Department of History Didactics

As practitioners of history didactics, we attempt to reflect and analyse the manifold and complex processes of historical and civic and citizenship education, to observe them as such and to conceptualise them empirically. We aim to realise and further develop these processes and associated competencies.

In doing so, we do not limit ourselves to the didactics of the school subject history, social studies and civic and citizenship education and the respective teacher education, but we also take into account the current societal developments as well as the practice of societal and individual construction of historical meaning and understanding at the various sites of historical culture and culture of remembrance.

As a reflective discipline, history and didactics of civic and citizenship education can thus highlight important perspectives to provide discipline specific orientation for the professionals’ actions.

Between Empiricism, Theory and Pragmatics

The department of history didactics at the university of Graz understands itself as an integrated system of empiricism, theory and pragmatics of history and civic and citizenship education. We design and conduct teaching, learning as well as research projects which are built upon theoretical conceptions, empirical modelling and pragmatic ideas. Processes of the transportation and reception of history(ies) and politics in the various societal fields of action are to be analysed and further developed. At the same time, we pose innovative questions in order to promote the continuing advancement of knowledge within the disciplines of history didactics and didactics of civic and citizenship education.