SOUTH AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE: HISTORY AND POLITICS
SOUTH AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE: HISTORY AND POLITICS
Maria Elena Cavallaro, Benedetto Zaccaria
Maria Elena Cavallaro
mcavallaro@luiss.it
Instructional goals
The course is based on a multidisciplinary approach. It combines elements of History of International Relations and national history. The objective is to provide students with the understanding of the origins of the interaction between national and global dynamics in Spain, Greece, Portugal, the former Yugoslavia and Turkey during and after the Cold War. In order to reach this goal, we will start analyzing the internal balance of power of these countries along the entire period of the Cold War, in order to understand the origin and the role of the present-day actors in these countries.
Intended learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be able to understand both the origin of the current balance of power in Southern and South-Eastern Europe and the different role played by political actors in this region.
Students will be able to make use of the course contents for research and professional purposes. In detail, they will learn how to collect primary sources and how to critically engaged with secondary bibliography relevant to the study of Southern and South-Eastern European dynamics.
The course will use a critical approach to the sources and will engage with critical discussion in class.
In order to increase their communication skills, students will be asked to contribute to the debate held in class, to present collective works along the entire period of the course and to expose them in class. By doing so, they will learn to be reactive to the challenge posed by the audience.
Course Contents
The course will be divided into two parts. The first one will be focused on the study the history of the major southern european countries such as Spain, Greece and Portugal since the establishment of the authoritarian regimes till their democratization and current role in the international scenario.
In the second part South and south-eastern dynamics will be analyzed ......
Reference Books
Articles and books chapters will be provided by the instructors at the beginning of the course
Teaching Methods
Traditional lectures, team works and book discussions in class and reviews on some specific issues
Assessment Method
The students will be evaluated for their teamwork oral presentation in class (35%); written individual essays or document analysis (35%) and oral exam at the end of the course on the entire programme (30%).
Thesis assignment criteria
The assignment criteria for the thesis is to obtain at least 28 out of 30 as final mark. Participation in the debate held in class will be an added value to show the interest raised by subject.
Week 1
Spain and the evolution of the Franco regime during the 1950s and 1960s: National features and consequences both in the domestic scenario and in the international context
Week 2
Spain and the evolution of the Franco regime during the 1970s: the main guidelines in the international relation of the regime
Week 3
Spain from the transition to democracy to the current national and international challenges;
Portugal and the major characteristics of Salazarism
Week 4
Portugal and the evolution of the colonial empire in the international scenario;
The major consequences of the colonial wars for domestic balance of powers
Week 5
The Carnation revolution and Portuguese democratization in the long run;
Portugal today between European and Atlantic foreign policy guidelines
Week 6
Greece and the Junta regime;
Greece and the democratization process between anti- atlanticism and a strong Europeanism.
Week 7
The Balkans in the Cold War; History and Legacy of Tito's Yugoslavia
Week 8
National questions and federal collapse in Yugoslavia; the Yugoslav wars and European diplomacy
Week 9
The international community and the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina; The Kosovo War and Pax Americana in the Balkans
Week 10
The EU and the Western Balkans from Dayton to the 2003 Thessaloniki Declaration; The challenges of the EU integration of Western Balkans 2004-2024
Week 11
NATO and the Balkans since 2000; Regional integration in Balkans
Week 12
Serbia between the EU and Russia; The European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina