Key aspects in the Master of History

Students in our Master´s Programme History choose a specialisation at the beginning of their studies. On this page you will find first information and contact persons for the offered core areas:

Key aspect 
Ancient history

A description will appear shortly.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Gotter ulrich.gotter@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect 
Archaeology/Material Culture

People constantly create and use things; they continuously move in architectural and social spaces that are designed and charged with meaning. Since material culture always surrounds people, it offers countless accesses to historical structures and situations. The various archaeological disciplines have developed a rich set of methodological and theoretical tools in order to make these sources available for the reconstruction of ancient as well as modern societies order. Especially with insight into the significance of images in the course of medialization ("iconic turn") as well as the increasing attention paid to the relationships between persons and objects in a "science of things", the role of material sources in discussions about cultural studies is growing. In Constance, archaeology is therefore integrated into the BA and MA history courses. The MA History now offers the opportunity to concentrate on archaeology/material culture as a core area.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Stefan Hauser stefan.hauser@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect
Medieval History

The Middle Ages immediately seem to be the epoch which is most alien to our present. It is also the epoch most burdened by prejudices. However, the supposed "stranger" is a lot closer to us than we might suspect at a first glance, when today's married couples draw up marriage contracts or when we solve our conflicts through mediators frequently again The aim of the focus 'on the epoch: Middle Ages' is to give students an understanding of the multifaceted nature of an epoch whose unprejudiced exploration still holds many surprises.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Gabriela Signori gabriela.signori@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect 
History of the early modern period

The Early Modern Period provides historical access to an epoch, in which the foundations of modern Europe and of a modern, global society developed. In collaboration with the students, research-related courses are held to investigate processes of fundamental change and "social inventions" relevant to the future. What significance has the use of writing and the spread of the printing press? What consequences did the violent conquest and economic appropriation of the world have for conquerors as well as for conquered people? What did the Reformation or the emergence of modern science mean for thinking about the world and mankind?

The teaching staff emphasizes understanding of history underpinned by theory and cultural studies: a contemporary knowledge base, images of man and patterns of interpreting the self as well as the social are related to their interactions with changing structures, institutions and practices; at the same time, the media and material conditions of these relationships are examined. Thus, we want to capture and describe the intrinsic logic of an epoch in a variety of subject areas, which appear both familiar and strange at the same time

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Rainer Beck rainer.beck@uni-konstanz.de
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schlögl rudolf.schloegl@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect 
History of the 19th -21st century

If you want to understand our present in a fundamental sense, this key aspect is right for you. Constance's modern historians explore the history of Europe in a globalizing and globalized world. They combine the view of political crises with social, economic, and cultural changes in their search for comprehensive and complex context. A wide range of topics is investigated: From the history of modern revolutions, wars and civil wars to the emergence and collapse of empires, colonies, and nations. We offer seminars on the history of democracies and dictatorships and on the history of European integration and crises. Transnational migrations, media networks, civic protests, the rise of knowledge and the sciences are as much the subject of our coordinated courses as the history of capitalism, consumption, and forms of inequality. Perspectives on the history of individualisation, collective identities, and new forms of subjectivation broaden our spectrum, as do teaching units on cultures of memory, social acceleration, the history of the body and sexuality, nature, the environment or animal-human relations. Through our job-related offers, we combine broad education with labour market-related training.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Sven Reichardt sven.reichardt@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect 
Global History

Most people in the world today master "global" existences. We consume products from all over the world, receive news from all continents, are networking in worldwide media communities at the Olympics or World Championships, and live with the awareness that an economic downturn in China, a nuclear accident in Japan or a war in Afghanistan directly affect our own situation. This experience of the present can sharpen one´s eye for large-scale contacts, interdependencies, and mutual perceptions in the past. This is the basic approach of global history, which relates Europe to other regions of the world. In Constance, we look at all epochs, while focussing on the 19th and 20th centuries. Global history is intricately linked to the history of colonialism, international relations, world economy, and cultural globalisation.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Manuel Borutta manuel.borutta@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect
Historical mediation skills: Exhibiting

The department of History offers, together with the subjects Computer Engineering at the University of Constance and Architecture and Communication Design at the HTWG Constance, joint events on the topic of "exhibitions" over four semesters. At the end of each cycle there will be a jointly designed exhibition. These cross-disciplinary and cross-university events are deliberately not conceived as a separate course of study, but as a focal point within the respective degree programmes. By preparing current research topics for the public, students from the various disciplines should be given the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary manner and acquire special teaching skills in addition to their normal qualifications. The development of exhibitions is particularly qualifying for the profession through their direct practical relevance.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Stefan Hauser stefan.hauser@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect 
Mediterranean History

The Mediterranean region is a contact zone of Africa, Asia, and Europe, which was already closely networked before modern globalisation. Since ancient times, the boundaries of political communities and living spaces, cultural spheres and religious systems have shifted here time and again. Crises, wars, and conflicts have recently brought the region to the centre of attention of politics, media and art. Mediterranean studies have also been flourishing in the scientific field for some time. This specialisation enables an in-depth historical examination of the Mediterranean region from the ancient oriental cultures to antiquity, the Middle Ages, modern times, and the present. In this way, it can contribute to the historical location and better understanding of the region's current problems. It focuses on central aspects of Mediterranean history, including the relationship between man and the environment, the interconnectedness of space and the circulation and mobility of people, things and ideas, the rise and fall of empires and nations, and the manifold forms of conflict, mixing and coexistence of different and inherently heterogeneous cultural and religious systems. At the same time, the Mediterranean region is understood in a global perspective as an interwoven world region with dynamic external borders and wide-ranging transition zones, which was in intensive exchange with other parts of the world. Finally, the key aspect offers the opportunity to acquire valuable foreign language skills and intercultural competence, which are equally essential for a comprehensive education and a successful career on both sides of the academic world.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Manuel Borutta manuel.borutta@uni-konstanz.de
Prof. Dr. Daniel König daniel.g.koenig@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect
Eastern European History

Anyone who wants to give substance to the term "Eastern Europe" should consider where the centre of Europe lies. Because the centre of Europe is much further to the east than is usually assumed, according to the latest scientific findings in the place Purnuškės north of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

If we feel as Europeans and strive for a wide horizon in life, we should ask ourselves what kind of systematic knowledge we have of the "second", the eastern half of Europe. But also, already east of the Oder a precarious ignorance begins. Studying Eastern European history means getting to know the diversity of the European East and thinking of Europe as one.

The focus on Eastern Europe refers to the commonly used broad concept of Eastern Europe with the major regions of Eastern Central Europe, Eastern Europe in the narrower geographical sense, and Northern and South-eastern Europe. The priority area is geographically and systematically structured. It presents exemplary and comparative characteristics of the metropolitan area and examines them in relation to Western European and global historical developments. Regions, people and their identities, their living environments, power and social orders, history of ideas as well as of cultural contacts, of international relations, crises, wars and their management are the focus of teaching, which is both present and theory oriented. The acquired historical knowledge should help to analyse relevant problems based on current scientific knowledge.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Pavel Kolář pavel.kolar@uni-konstanz.de

Key aspect 
Economic History

Economic history asks how our present is shaped by economic and social developments in the past. In your Master's programme with a focus on economic history, you will gain insights into long-term socio-economic processes, analyse changes in the relationship between the economy and society and ask how economic cycles and crises arise. You will become acquainted with a broad range of social science and economic theory and apply it to case studies together with the lecturers to discuss the significance of structures, institutions, and individual action for economic change.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Laura Rischbieter laura.rischbieter@uni-konstanz.de