Uses and abuses of History

After the completion of the course, the students shall:

Knowledge

• have insight into how history has been and still is used to build national, regional and local identities, to achieve political goals, and to shape values and norms;
• have knowledge of key academic debates related to history use, not only in and around conflicts and wars, but also as part of post-conflict societies;
• be able to deepen into various aspects of the relationship between historical research and historical (scientific) debates on the one hand, and history use in schools, media, memory cultures and popular culture on the other.

Skills

• have insight into the differences between history as an academic discipline, the use of history, memory, and the construction of historical myths;
• be able to analyse various types of historical cases, which demonstrate how mass media, schools, cultural and educational institutions, political parties and a variety of other actors consciously or unconsciously use and influence our perception of the past;
• master the central subject of the field and reflect on different types of memory processes based on concepts such as “historical consciousness”, “history use”, “memory” and “memory politics”;
• be able to master the form of scientific paper.

General competence

• have insight into the role and significance of history use in modern societies and in peoples daily lives;
• be able to participate in discussions and debates about history use in politics, social interaction and public life;
• apply their theoretical knowledge in their work at school, the museum, the mass media etc.

The course introduces the students to (a) the relationship between history as an academic discipline and the use of history, (b) the use of history in politics, nation building and identity formation, and (c) various types of history use, as for example in education, commercialization and entertainment, in art and religion. The students will learn to analyse and discuss the use of history both within and outside educational institutions and museums, and in a broader social context.

Students also get to know theories relevant to the study of history use, as for example theories related to the formation of national and cultural identity, the phenomena of “imagined communities” and “invented traditions”, as well as theories of communication and media.

For general history students:

- Presence at the 3 obligatory seminars/lectures

- Draft of final paper must be accepted (total of 1500 words +/-10 percent, not counting footnotes/in-text citations and bibliography

- Separate submission: write an excerpt of MacMillan Chapter 6, (total of 300 words +/-10 percent, not counting footnotes/in-text citations and bibliography)

For teacher students:

- Practice

- Presence at the 3 obligatory seminars/lectures

- Draft of final paper must be accepted (total of 1500 words +/-10 percent, not counting footnotes/in-text citations and bibliography

1) Final paper (total of 3000 words +/-10 percent, not counting the footnotes/in-text citations and bibliography); final paper is written individually. Counts 60 % toward final grade.

2) 2 hour written exam on 4-5 questions about the topics of the course. Counts 40 % toward final grade.

The student must pass both final exams. Graded assessment.