Historical Studies from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Age

History—the past—captivates an increasingly wide audience and frequently becomes a topic in public debates. TV series, movies, historical re-enactments, novels with historical settings or dedicated to specific events and characters of the past; but also, political debates on television and in the press where historical references are used to argue and support different positions; and also, podcasts, video games, websites, videos circulating on social medias and talking about the past: these are just a few signs of a widespread “consumption” of history. Managing and conducting these events—on television, in newspapers, on social channels—in almost all cases, are journalists, pundits, politicians and only rarely professional historians.

The public use of history is, thus, increasingly the prerogative of non-professional scholars, and the idea that anyone can discuss history, as long as they are passionate about it and have read a large number of texts, is supported.

History is, however, a science that has a precise disciplinary statute that requires the use and knowledge of tools and techniques that only a complex and specific course of study can guarantee.

The Doctorate in Historical Studies from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Era therefore aims to train professionals and researchers capable of using tools of historical research and of acquiring a vast and up-to-date knowledge of international historiography so that they can, as a matter of priority, situate and insert their research into the international scientific debate.

Today, however, historians must also be able to engage into the public debate, communicate to non-specialists. Ultimately, they need to acquire a conscious competence in the dissemination of science. The knowledge and use of digital technologies—also in relation to the new strands of the "digital humanities", "public history" and "cultural heritage"—become, therefore, indispensable and are part of the training path of the PhD. Furthermore, these acquisitions will help individuals with a PhD in Historical Studies, spanning from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Age, to gain skills that can also contribute to the promotion of cultural heritage.