Universität Fribourg Université de Fribourg Suisse | Universität Freiburg Schweiz Course offerings

History Didactics and Public History

Abstract

The conveying of history to a wider public has become increasingly important in recent years. The master programme in History Didactics and Public History acknowledges the great interest of individuals and society as a whole in history and memory, as well as the growing importance of museums, memorial sites and other historical places of education and experience. It prepares graduates for the scholarly teaching of history in higher education, as well as for research-based presentation and communication of history and memory in a broader, public context. Graduates who successfully complete the master's degree can aspire to careers in higher education or teacher training, in museums, at memorial sites, in archives, publishing houses or the media.

Show the study programme profile

Profile of the study programme

The degree course covers three fields of study: (1.) History didactics, culture of history and memory, (2.) Practices of communication and research in history didactics, (3.) Contemporary history and public history. The central focus of this study programme is history didactics. It deals with questions of historical consciousness, the culture of history and memory, and history teaching. Questions of how to communicate history both in schools and in the public sphere are treated from theoretical, research and practical points of view.

In the field entitled «Practices of communication and research in history didactics:», students deal with the study, questions, methods and findings of research. It includes theoretical and methodological considerations of how history is perceived, as well as practical exercises and critical reflections of different media, museal and other public forms of history presentation.

The third field, «Contemporary and public history», focuses on historical-scientific questions, taking into account the public, social and communicative dimensions of the dealing with history. The themes and topics relate particularly to contemporary history and focus on European history as well as regional and Swiss history. Particular importance is placed on oral history and visual history.

Fribourg profile
The programme is run by the University of Fribourg and the Lucerne University of Teacher Education in cooperation with other universities and leads to a specialised master's degree. This helps establish a link between expert knowledge of contemporary history and history teaching skills. The course teaches students the knowledge they need to deal with themes and topics of contemporary history in order to present them to specific audiences, the media and the public. In this respect, it also contributes to the establishment and further development of history didactics in Switzerland.

Learning outcomes and career openings
Graduates who complete this study programme have in-depth knowledge and understanding of history and history didactics. They are able to apply this knowledge and understanding to resolve problems related to history didactics and public history in teaching, research and communication, and are capable of dealing with complex and important, socially relevant questions and issues. They are able to communicate their ideas and suggestions for development and presentation clearly and comprehensibly.
Graduates who successfully complete the master's degree course can aspire to careers in higher education, public history, culture and other fields of communication. In concrete terms, this means career opportunities in higher education or teacher training, in museums, at memorial sites, in archives, publishing houses or the media.

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

90 ECTS credits, 3 semesters