Universität Wien
Warning! The directory is not yet complete and will be amended until the beginning of the term.

070339 UE Readings in the History of Historiography (2026S)

European Empires and Imperialism in the Early Modern and Modern Age (15th century to today)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 7 - Geschichte
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 11.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 18.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 25.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 15.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 22.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 29.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 06.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 13.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 20.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 27.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 03.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 10.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 17.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Wednesday 24.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The course aims to introduce students to reading, analysing, and interpreting historiographical texts, placing them in their historical and intellectual context. Students will learn to identify the main thesis of a historiographical text, the methodologies and sources it is based on, and to situate it in wider trends and debates.
The first part of the course will present some of the main figures, texts, schools, and evolutions in the history of historiography, through some selected instances from Antiquity to the present.
The second part of the course will centre on one specific historiographical debate, namely that on European empires and imperialism in the Early Modern and Modern Ages. Several examples will show how historians investigated this topic from various perspectives, focusing, for instance, on issues related to law, war, religion, race, culture, gender, nature, politics, economy, technology, society, and ideology, and adopting comparative, connected, quantitative, qualitative, micro, or macro methodologies. The main theories and interpretations of imperialism will be discussed, from classic to more recent studies. The goal is to show students the richness and diversity of historiographical approaches, but also how historians may be influenced in their work by contemporary questions, ideological views, and political debates.
The course will be taught in English.

Assessment and permitted materials

Students are expected to attend and actively participate in class discussions, read the texts provided for every session (25-35 pages per week), and complete short written assignments (both at home and in class – max. 500 words per week). Over the course, every student will give an oral presentation in class on a topic assigned by the instructor.

Statement on Artificial Intelligence:
The use of AI tools is discouraged and not particularly relevant to this course, which primarily aims to train the students’ competences and is assessed mainly through in-class activities. If AI tools are nevertheless employed, their use must be documented, taking academic ethical aspects and the legal framework provided by the University of Vienna into account. AI may be used exclusively as a supporting tool, for instance, for linguistic checks or proofreading. This can never replace independent analysis, interpretation, and writing by the students.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Attendance at classes is required (max. 2 unexcused absences). In particular, students must attend the first session to be admitted to the course.

The evaluation is based on:
- Participation in class discussions (40%)
- Short written assignments (30%)
- Oral presentation (30%)

Grading scale:
1 – Excellent/Very good (90-100%)
2 – Good (80-89%)
3 – Satisfactory (70-79%)
4 – Sufficient (60-69%)
5 – Insufficient (below 60% - failing grade)

Examination topics

There is no final exam. Assessment is continuous over the span of the course.

Reading list

Mandatory readings for each class will be provided on Moodle.

As introductory readings and general references on the history of historiography, students may look at:
- Iggers, Georg G., Q. Edward Wang, and Supriya Mukherjee. A Global History of Modern Historiography. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2016.
- Woolf, Daniel. A Concise History of History: Global Historiography from Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.

On empires and imperialism:
- Burbank, Jane, and Frederick Cooper. Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.
- Osterhammel, Jürgen. Colonialism. A Theoretical Overview. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 1997.

Association in the course directory

BA Geschichte (Version 2019): PM1 Quellen und Methoden, UE Lektüre historiographischer Texte und Historiographiegeschichte (4 ECTS).
BEd UF GP (Version 2014): UF GP 05 Quellen und Methoden 1, UE Lektüre historiographischer Texte und Historiographiegeschichte (4 ECTS).

Last modified: Th 05.03.2026 16:26