History

Student in front of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Photo
Photo: Elin Iversen

History

History - Bachelor's Programme

The language of instruction in this programme is Norwegian. Read more about the programme on the Norwegian website

History is all-embracing. This current piece of text is also a part of history. The assassination in Sarajevo, Genghis Khan and Sesame Street are history. The union between Norway and Sweden, and yesterday's dinner are definitely history. The past has departed, but as an historian, you may reverse parts of history.

To study history is to understand the occurrence of the world, and how various aspects of our society are interconnected.

Knowledge about how life has varied at different stages in time and in various societies makes it easier to understand contemporary societies. The history programme deals with a wide range of courses ranging from dramatic events such as wars and revolutions to more daily situations (for example family life and daily work). Moreover, knowledge of power games and political development, as well as what kind of thoughts and ideas that have an impact on our actions are also inquired into. Attention is brought to local cultures, national states, and questions relating to the entire global world.

The bachelor's programme in history has two specializations; history and ancient culture.

About the programme

The specialization in Ancient Culture provides a broad presentation of the societies which formed the original framework for the Greco-Roman culture from approximately 800 BC to 500 AD. The course of study also deals with what is referred to as 'the heritage of Antiquity', and problematizes more recent understanding and use of antique material.

An important aim of the specialization is to provide students with the proficiency to conduct independent analyses of a wide variety of antique sources. This is gradually acquired through critical readings of translations, combined with the study of modern secondary literature, as well as an introduction to classical languages.

Furthermore, the students will learn:

  • to place the Antiquity as an era in an historical perspective
  • to understand its relevance and actuality through different stages of history, as well as its enormous influence on Europe's cultural life, from the humanism of the Renaissance to the contemporary literature theory.

The specialization in History provides a basic overview of historical development from a general perspective, as well as Norwegian history from an international view-point.

Through the course of study, students will be given a basic knowledge of historical methodology and theory. Furthermore, education in generating historical material, as well as developing proficiency in critical and independent assessment of historical material is also emphasized. In order to achieve a more thorough insight into academic debates, sources and research methods, students will, in addition to basic knowledge, be given the opportunity to specialize in selected topics or periods.

The interpretation of history is dependent on the contemporary context in which the approach and analysis is conducted. Consequently, the common views on major historical events and directions depends on the present time and context. Students may choose to focus on the development of historical research in order to acquire an understanding of contemporary interrelation of various historical assumptions and social conditions. Critical handling and management of sources is a fundamental requirement in historical research. Subsequently,history as a discipline within higher education also involves studying the ways through which research is conducted. The specialization provides good-quality training in analyzing and summarizing substantial quantities of information.

The language of instruction in this programme is Norwegian

You have to meet the Norwegian language requirements, or have a Scandinavian language as your mother tongue, if you want to apply to any of NTNU’s degree programmes taught in Norwegian.

You also must meet the basic requirement for admission, and demonstrate that you meet the English language requirements.

The application deadline for the programme is April 15th. Students apply through Samordna Opptak.


The faculty of Humanities offer a wide range of courses taught in English in our various fields of studies, both at bachelor's and master's level.

You can contact us at studieveiledning-ihs@hf.ntnu.no or directly to the advisor for the study programme: 

Espen AndresenSilje Maria Fagervoll or Ingrid Lønset Solemdal


Department of historical and classical studies

   (+47) 73 59 64 40

  kontakt@ihk.ntnu.no

 

Department of modern history and society 

   (+47) 73 59 64 41

 kontakt@ims.ntnu.no