Didactics of History and Civic Educations

As the discipline of historical learning and teaching, history didactics is involved in the manifold cultural fields connected to the imparting and the reception of history(ies). Its aims are the generation of disciplinary knowledge orders to reflect and analyse in a domain-specific way the divers and complex processes of making historical meaning and historical understanding. Other objectives are to observe and capture these empirically as well as to guide and develop them based on competence-oriented standards.

In doing so, the department of history didactics is not solely responsible for the professional development in the context of history teacher education, but also encompasses the formal and informal historical learning and teaching happening in a society.

As a discipline, history didactics makes its disciplinary knowledge systems available in a discursive manner within its own scientific community and neighbouring fields, as well as to the actors within the associated spheres of study, as possible knowledge for orientation. Thus, the discipline of history didactics represents an important reference for professionals working in divers spheres of activity within society.

The department of history didactics at the University of Graz regards itself as an interconnected system between empiricism, theory, and pragmatics of historical and political education. Based on theoretical concepts, empirical modelling and pragmatic suggestions, teaching and research projects shall be conceived and realised in order to analyse and further develop the processes of impartment and reception of history(ies) in divers societal spheres of activity. Whilst at the same time promoting the advancement of knowledge within the disciplines of history and political didactics through innovative research questions.