2025
History Themes of the twentieth century
Name: History Themes of the twentieth century
Code: HIS02422L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
History
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Presentation
The curricular unit aims to highlight the importance of historical knowledge for understanding the dynamic of the contemporary societies, focusing on the great transformations of the 20th century.
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
It is a propaedeutic curricular unit aimed at first-cycle students and first-year (first semester) students from scientific areas of the School of Social Sciences or other Schools of the University of Évora. Its main objective is to consolidate general historical knowledge about the formation and characteristics of contemporary societies and the major transformations of the 20th century.
1. Knowledge: Identify the key moments, dynamics, and changes, as well as the characteristics and variety of experiences in the emergence, formation, and evolution of current societies, both national and transnational.
2. Intellectual skills: Acquire key concepts that underpin the historical analysis of the contemporary world.
3. Professional skills: Apply historical knowledge in an interdisciplinary manner; ability to contextualise processes in time and space; plan and execute tasks in a team-based and transdisciplinary context; work effectively in a multilingual environment.
1. Knowledge: Identify the key moments, dynamics, and changes, as well as the characteristics and variety of experiences in the emergence, formation, and evolution of current societies, both national and transnational.
2. Intellectual skills: Acquire key concepts that underpin the historical analysis of the contemporary world.
3. Professional skills: Apply historical knowledge in an interdisciplinary manner; ability to contextualise processes in time and space; plan and execute tasks in a team-based and transdisciplinary context; work effectively in a multilingual environment.
Contents
0. Introduction: History and the Periodization of the "Contemporary"
1. Contemporary Societies and Modernization
2. Societies and the Wars
3. The Nationalism: from the era of nation-states and Identities to the the post-
colonial´s context
4. The experiences of Democracies and Dictatorships. Political Parties and Social
Organizations.
5. Empires and Colonies, Pós-colonialism and decolonization
6. International organizations
7. Regionalism and transnational communities.
8. Americanization, Sovietization and Europeanization
9 The Social States
10. Social Movements
11. Migrations, Diasporas, Returns: Mobilities in the Contemporary World
12. Cultures and knowledge of the 20 Th Century: standards, content, institutions,
actors
13. Education , Higher Education and Society
14. Conclusion: Societies and the "Present.". Globalisations.
(up to 6 or 7 themes will be selected)
1. Contemporary Societies and Modernization
2. Societies and the Wars
3. The Nationalism: from the era of nation-states and Identities to the the post-
colonial´s context
4. The experiences of Democracies and Dictatorships. Political Parties and Social
Organizations.
5. Empires and Colonies, Pós-colonialism and decolonization
6. International organizations
7. Regionalism and transnational communities.
8. Americanization, Sovietization and Europeanization
9 The Social States
10. Social Movements
11. Migrations, Diasporas, Returns: Mobilities in the Contemporary World
12. Cultures and knowledge of the 20 Th Century: standards, content, institutions,
actors
13. Education , Higher Education and Society
14. Conclusion: Societies and the "Present.". Globalisations.
(up to 6 or 7 themes will be selected)
Teaching Methods
A ? The selected topics are developed through expository theoretical sessions led by the instructor, combined with student-centered learning activities:
1. Each topic in the syllabus includes at least one practical session dedicated to text analysis and commentary, encouraging active student participation.
2. For each topic taught, usually every two or three sessions, a corresponding set of mandatory texts and/or documents is provided for discussion.
3. At the beginning of the semester, students prepare an Individual Study Plan (ISP), selecting two topics to be addressed in through analysis, commentary, and submission of a synthesis (panel or round table) based on selected documents (texts or films).
B ? Group oral presentations of the selected materials contribute to the development of competence 3, as defined in the course learning objectives.
C ? All study materials are made available on the course Moodle platform, which serves as a repository and as a space for continuous interaction between instructor and students throughout the semester.
1. Each topic in the syllabus includes at least one practical session dedicated to text analysis and commentary, encouraging active student participation.
2. For each topic taught, usually every two or three sessions, a corresponding set of mandatory texts and/or documents is provided for discussion.
3. At the beginning of the semester, students prepare an Individual Study Plan (ISP), selecting two topics to be addressed in through analysis, commentary, and submission of a synthesis (panel or round table) based on selected documents (texts or films).
B ? Group oral presentations of the selected materials contribute to the development of competence 3, as defined in the course learning objectives.
C ? All study materials are made available on the course Moodle platform, which serves as a repository and as a space for continuous interaction between instructor and students throughout the semester.
Assessment
Attendance Regime:
The presence and participation of students ?under continuous assessment? in classes is mandatory. To maintain their attendance status, a student must attend at least 75% of the classes taught.
Continuous assessment consists of the written preparation and presentation of a commentary, done in pairs (c.t.), on a historiographical text selected by the instructor, as well as a final attendance component (freq.). The final grade is calculated according to the formula:
Attendance regime grade = (c.t. * 35%) + (freq. * 65%) + attendance
Students who obtain a grade lower than 6.5 at any assessment point are automatically placed under the exam regime.
Final Exam Regime:
Students under the "exam regime" must take a final exam (100%). Students with a grade lower than 7.5 are not admitted to the oral exam.
The presence and participation of students ?under continuous assessment? in classes is mandatory. To maintain their attendance status, a student must attend at least 75% of the classes taught.
Continuous assessment consists of the written preparation and presentation of a commentary, done in pairs (c.t.), on a historiographical text selected by the instructor, as well as a final attendance component (freq.). The final grade is calculated according to the formula:
Attendance regime grade = (c.t. * 35%) + (freq. * 65%) + attendance
Students who obtain a grade lower than 6.5 at any assessment point are automatically placed under the exam regime.
Final Exam Regime:
Students under the "exam regime" must take a final exam (100%). Students with a grade lower than 7.5 are not admitted to the oral exam.
Teaching Staff
- Anderson Pereira Antunes
- Maria Ana Rodrigues Bernardo [responsible]
Accreditations and Certifications
