Geschiedenis

The specialisation in Religion and Society focusses on understanding the changing role of religion(s) in society from Antiquity until the present. Religion and society mutually influence each other: important aspects of society find their expression in religion, while religion helps to determine the character of society. Using written sources as well as material culture, we study such subjects as religion, ethnicity and politics, religious minorities in the Middle East, the gradual separation of Church and State during the western Middle Ages, globalisation, migration and religion, the rise of private alongside public forms of worship, dissent and devotion during and after the Reformation and modernity and the twin reactions to it - secularism and fundamentalism. This specialisation seeks to combine a variety of historical approaches, including cultural anthropology, archaeology, philology and digital humanities.
You will learn about the latest methods and research from our experts in the field. The History department of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has a strong tradition in teaching and analysing the role of religion throughout history. The programme is taught by staff from the Chair of Religious History (Prof. Fred van Lieburg) and the Chair of Ancient History (Prof. Bas ter Haar Romeny).

The specialisation in Medical and Health Humanities is a unique interdisciplinary specialisation that is taught in English. The specialisation is jointly offered by the Faculties of Humanities of VU Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam, as well as by the Faculties of Medicine of the universities of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Your courses will be taught by top scholars from universities across the country, as well as by professionals who are involved in medical history in other contexts, including museums and websites.
The programme combines the history of health and medicine with a wide array of arts and humanities approaches. Classes explore the different ways that bodies and minds have been investigated and understood, and how these various ways of knowing shape everyday life, medical practice, and public health policy. Participants learn to contextualise medical ideas in the time and culture, and to analyse a diverse range of sources, including historical artefacts, comics and films, medical texts and health journalism. Drawing on methods from across the disciplines, students will broaden their tools of investigation beyond the written word to also consider the sounds, smells, and the look and feel of the past and its lessons and legacies in the present day.

The specialisation in Global History and International Studies focusses on how the circulation of people, goods and ideas across the globe has developed since the 15th century and has shaped the world as we know it today. The link between history and contemporary political debates on migration, nationalism and ethnicity is discussed throughout the specialisation.
This specialisation is unique in that it combines approaches from history and the social sciences. In addition to developing an understanding of archival sources, you will acquire a basic knowledge of field research and the use of online sources such as diasporic social media. You will also learn to work with digital databases in relation to economic and social history.
Learn from the experts
You will learn about the latest methods and research from our experts in the field. The History department of VU Amsterdam has a long tradition in teaching and researching global relations and international history. Our focus areas include economic, colonial and postcolonial relations between Western countries and the postcolonial world—including Africa, East Asia and Southeast Asia. We also have a large amount of expertise in the relations between Europe and the US in the wider context of the Atlantic world and the global impact of changes in Asia and China.