History and Qualitative Methods for Environmental StudiesModule Environmental History
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: MELANIA NUCIFORAExpected Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have acquired an understanding of the fundamental concepts of the Anthropocene; the Great Transformation; and the Great Acceleration. They will also have gained a basic understanding of Italy’s contemporary environmental history, with particular reference to developments during the Republican era, the environmental effects of the Golden Age and the Italian Economic Miracle on the landscape and the environment, the main policy documents guiding international and EU policies, as well as the main national regulatory instruments in the environmental field. Students will be able to contextualize contemporary environmental phenomena from a historical perspective, navigating the global, national, and local scales.
Required Prerequisites
School-level knowledge of 20th-century history; basic knowledge of environmental phenomena and ecosystem processes
Detailed Course Content
Definitions: Anthropocene; Great Transformation; Great Acceleration; transformation of the global environment; impact of industrialization; city and countryside; the city as an ecosystem; nature conservation, early policies; the environment in the Italian Republic, impact of the economic and demographic boom; land between conservation and consumption; the age of reforms; decline of the Golden Age, economic and ecological crisis; emergence of environmental awareness; international, national, and local policies; new forms of environmentalism.
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The practical exam is optional and it consists of an "in itinere" presentation on course topics agreed upon with the professor. The final exam is oral. The grade is based on the level of understanding of the course topics achieved, as well as on the student’s ability to present the material; any practical exam will contribute to a portion of the evaluation but does not replace the oral exam.