A good knowledge of modern history is strongly recommended.

The aim of this course is to provide students with a broad understanding of the major events that have shaped the history of international relations in the 20th century. The course is divided into two parts. The first will provide a broad introduction to the history of international relations and the main themes of the historiographical debate. The second section will focus on the origin and nature of public diplomacy, with a discussion of its role in the contemporary system of international relations. By the end of the course, students will be able to put contemporary developments in international relations into a broader and more articulated perspective. Students should be able to relate current events to their deeper historical origins.

General part - Introduction to the History of International Relations

From the crisis of the Ottoman Empire to the "new diplomacy". - The First World War and the first crisis of European colonialism. - The crisis between the two wars. - The Second World War and the emergence of the new world order. - Decolonisation and the post-war order. - Bandung and the birth of the Third World. - From the Cold War to competitive coexistence. - The crisis of the Soviet Union and the new world order - the role of regionalism in contemporary international relations.

Thematic section - The impact of Public Diplomacy on international relations

Origins, purposes and features of Public Diplomacy - Listening in Public diplomacy - Cultural diplomacy - Exchange programs as public diplomacy - International broadcasting - Branding the nation - Diaspora diplomacy

Reference books

(A) YOUNG J.W., - KENT J. ; International Relations since 1945. A global history; Oxford University Press; Oxford; 2013

(A) SNOW N. ,. CULL N.J (Eds); Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy Routledge; London; 2020

Choice of readings

1. (C) ARONCZYK M.; Branding the Nation: The Global Business of National Identity; Oxford University Press; Oxford/New York; 2013

2. (C) CULL N.J.; The Cold War and the United States Information Agency: American Propaganda and Public Diplomacy, 1945-1989; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; 2008

3. (C) D'HOOGHE I.; China's Public Diplomacy; Brill/Nijhoff; Leiden; 2015;

4. (C) KANEVA N.(ed); Branding Post-Communist Nations. Marketizing National Identities in the "New" Europe; Routledge; London; 2012

5) (C) MANOR I.;The Digitalization of Public Diplomacy; Palgrave; London,; 2019

6. (C) SEIB P. (ed); Religion and Public Diplomacy; Palgrave Macmillan; New York; 2013

7. (C) THUSSU D.K.; Communicating India's Soft Power: Buddha to Bollywood; Palgrave Macmillan; New York; 2013

8. (C) VELIKAYA A.A. and G. SIMONS (Eds); Russia's Public Diplomacy; Palgrave Macmillan; Cham; 2020

Attending students must choose ONE of the books listed in the Choice Readings.

Non-attending students must choose TWO books from those listed in the Choice Readings

Reading materials discussed in class will all be available on www.jstor.org/

• The course will be highly interactive and divided into two parts. A first section will consist of lectures on introductory concepts in the history of international relations and in-depth studies on the specific topic of public diplomacy. In a second section, students will engage personally in weekly seminar activities based on readings distributed in advance. Other activities include study groups in which students have to analyse a topic chosen with the lecturer and prepare a short paper to present to the class. The aim of the group activities is to familiarise students with group work and to develop skills such as argumentative writing, public speaking and leadership.

• Exams will be in written form only, using open-ended questions. Students will have the opportunity to take a mid-term test to assess their effective understanding of the topics discussed in the general part and in the weekly reading of articles. The exams aim to assess the level of assimilation of terms and concepts discussed in class, as well as the acquisition of methodological skills that should enable students to have a free and critical understanding of contemporary international relations. Grading will be based on the following criteria: knowledge of the subject (50% of the mark); ability to critically analyse events and place them in a broader historical perspective (40% of the mark); correct use of language (10% of the mark).

English