1. Subject Profile
2. Requirements for Prospective Students
3. Fields of Professional Activity
4. Structure of the Study Program
5. Information on Study and Exam Regulations
6. Literature
1. Subject Profile
1.1 History and Methods
Human Memory
The science of history has a long tradition at Münster University. The subject area is distinguished by a great variety of institutes, departments, work groups and research centers that is unique in Germany.
Numerous renowned historians taught or are still teaching at Münster University. History in Münster holds a leading position in many areas both nationally and internationally.
As an auxiliary science, the science of history deals with the way people thought and acted through the ages. Its goal is to create a collective memory of the homo sapiens and to convey past events in order to comprehend the present. To this end, the science of history does not only convey historical knowledge, but also tools for orientation in a world that is changing faster than ever.
1.2 Teaching and research focus
History as a subject area at Münster University hosts various sub-disciplines, i.e. Ancient History, Byzantine Studies, Historical Auxiliary Sciences, Medieval History, Medieval Latin Philology, Modern and Contemporary History, Eastern European History, Westphalian History, the History of International Relations, Latin American History, North American History as well as Early History.
All sub-disciplines are devoted to comprehensive specialized research and offer a large selection of courses. Another source of diversity are the types of courses featuring different approaches in their way of conveying knowledge, i.e. lectures, seminars (Proseminar, Hauptseminar, Oberseminar), exercises (Übungen), colloquia, revision courses, internships and field trips. The Bachelor program also provides foundational knowledge on an interdisciplinary level as the subject area of history has a lot of shared interests with some of the disciplines from other departments. Contacts are particularly close with the subjects of Ancient Studies, English, Art History, Geography, German, Theology, Early History and Ethnology.
The institute libraries comprise more than 130,000 books which make them one of the biggest ensemble of libraries of its kind in Germany.
We cooperate closely with the archives and museums, which allows for a practical training of our students.
1.3 Sub-disciplines
Ancient History
The object of research and training in Ancient History is the history of the Ancient Mediterranean world and its bordering areas from the second millennium B.C. until the 6th century A.D – ranging from Ancient Greece, Hellenism and the Roman Empire to the Late Antiquity.
Aside from political and cultural history, students will explore the constitutional and social history as well as the religious history of the Ancient world. The Institute of Epigraphy does research on Greek and Latin inscriptions and is affiliated to the Department of Ancient History. The two research clusters “Asia Minor” and “Historical Regional Studies of Ancient Greece” study the historical topography and environment of Asia Minor and Greece. All of the mentioned institutions are members of the “Centrum für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Mittelmeerraumes”.
This broad research portfolio in Ancient History is directly incorporated into teaching. The courses cover a wide range of topics and give insight into different methodical approaches. Students can choose to enroll either in the Bachelor’s and Master‘s program “History” or the Master’s program “Antike Kulturen des östlichen Mittelmeerraums”. Both programs offer a particularly wide range of courses covering the fields of Historical Science and of Ancient history in all their disciplinary variety, which has become very rare at German universities.
Medieval History
Medieval research at Münster University, covering the time period from the 5th until the 15th century, takes a leading position at a national and international level. It has been and still is responsible for a number of groundbreaking innovations. An excellent example of this is the Collaborative Research Center 496 “Symbolic Communication and Social Value System from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution”. In analyzing the functions of symbolic communication in medieval and early modern society, the researchers broke new ground in a field that deals with some of the most important topics in cultural studies and the humanities. Teaching gravitates around the following topics: the cultural history of Politics, the history of international relations, the structure of medieval aristocratic society, the history of cities, the history of knowledge and reception, medieval cultures of writing as a historical phenomenon, and domination and integration strategies in the Christian and Islamic Middle Ages.
A key strength of the subject of Medieval History at Münster University is the existence of the Chairs of Byzantine Studies and Medieval Latin, valuable disciplines allowing students to broaden their vision of the era. Their course credits are applicable to the study of Medieval History. This type of combination is unique throughout North Rhine-Westphalia.
Modern and Contemporary History
The object of Modern and Contemporary History is the modern period stretching from the 16th century to the present. In the framework of the Collaborative Research Center 496 “Symbolic Communication and Social Value System from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution”, there is a close cooperation between the researchers from Medieval History and staff from other disciplines within the humanities for the time period until the French Revolution. Hence, the University of Münster study program provides a particularly wide range of teaching and research possibilities, with special emphasis on the political, constitutional as well as the social and cultural history of the old empire of the early modern period, the international relations and the historical peace research of the modern period, the history of the United States of America and Latin America, issues of agricultural history and industrialization, the history of demographic change, the history of National Socialism (Nazism) and European fascism, and last but not least the development and structure of the political system of the GDR (East Germany). Moreover, the program deals with the way history is communicated in expositions and museums.
The research cluster for the contemporary history of Great Britain and the Commonwealth is one of a kind in Germany.
Didactics of History
The Didactics of History deals with individual historical consciousness, historical processes of teaching and learning, and the collective coping with history in the public sphere. Therefore, the study of institutions like museums, archives, and memorial sites, or media like film, pictures and monuments is an integral part of historical didactics, just as the present understanding of history as shown by pupils. Both research areas are dealt with separately at two different Chairs within the Institute of Didactics, a combination which can only be found in a handful of institutions in Germany. Researchers and students profit from a rich library in the field of historical didactics, a media library and a historical collection of school manuals and curriculum guides.
Thanks to numerous cooperations with local educational institutions and various practical seminars, the institute has a lot to offer not only for prospective teachers.
Non-European History with special emphasis on Latin America
The Chair for Non-European History at the Department of History is an integral part of the broad study offer for history students at Münster University, with a regional focus on Latin America and chronologically stretching from the colonial period to the 20th century. Teaching especially concentrates on political, social and cultural history.
The University of Münster is the only German university with Chairs for both North American and Latin American History, which allows them to work in synergy for joint courses and research projects.
North American History
The history of North America, which is taught at very few universities in Germany, is represented by a separate Chair at the Department of History. The course offer covers the history of the United States from the colonization of the area by the ancestors of the American Indians around 25,000 before Christ until the 1990s. Research and teaching focus on the 19th and 20th century and the following sub-disciplines: cultural history, ethnic history (migrants, American Indians, Afro-Americans), transnational history, religious history, educational history and history in film). Students will look into the field of North American History both from the inside perspective and from the outside, exploring the region with its transnational and global relations in a transdisciplinary approach.
Eastern European History
Münster University is the only institution in North Rhine-Westphalia to teach Eastern European history in its whole geographical spectrum (East-Central, South-East, and Eastern Europe) and historical depth (Middle Ages and Modern Period). The subject area also provides methodical variety covering political, social, cultural, and intellectual history. Research and teaching focus on the modern and contemporary history of East-Central Europe, Russian Imperial History, the History of Ukraine and its interweavement (16th-20th century).
Regional History of Westphalia
As a university with regional presence, the University of Münster is the only institution for higher education in Westphalia with an independent Chair for the regional history of Westphalia. The course offer provides students with a regional focus in their studies of Medieval, Modern and Contemporary History. The regional history of Westphalia at the University of Münster operates as a comparative history of the region of Westphalia and its surrounding areas, focusing on urban and cultural history and the history of historiography in Westphalia.
Auxiliary Sciences of History
The auxiliary sciences of history are the methodical tools of historians. The course offer is compulsive for every history student regardless of the individual study program. Among other things, it deals with sub-disciplines like chronology, diplomatics, epigraphy, numismatics, paleography, and sphragistics.
2. Requirements for Prospective Students
The requirement for admission to the program is a higher education entrance qualification.
Foreign language proficiency in English and a second modern foreign language is preferable.
Moreover, students should be prepared to read a lot.
3. Fields of Professional Activity
The Bachelor for Secondary School Education qualifies the graduate to enter a profession in the field of educational work with children and adolescents outside of schools. Moreover, the degree is required for admission to a Master’s program for Secondary School Education including Gesamtschulen.
4. Structure of the Study Program
4.1 Module structures
The program consists of study units (“modules”) rigorously defined in terms of topic, content, and timing. The modules incorporate different forms of teaching and learning (lectures, seminars, and exercises). The program in its current form was implemented in the winter term 2011/12. The individual modules relate to the different eras (Antiquity, Middle Ages and Modern Era). Students may choose the order of the modules themselves.
The three-term introduction phase conveys fundamental and methodical knowledge of the respective eras. Students learn to view and evaluate historical tradition and research results with a critical eye. The modules of the subsequent three-term advanced phase are made up of both compulsory and elective courses.
Aside from two advanced modules in the main subjects providing various options for specialization, the students’ schedule must cover a module in historical didactics.
4.2 Exams
The Bachelor exam takes place during the study period. It consists of
• the requirements of the courses within the modules (written tests, presentations, seminar papers)
• a Bachelor’s thesis in one of the main subjects usually written in the sixth term. It shall prove that the student is able to elaborate and appropriately present a strictly limited topic using the acquired tools and methods.
4.3 Internships
Not applicable
4.4 Other Requirements
Not applicable
5. Information on Study and Exam Regulations
To view the exam regulations, please refer to http://zsb.uni-muenster.de/material/m838b_3.htm
6. Reading Suggestions
- Egon Boshof, Kurt Düwell, Hans Kloft: Grundlagen des Studiums der Geschichte. Eine Einführung. Böhlau Studienbücher 5., durchges. Aufl., Köln, Weimar, Wien 1997.
- Rosmarie Günther: Einführung in das Studium der Alten Geschichte. 3., durchges. Aufl. Paderborn 2009.
- Gerd Althoff, Oliver Auge, Matthias Becher, Letha Böhringer, Jens Brauer: Mittelalter. Oldenbourg Geschichte Lehrbuch 2. Aufl. München 2008- Winfried Schulze: Einführung in die Neuere Geschichte, 5. Aufl. Stuttgart 2010.
- Barbara Wolbrink: Neuere Geschichte studieren, Stuttgart 2006.
- Margot Rühl: Berufe für Historiker, Darmstadt 2004.
- Winfried Schulze: Einführung in die Neuere Geschichte, 5. Aufl. Stuttgart 2010.
- Mareike Menne: Berufe für Historiker. Anforderungen, Qualifikationen, Tätigkeiten, Stuttgart 2010.