History and Oriental Studies

The curricula of this 2nd cycle degree programme produce historians with complete knowledge of the epistemological foundations of historical research, a solid command of historical method and general knowledge of world history from its origins to modern times. Graduates will have specialised knowledge of a general and European historic period (ancient world, the Middle Ages, modern or contemporary), or in the history of culturally defined areas of Asia and Africa.

The programme curricula are suitably designed to respond to these specialisations.

The course units allow students to acquire a specialist level of knowledge, the methods and practices of historical studies, allowing them to critically use the sources and historiography of their specific era of study.

The programme also provides a full command of reading, analysis and heuristic methods of different types of literary, documentary, archive, iconographic and monumental materials, also using the most recent technological applications, and an appropriate knowledge of investigation techniques performed on original sources, both individually and as part of their overall context. For the relative curricula, this also implies the study of at least one Eastern language to various levels, understood as a key to understanding the cultural world which is object of study. The competences acquired respond to the professional demands of historians wishing to specialise as curators, archivists and librarians.

The programme focuses particularly on the history of cultures and religions, territorial history and anthropology. The course units in these areas, associated to those in general and European history, political history and economic history, allow students to acquire perspectives, investigation methods and contents (e.g. social and economic history, anthropology and political history, history of the institutions, historical and anthropological studies of religions and artistic works, intellectual history and the history of ideas) which are indispensable for both interdisciplinary research and vocational training in the fields of communication, teaching and scientific dissemination.

Computer and remote computing skills are acquired in the course units on: Sources, methodologies, techniques and instruments of historical research.

Curricular requirements:

To be able to profitably complete the 2nd cycle degree programme in Historical and Oriental Sciences, students must have acquired:

- A strong general command of the categories, instruments and languages of historical subjects, and the ability to analyse and contextualise one or more categories of original documents and sources on a specific topic or chronological period of reference;

- Critical knowledge of ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary history, in order to tackle pertinent historiographical discussions;

- Ability to communicate orally and in writing, demonstrating the use of heuristics, reasoning and application of historiographical methods, on the main topics of the chronological period of reference; Strong and at least passive knowledge of a second European language other than Italian.

Admission to the 2nd cycle degree programme is subject to the possession of the following requirements (1) and the assessment of personal competencies and skills (2).

(1) The admission requirements are the following:

A) 1st cycle degree in one of the degree classes pursuant to D.M. 270/04 and D.M. 509/99, Italian Law 508/99 or a degree from a previous degree system or an equivalent qualification obtained abroad.

B) at least 30 CFU credits in one or more of the following subject areas:

L-ANT/02 - Greek History

L-ANT/03 - Roman History

L-OR/01 - History of the Ancient Near East

L-OR/02 - Egyptology and Coptic Civilisations

L-OR/03 - Assyriology

L-OR/04 - Anatolian Studies

L-OR/05 - Archaeology and History of Near Eastern Art

L-OR/06 - Phoenician and Punic Archaeology

L-OR/07- Semitistics / Ethiopian Languages and Literature

L-OR/08 - Hebrew

L-OR/09 - African Languages and Literature

L-OR/10 - History of Islamic Countries

L-OR/11 - Archaeology and History of Muslim Art

L-OR/12 - Arabic Language and Literature

L-OR/13-Armenistics, Caucasology, Mongolistics and Turkology

L-OR/14 - Iranian Philology, Religions and History

L-OR/15 - Persian Language and Literature

L-OR/16 - Archaeology and History of Indian and Central Asian Art

L-OR/17 - Indian and Central Asian Philosophy, Religions and History

L-OR/18 - Indology and Tibetology

L-OR/19 - Modern Languages and Literature of the Indian Subcontinent

L-OR/20 - Archaeology, Philosophy and History of East Asian Art

L-OR/21 - Chinese and South-East Asian Languages and Literature

L-OR/22 - Japanese and Korean Languages and Literature

L-OR/23 - East and South-East Asian History

M-STO/01 - Medieval History

M-STO/02 - Modern History

M-STO/04 - Contemporary History

M-STO/06 History of Religions.

M-STO/07 - History of Christianity and Churches

SPS/02 - History of Political Doctrine

SPS/03 - History of Political Institutions

SPS/06 - History of International Relations

SPS/13 - African History and Institutions

SPS/14 - Asian History and Institutions

Graduates not meeting the above-mentioned requirements for admission to the 2nd cycle degree programme shall be referred to a Board, which will firstly check the certificates submitted and decide whether or not the candidates can be admitted to a further interview to assess their personal competencies and skills.

The Board, appointed by the Degree Programme Board, will establish a calendar for assessment of the certificates and interviews, to be held between September and December, which will be published on the University Portal.

If the Board considers the level of the candidates' knowledge and skills to be satisfactory, they will be allowed to enrol in a test to assess their personal competencies and skills.

2) Graduates with a final degree score of at least 90/110 will automatically be deemed to have passed the assessment of personal competencies and skills.

Second Cycle Degree Programmes may include a specific session for international students, appointing a Board to assess personal competences and skills, compatibly with the schedule laid down in the call for applications for study grants (the deadline of which is indicatively in May).

International students who pass the above-mentioned entrance examination are exonerated from the successive assessment of their personal competencies and skills required for students generally.