Area of Concentration: History

Learning Objectives

Students are able to

• reconstruct, contextualise and discuss historical events and developments on the basis of original documents and later interpretations;

• understand and explain current events and developments in their historical context;

• analyse controversial contemporary issues using the concepts of multi-causality and open-endedness;

• critically reflect on current prognoses based on their insight into the contingency of historical developments.

This area of concentration provides insights into the most important forces that have formed our era, enabling them to be understood as the outcome of historical processes. It focuses on topics such as capitalism and consumption, nationalism and populism, migration, the metropolis, colonialism and globalisation, revolutions, and innovation. As we investigate topics from the past that are significant for us today, we do what each generation must undertake anew for itself: we consciously accept our heritage, engage with it critically, and, in doing so, to some extent rewrite the past in our own image. In asking questions of history, we consider how people in earlier eras viewed their past, experienced their present and made plans for their future, what interests and ideologies were involved, and what power relations resulted. Whoever wants to understand the present and to shape the future must first come to terms with the past.

Bachelor: The seminars provide an introduction to our major topics, drawing on a rich array of source material that includes a variety of texts, sound recordings, film and photography. They combine analysis of original documents with the study of important research, so that, through these examples, students can grasp the causal and interpretive complexity of historical processes. Some courses also extend students’ cultural competence by fostering their ability to understand the values and institutions of other cultures..

Master: Students can choose from a broad range of advanced courses, in which historical topics of great significance for our lives as citizens and professionals are analysed, and public debates with a historical dimension are scrutinised critically. Students should be motivated to work through historical material independently, to make their own comparisons between past and present, and to practice the art of objective discussion.

Key Topics

• Histories of World Regions
• History of Politics, International Relations, and Conflict
• History of Economics and Finance
• History of Thought and Cultural Histories
• Environmental History and History of Science

In the assessment year, we offer survey courses that examine historical developments in the long view, focus on national developments as part of historical macro-trends, and always relate to the core subjects. You can view the current course schedule here.

You can find more information about teaching on the pages of the history department.