Welcome …

… to the Department of History!  
The relationship between the past and the present pervades current events, be it political topics, the coverage of crises and conflicts across the globe or the issues of culture and identity debated around the world. In order to understand the present, it is necessary to reflect critically on the past – something the Department of History, founded in 1964, sets great store by. The Department deals with the period from the Middle Ages to the present from a local, European and global perspective, with lecturers who have their own individual approaches to history. The general object of the Department’s research and teaching is to grasp the historical dimension of political, economic, societal, social and cultural developments.
The Department’s main areas of research and teaching include – partly in cooperation with related fields – food studies, Habsburg studies, environment – sustainability – resources, intercultural religious history, history and media, migration, and comparative research on fascism, dictatorship and genocide. Another focus area is teacher training in history and political education, as well as subject-oriented history and political didactics. 
Students with a degree in history are qualified for professions in the humanities, cultural and social sciences, or for teaching. Additional qualifications, such as foreign languages, social sciences and economic knowledge, skills in the field of new media, museum didactics or cultural management, increase their opportunities in the labour market. Generally speaking, a degree in history opens the door to excellent qualifications that are sought after in business, culture, public institutions, politics, media and international organisations.