Contemporary History
Contemporary History aims at making sense of today’s society and politics by means of a history-based analysis. The Department is focused on teaching and researching the recent history of politics, international relations and the society.
Contemporary History aims at making sense of today's society and politics by means of a history-based analysis. Contemporary History focuses on teaching and researching the recent history of politics, international relations and the society.
Contemporary History studies provide students with a wide-ranging general education; tools for independent thought and research; and an understanding of today’s society and its past. While the focus is considered general education, the scholarship and critical education are also considered important strengths in the modern labor market, thus benefiting employment in both the public and private sectors.
Most of the teaching is in Finnish, but some lecture courses are available in English. The History and Politics of European Integration and East Asian Studies programmes are given in English.
The discipline of Contemporary History has close ties to the disciplines at the Department of History in the Faculty of Humanities, but it is set apart from them by its position in the Faculty of Social Sciences. In the Faculty of Social Sciences Contemporary History relates most closely to Political Science.
The Department of Contemporary History at the University of Turku was founded in 1965. The first professor at the department was Juhani Paasivirta.