- Exhaustive knowledge of the general lines of contemporary European history, and the main aspects of its social, political and economic transformations, focused on changes and continuities.
- General knowledge of the main institutional models designed to regulate relations between individuals as between them and the community (public life), and to represent and influence the social development.

- Understanding the peculiarities of the State and Nation Building process in West and East Europe respectively.
- Examining the transition processes of "modernization" seen as an epoch of crisis. The course will focus on the interactions between the political, economical and institutional sphere related to social changes during the last 2 Centuries, specifically the interrelations between the industrial and urban revolution on one side, and political transformations on the other.
- Reflecting on different models of "modernity" through the "core-periphery" theory; particularly the competition between a plurality of core models (such as the British, German and Soviet model) and their impact on peripheral countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
- As final result, the students will be able to apply a comparative approach in order to understand the evolutions of rules and institutions both in the western and eastern part of Europe.

Although a general outline of the constitutional and political systems considered is provided, the course is mainly concerned in using the case studies to shed light on critical aspects of governmental institutions and processes such as political participation and elections, multy-party and one-party government, monarchical and presidential vs. parliamentary rule, liberal and plebiscitary democracy and the politics/administration 'dichotomy'.
The course is structured in two modules. After the introduction of the comparative approach in history, the first part is focused on Nineteenth Century's liberal and authoritarian models of government; the second part will analyse the crisis of the liberal model and the the search for new governmental patterns in the Twentieth Century Western and Eastern Europe.
The general framework of the programme includes:
- A diachronic comparison of social and political developments and their influence on political institutions in England (19 - 20 th Century), Germany (19 - 20 th Century) and in Central and Eastern Europe (World War II - today).
- The evolution of the major political ideologies (Liberalism, Nationalism, Social democracy, Communism) in the area and their impact on the institutional structure.
- The process of "modernization": industrial Revolution, urbanization, development of the Welfare state and their effects on political culture.
- The effects of EU enlargement and economic and political liberalism on the transition countries.
Attention will be paid to issues like the convergence and the circulation of political models, the relation between the constitutional structures and the underlying social structures.

• 1.  (A) Stephen White, Judy Batt, Paul G. Lewis (eds) Developments in Central and East European Politics 5 Duke University Press, Durham, 2013
• 2.  (A) Hugh Cunningham The challenge of democracy : Britain 1832-1918 Longman, Harlow etc., 2001
• 3.  (A) Ivan T. Berend From the Soviet bloc to the European Union : the economic and social transformation of central and eastern Europe since 1973 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2009
• 4.  (A) Catherine Epstein The Last Revolutionaries. German Communists and Their Century Harvard University Press, Harvard, 2003

Course book required reading for attending students (8 cfu): the students are free to choose one of the following books:
- Hugh Cunningham, The challenge of democracy: Britain 1832-1918, Longman, 2001;
- Catherine Epstein, The Last Revolutionaries. German Communists and Their Century, Harvard University Press, 2003;
- Ivan T. Berend, From the Soviet bloc to the European Union : the economic and social transformation of central and eastern Europe since 1973, Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Course books required reading for non attending students (8 cfu): both books are obligatory.
- Stephen White, Judy Batt, Paul G. Lewis (eds), Developments in Central and East European Politics 5, Duke University Press, Durham, 2013,
- Hugh Cunningham, The challenge of democracy: Britain 1832-1918, Longman, 2001;

• The course includes frontal lessons and workshops with public discussions of selected research articles and video materials. The active participation of students both during frontal lectures and discussion time is strongly encouraged. Discussions of case studies are aimed to promote the critical capacity of the students, their team-working and problem-solving ability.
  The course is hold every week, according to the academic calendar. Every week consists of 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion. The discussion includes work-in-group sessions. Each discussion is related to the weekly lecture and the readings needed will be always provided a week in advance.
  The course includes co-teaching lectures involving the course in 'European union institutions and policies' held by prof. Prontera. The co-teaching will focus on the history of the European integration and its theoretical perspectives.
  

• The students will obtain their final score through 3 steps:
  1.one written partial exam showing their ability to compose three short essays concerning the key arguments of the course in a comparative manner;
  2. weekly discussion times throughout the course; the score will be based on the level and quality of participation in team-work;
  3. oral final exam showing the overall learning based on: frontal lessons, public discussions and course books.
  

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