Department Chair: Diego Lucci

The Department offers a wide variety of courses in the historical and social phenomena and intellectual traditions that shaped the modern world – and in particular modern Europe.  The Department supports the University’s General Education program by offering courses that meet the Historical Analysis, Moral and Philosophical Reasoning, and Social and Cultural Analysis modes of inquiry.

The Department offers a major in History and Civilizations and minors in Anthropology, History, Philosophy and Religion, and Southeast European Studies.

The study of history seeks a deeper understanding of humanity through the study of the past. History is a framework for the analysis of trends, institutions, and motivations that shape the world. Students learn to think with rigor, to write with clarity and precision, to organize and assess evidence, to evaluate problems and interpret complex events.
 
The major in History and Civilizations at AUBG provides students with analytical tools useful for all aspects of decision-making and research, such as academia, government, law, journalism, business and other careers. The discipline of History at AUBG offers a general program of study with a focus on course offerings in Europe and a sub-concentration in Southeastern Europe.

The History and Civilizations program is intended to provide core historical research and reading skills. Key outcomes of the program for all graduates include:

• The ability to place existing national historical education in a larger context.
• A broad contextual knowledge of history, provided by some knowledge of the distribution areas and of a historical issue of significant contemporary importance.
• Awareness of contemporary theories and methods in the field of history.
• The ability to critically read and analyze primary materials.
• Development of very strong writing skills.
• Development of oral communication skills through discussion seminars and oral presentations.
• The ability to plan, conduct and write an original historical research project.

Graduates of the History and Civilizations program have gone on to work for regional businesses and non-governmental organizations. The majority go on to graduate degree programs in history in the United States and Western Europe; recent graduates have gone on to doctoral work at the Central European University, Columbia University, University of Illinois, University of Maryland, University of Michigan and University of Pittsburgh.
 
The Anthropology minor program explores human variation and cultural diversity, and transmits the anthropological perspective as a way of thinking, a method of problem solving, and a model for future learning. For many students, anthropology becomes a framework for integrating knowledge and a system of organization for their formal education. The anthropological perspective is holistic, that is, each piece or aspect of a culture is viewed within the context of the whole culture.

The Philosophy and Religion minor is an interdisciplinary program appropriate for students who wish to study the philosophical and religious components of human experience, considered as fundamental elements of civilizations. It provides a good foundation for understanding the historical background and social significance of current philosophical, ethical and religious issues. Moreover, the minor offers courses on different traditions and perspectives, besides western culture.

The Southeast European Studies minor promotes an understanding of regional parallels and individual differences among the peoples of Southeast Europe. Addressing the causes of conflict and resources for conflict resolution, the SES major focuses on the dynamic, prevailing images among the peoples of Southeastern Europe of self and other.   The program is built on the foundation of Anthropology, Archaeology, Social History, Political Science, Art History, and Comparative Literatures. The interdisciplinary perspective of the SES minor aims to provide a contextual background for more effective application of academic disciplines, e.g., Journalism and Mass Communication, European Studies, and Business Administration.