to experiment with digital history. Visits to the Library of the Center for American Studies in Rome and guest speakers are planned.

Core Documentation

Mandatory Reading list for everyone:
- Testi, Arnaldo. La formazione degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2003.
- Testi, Arnaldo. Il secolo degli Stati Uniti. Bologna: Il mulino, 2008

Non-attending students and attending students who do not take the "in itinere" exams must also choose 1 book from the following:
- Codignola, Luca, e 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.
- Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L’impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Torino, Einaudi, 2024
- Vezzosi, Elisabetta. Mosaico Americana: Società e Cultura Negli USA Contemporanei. Roma: Carocci, 2011.
- Cronon, William. La Terra Trasformata: Indiani e Coloni Nell’ecosistema americano. Milano: Selene, 1993 (o altra edizione. Vers.or: ….)
- Cartosio, Bruno. Verso Ovest. Storia e mitologia del Far West. Feltrinelli, 2018.
- Grandin, Greg, America, América: a new history of the world, Torva/Penguin 2025
- Fiege, Mark. The Republic of Nature : An Environmental History of the United States. University of Washington Press, 2012.
- Baritono, Raffaella. Eleanor Roosevelt. Una biografia politica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021
- Ferdinando Fasce, Le anime del commercio. Pubblicità e consumi nel secolo americano, Carocci, 2012
- Ferlan, Claudio. Il Lungo Sentiero. La Storia Mai Conclusa Dei Nativi Nel Nordamerica. Il Mulino, 2025.

Type of evaluation

For attending students (with at least 80% attendance): 1. In itinere evaluations on an individual or team research project (up to 3 students). Evaluations include an oral presentation in class and the submission of final results in digital or audiovisual format. (50% of the final grade). Those who prefer not to carry out the research will follow the exam instructions for non-attending students. 2. Final oral exam (50% of the total grade). For non-attending students: Oral exam