• Course title: Introduction to Public History
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-1
• Module(s): Historiography
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Understand the relationship between the academic study of history and public understandings of and interests in the past.
Understand the transformation of the field of Public
History and the range of places that public historians work at.
Analyze primary and secondary historical sources, using relevan
t
findings to examine how intersecting societal forces can manifest in a consumable product.
Test, apply and reflect upon the theory and practice of public history through the production of a public history project in Esch-sur-Alzette.
Improve public speaking skills through active participation in discussion sections as well as the completion of assignments.

This course introduces students to the field of public history, some of its practices and its main debates. The course helps students to understand the (new) roles of historians, professionals like curators, archivists, YouTubers or tour guides and members of the public in interpreting the past. By exploring debates about the past, students critically assess some of the ways the past is interpreted and used in the present. Throughout the course, possible career options, job types and practices in public history will be discussed.  In addition to a theoretical part, the course also includes the production of a public history project in collaboration with the Oral History course taught by Benoit Majerus and Klaus Behnam Shad in the same semester. Some assignments for this project will be done and performed in this course, the others will be explained and developed in the Oral History course.

Attendance and participation 10%
Paper defining the field of public history (individual paper) 20%
Portfolio of the assigned “Hear Here” site (group assignment) 10%
Folder related the Logistics of the “Hear Here” project (group assignment) 5%
Folder related to the inauguration of the “Hear Here” signs (group assignment) 30%
Final essay (individual assignment) 25%

 

Cauvin, Thomas. Public History: A Textbook of Practice (New York: Routledge, 2022)
;
De Groot, Jerome. Consuming History: Historians and Heritage in Contemporary Popular Culture (New York: Routledge, 2016)
;
Gardner, James B. “Trust, Risk and Historical Authority: Negotiating Public History in Digital and Analog Worlds”. In Making Histories, eds. Paul Ashton, Tanya Evans and Paula Hamilton (Oldenbourg: De Gruyter,
2020), 59-68.

 

• Course title: Introduction to Digital History
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-2
• Module(s): Historiography
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

Understand the history of digital history as a field, how it has developed over time, and its connection to public history.
Identify the use of digital technologies in cultural heritage institutions, such as museums, archives and libraries; understand how digital technologies connect with politics and ethics; and
recognise
the challenges
and opportunities that digital technologies create for historians and cultural heritage practitioners.
Have an overview of the variety of digital tools and methods used in historical research, such as data visualisation, text mining, and spatial analysis.
Identify multiple forms of storytelling and ways of engaging with the public through digital technologies, such as documentaries, Wikipedia articles and video games.

This course will introduce students to the evolving field of digital public history, exploring how digital technologies are reshaping the ways in which history is researched, represented and shared with wider audiences. Beginning with the basics, it provides an overview of the historical development of the use of new technologies in historical scholarship and the GLAM sector, examines the ethical and political considerations of working in digital environments, and explores the online mediation of history. A dedicated case study on Wikipedia illustrates how collaborative authorship challenges traditional notions of authority and expertise. The second part of the course will then focus on the making of Digital Public History. Students will learn about the digitisation of historical sources, crowdsourcing and user-generated content. Dedicated sessions on digital curation in Luxembourg and the collaborative platform, Omeka, will highlight the creative possibilities and institutional challenges of curating and presenting history online. In the third section, we will turn to methods, starting with an overview of digital history methodologies to provide a foundation for understanding digital research practices. This is followed by case studies on visualisation and mapping, which demonstrate how data-driven tools can enable new forms of historical storytelling and analysis. Finally, we will explore the potential impact of artificial intelligence on cultural heritage, challenges and opportunities that AI creates not only for historical research but also for the production and consumption of history.

10 % Attendance
30 % Preparation
30 % Presentation
30 % Final report

Bastian, Jeannette A. and Andrew Flinn. Community Archives, Community Spaces: Heritage, Memory and Identity. London: Facet Publishing, 2020.
Harrison, Rodney,
Nélia
Dias, en Kristian Kristiansen, red. Critical Heritage Studies and the Futures of Europe. London: UCL PRESS, 2023.
Kremers
, Horst. Digital Cultural Heritage. Springer Nature, 2020.
Lewi, Helen, Wally Smith, Dirk
Vom
Lehn and Steven Cooke. The Routledge International Handbook of New Digital Practices in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums and Heritage Sites. London: Routledge, 2019.
Noiret, Serge,
Tebeau
, Mark, and
Zaagsma
,
Gerben
, eds. Handbook of Digital Public History. Germany, Berlin : De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2022. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110430295/html.
Zaagma
,
Gerben
. ‘Digital History and the Politics of Digitization’. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities 38, nr. 2 (2023): 830-51. https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqac050.
Lise
Jaillant
et al., eds, Navigating Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Heritage Organisations (UCL Press, 2025), https://uclpress.co.uk/book/navigating-artificial-intelligence-for-cultural-heritage-organisations/

• Course title: Research Methods
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-3
• Module(s): Historiography
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

understand the notion of contemporary history, and related concepts like everyday history;
retrieve and analyse sources of contemporary history;
use tools for collecting, annotating, and managing primary sources and secondary literature;
build and criticize a dossier with different types of primary sources.

Contemporary History is history that is usually deemed to provide an explanatory or interpretive background for events still being contested or whose ramifications are still affecting current political or social development” (International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001).Contemporary History as “Zeitgeschichte” has been founded in the early 1950s and deals usually with events that occurred within the lifetime of the historian. Yet, in the French and Anglo-Saxon world it often refers to history post-1914 or even earlier.In this course, we will first discuss different notions of contemporary history and related concepts. We will investigate periodisations, definitions, and approaches to writing contemporary history.In a second step, we will discover primary sources that are specific for contemporary history and train the method of source criticism. We will introduce different tools and skills for collecting, annotating, and managing primary sources and secondary literature.Throughout the course, students will work on a dossier of primary sources to develop their historical method skills.

Throughout the course, students will work on a dossier of primary sources to develop their historical method skills.

Presentation of a dossier of primary sources 20%
Report on primary source collection 80%

 

Jan
Palmowski
and Kristina Spohr
Readman
, Speaking Truth to Power: Contemporary History in the Twenty-first Century, in: Journal of Contemporary History, 46(3), 2011, 485-505.
Tracey Loughran (ed.), A practical guide to studying history. Skills and approaches, London, Bloomsbury 2017.
Jeanette Kamp et al. (eds.), Writing History! A Companion to Historians, Amsterdam, AUP, 2018.
Stefan Berger e.a. (eds.), Writing History: Theory Practice, London, Bloomsbury, 2020.

• Course title: Data and Web Archives
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-4
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

Understand fundamental notions related to the nature of data and differentiate its various types.
Explain the key principles of web archives, web archiving techniques, including data collection, storage, preservation, access, analysis.
Identify key theoretical debates and methods of analysis related to data and web archives.
Develop and share their data literacy.
Critically select, retrieve and organize digital data from various web sources to create a corpus.
Apply appropriate analytical methods to extract insights from and interpret digital data and web archives.
Explain legal and ethical issues related to data collection and web archives datasets.
Demonstrate the results of data and web archives analysis in written and oral presentations.
Collaborate effectively with their peers in common projects showing skills in problem-solving and critical thinking.

This course explores the most recent scholarship related to data and web archives, unraveling the essentials of critical data literacy, and progressing from the basics of data identification to the intricacies of navigating mixed methods to critically analyse and present them. It introduces students to critical data studies, including issues related to data feminism, data justice, dataveillance, etc. It also aims to offer a comprehensive exploration of born digital heritage and web archives, and their impact on shaping historical narratives in the digital era.Students will delve into the fundamentals of data, gaining insights into various types (raw data, open data, big data, qualitative and quantitative data, metadata, etc.), and web archives, covering the principles and techniques of web archiving, encompassing data collection and curation, storage, preservation, and access.Efficiency in creating corpora, retrieving and organizing digital data, selecting tools, intertwining approach to study web archives (close, scalable, and distant reading, cross-reading of several types of data, contextualization, etc.), will be emphasized. Exploration of digital tools and analytical methods will allow to extract valuable insights from digital data and web archives, fostering critical interpretation.The course includes hands-on training on data and web archives. Students will be actively engaged in undertaking a concrete project in the field of digital history and/or public history, applying their skills to real case studies, presenting their results, both in written reports and oral presentations. This ensures that participants not only understand theoretical concepts but also gain experience in using data and web archives for historical inquiry, while developing an awareness of legal and ethical considerations associated with data collection and web archiving.

A 7-8 pages final written report related to a diachronic analysis of Web archives, combining close and distant reading, presentation of the corpus, visualizations, and a critical approach of data and archives (40%).
A Zotero file with references / state of the art related to the topic selected for the final report (20%).
Oral presentation of the topic, corpus, methods, approach selected for the final report (40%).

 

Boyd, d., and Crawford, K. (2012). Six provocations for Big Data. A Decade in Internet Time: Symposium on the Dynamics of the Internet and Society, September 2011, https://ssrn.com/abstract=1926431 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1926431
Brügger, N. (2018). The Archived Web. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Flanders, J., and Jockers. M.L. (2013). A Matter of Scale. Keynote lecture from the Boston Area Days of Digital Humanities Conference. Boston, MA. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/
englishfacpubs
/106.
Fickers
, A. (2020). Update für die
Hermeneutik
.
Geschichtswissenschaft
auf dem
Weg
zur
digitalen
Forensik
?
Zeithistorische
Forschungen
/studies in Contemporary History, 17, 157-168.
Gitelman
, L. (ed.). (2013). « Raw Data » is an Oxymoron. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Hitchcock, T. (2014) Big Data, Small Data and Meaning.
Historyonics
. http://historyonics.blogspot.com/2014/11/big-data-small-data-and- meaning_9.html.
Milligan, I. (2020). You shouldn’t Need to be a Web Historian to Use Web Archives: Lowering Barriers to Access Through Community and Infrastructure.
WARCnet
paper. Aarhus: University of Aarhus. https://cc.au.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/WARCnet/Milligan_You_shouldn_t_Need_to_be.pdf.
Mons, B. (2018). Data stewardship for open science. Implementing FAIR principles. CRC Press.
Moretti, F. (2007). Graphs, Maps, Trees: Abstract Models for Literary History. London and New York: Verso.
Musiani
, F.,
Paloque-Bergès
, C., Schafer, V., Thierry, B. (2019). Qu’est-ce qu’une archive du Web?. Marseille:
OpenEdition
Press.
Pangrazio
, L., and Selwyn, N. (2023). Critical Data Literacies. Rethinking Data and Everyday Life. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Pomerantz, J. (2015). Metadata. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Rhodes, T. (2013). A Living, Breathing Revolution: How Libraries Can Use “Living Archives” to Support, Engage, and Document Social Movements. Singapour, IFLA WLIC. https://thescholarship.ecu.edu/handle/10342/4496 Rogers, R. (2017). Digital Methods for Cross-Platform Analysis. In The SAGE Handbook of Social Media, ed. by J. Burgess et al., 91-110. London: Sage.
Rollason-Cass, S., and Reed, S. (2015). Living movements, living archives: Selecting and archiving web content during times of social unrest. New Review of Information Networking, 2(2), 241-247.
Schafer, V., and Winters J. (2021). The values of web archives. Int J Digit Humanities 2, 129-144. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42803-021-00037-0

 

• Course title: Oral History
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-5
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Understanding and applying oral history as a research method in historical and social science contexts
;
Developing interview guides and conducting narrative-based interviews
;
Applying ethical and legal frameworks (GDPR, informed consent) in oral history research
;
Structuring, coding, and interpreting oral history material
;
Integrating digital tools into the oral history workflow
;
Designing outputs for public dissemination (e.g., exhibitions, podcasts, online platforms)
.

This seminar introduces students to the theory and practice of oral history as both a research method and a medium for public history. Students will explore the narrative, ethical, and technical dimensions of collecting, processing, and interpreting life stories, particularly in the early stages of conducting research. The course combines conceptual inputs on memory, subjectivity, and narrative analysis with hands-on training in interview preparation, recording, transcription, metadata creation, and digital archiving. Case studies will illustrate oral history’s role in historical research, migration studies, and heritage projects. Students will engage in practical exercises and produce small-scale oral history outputs.

Presence (10%)
Three practical assignments (30%)
One final essay (60%)

Descamps, Florence.
« Archiver la mémoire
 : De l’histoire orale au patrimoine immatériel ». Archiver la mémoire : De l’histoire orale au patrimoine immatériel, Éditions de l’École des hautes études en sciences sociales, 2019
Hoyle, Victoria. « Oral History in the History of Psychiatry ». Sources in the History of Psychiatry, from 1800 to the Present, Routledge, 2022.
Ritchie, Donald A. Doing Oral History. Oxford University Press, 2014.
Thomson, Alistair. « Four Paradigm Transformations in Oral History ». The Oral History Review, vol. 34, no 1, 2007, p. 49
‑
70.

• Course title: Project Management for the GLAM Industries pt. 1
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-6
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Upon completing this course, students will:

Understand the specificities of project management in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) compared to corporate contexts.
Analyse the lifecycle of digital public history projects from ideation to legacy.
Develop skills to define project scope, goals, and success criteria tailored to cultural heritage contexts.
Apply risk assessment and mitigation strategies to anticipate challenges.
Gain proficiency in project management workflows, tools, and budgeting.
Produce prototypes and communicate project ideas effectively to stakeholders.
Collaborate in teams to transform project concepts into concrete outputs.

This year-long course is structured across two semesters:

Semester 1 provides the foundations of project management, guiding students through the design and planning phases of a digital public history project.Semester 2 focuses on execution, during which students will realize a collaborative project based on their preparatory work.

The emphasis in Semester 1 is on developing the fundamental skills and tools needed to design and plan cultural heritage projects in the GLAM sector. Students are introduced to project lifecycles and planning methodologies, learning how to define scope, goals, and success criteria while taking into account institutional constraints and audiences. Practical workshops allow students to apply these concepts to their own project ideas, working step by step on feasibility studies, resource mapping, and risk assessment. Dedicated sessions on budgeting and workflows introduce students to project management tools and methods, while prototyping exercises promote iterative design and communication skills. By the end of Semester 1, students will have produced a comprehensive project proposal that includes a scope and goals statement, feasibility analysis, risk mitigation plan, budget, and prototype. This output will not only simulate real-world GLAM project preparation but also lay the groundwork for the implementation

Final project (100%).

Project proposal, including scope goals statement, feasibility analysis, risk mitigation plan, budget, and prototype. Students will be evaluated both on the quality of the teamwork and on their individual contribution.

A detailed list of articles and recommended readings will be provided during the course.
Students will also receive annotated lecture slides to guide them through key concepts, case studies, and practical tools.

• Course title: International Public History
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-7
• Module(s): Historiography
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Descriptif :This course explores public history in broader global perspectives. While there is no such thing as a unified global public history, the course will explore different understandings, approaches, and practices of the field all around the world. This will help students to better situate their work and the various issues at stake in practicing public history.
          Some major trends and tensions like colonial-decolonial practices, authoritarianism and censorship, human rights, and social justice would be discussed to better understand how they relate to and impact public history.

Explore and understand complex issues for public history in global perspectives 
Reflect upon and discuss the practice of public history in contemporary and divisive contexts
Situate yourself as a public history practitioner and reflect your position in your practice.

Final exam during exam session

I ) (10pts) Class attendance and participation: For your general attendance and participation in class discussion. This grade will be provided at the end of the semester. By University Law, students are subject to fail the class with more than 25% of absences (3 max absences).
II ) (40pts) Organisation of an international online seminar on “Difficult Public History” (30h)
III ) (50pts) Public History Radar (35h)

• Course title: Luxembourgish History
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-8
• Module(s): Historiography
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Learn how to navigate individual cases/ global perspective to develop scientific content and then see how to transform it into usable content for diverse purposes (academic publication or museum exhibition). 

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
– Understand notions of migration history, especially related to the contemporary history of Luxembourg,
– Have a basic understanding of the history of the Spanish War and World War II (Western front) and a global overview of the dynamics of the various forms of resistance to fascism and Nazism in Western Europe (1935-1945). 
– Develop a deeper understanding of population flows from and to Luxembourg during the 19th and 20th centuries,
– Understand the role of micro-history, oral history, autobiographical works, and other methodologies as tools for understanding urban and industrial history,
– Critically analyze and integrate historical sources for the purpose of questioning and reconstructing narratives of the past, 
– Structure oral and written productions for academic / scientific mediation purposes.

The course first introduces students to important notions of European political, social, military and economic contemporary history, with a particular focus on Luxembourg as viewed through the lens of the “Spueniekämpfer” (fighters from Luxembourg who joined the Republican army during the Spanish civil war, and then other forms of Resistance during World War II).
“Spueniekämpfer” is the Luxembourgish name given to the volunteers of the International Brigades created shortly after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, in July 1936. Supported by the Soviet Union and often motivated by their political commitment, 102 volunteers left the Grand-Duchy despite a law (voted in April 1937) forbidding them to go and fight for the Republican Spanish government and against General Franco’s fascist troops. About 25% died on the battlefield, many of the survivors later joined the Resistance during World War II, either in Luxembourg or in the neighboring countries, and often suffered heavy consequences for their commitment. Their role was acknowledged in Luxembourg between 2000 and 2021, culminating with the setting of a memorial plaque on the Gëlle Fra.
The steel industry’s boom at the end of the 19th century led to a significant influx of immigrants, whose presence continues to shape Luxembourg today as a financial and European center within the Greater Region. Students will explore this historical
context and relations through the history of an industrial town, Esch-sur-Alzette; a worker’s district, The Hoehl-Frontier district; and the microhistory of a house, the Casa dei Romagnoli, where eight Italian families of steel and mining workers lived for fifty years and were replaced in the last decades by mainly Portuguese construction workers.
Working in synergy with Prof. Sandra Camarda’s “Transmedia Storytelling” course, students will explore the history of the “Spueniekämpfer” from Luxembourg Drawing on archival materials and historical research, students will collectively create an interactive narrative that showcases the significance of this site, aiming to engage public audiences with its history.
The outcome of the course might also be used for the upcoming exhibition of the Musée National de la Résistance et des Droits Humains dedicated to the “foreigners” in the Resistance in Luxembourg, France and Belgium. 

Final exam during exam session
Writing of Biographies (60%), evaluated based on:
– Oral presentation 
– Written dossier with the biographies
– Visualisation of individual life trajectories
 
Written Critical Essay (40%): An individual reflection on the student’s biographical writing, assessed on:
– Depth of critical analysis
– Clarity and structure of the argument
– Engagement with theoretical concepts discussed in the course

PERUZZI, Luigi, Mes Mémoires. Un antifasciste italien déporté au SS-Sonderlager Hinzert raconte. Traduit de l’italien par Véronique Igel, Présenté et annoté par Denis Scuto, Avec les Mémoriaux de la Déportation des antifascistes italiens du Luxembourg et d’Audun-le-Tiche en annexe, Esch-sur-Alzette, Editions Le Phare, 2002
SCUTO, Denis, Histoire des immigrations au Luxembourg (XIXe-XXIe siècles), in : OGBL, 25e anniversaire du Département de l’immigration (1985-2010), Esch-sur- Alzette, OGBL, 2011 (http://www.ogbl.lu/wpcontent/uploads/2011/08/immigres_25eme_anniversaire.pdf)
SCUTO, Denis, La Casa dei Romagnoli. L’aventure humaine d’une maison-symbole de l’immigration dans la Hoehl à Esch-sur-Alzette, in: Luxembourg-Italie. Hommage au Père Benito Gallo, Dudelange, 1999, p. 132-139
WEHENKEL, Henri, D’Spueniekämpfer : volontaires de la guerre d’Espagne, partis du Luxembourg, Dudelange, Centre de Documentation sur les Migrations Humaines, 1997.
BRAGG, Melvyn, “The Spanish Civil War”, podcast of the BBC4 broadcast “In Our Time” of April 3, 2003: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548wn 
WIEWORKA, Olivier, The Resistance in Western Europe 1940-1945, New York, Columbia University Press, 2017.
HOFFMANN, Serge, « „D’Spueniekämpfer“, résistants de la première heure, au Monument du Souvenir „Gëlle Fra“ », accessed January 22, 2026 on the page : https://cm2gm.lu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Spuenieka%CC%88mpfer-Brigades-internationales.pdf  
A comprehensive bibliography will be shared during the course.

• Course title: Transmedia Storytelling
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-9
• Module(s): Historiography
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Upon completing this course, students will:
-Understand the principles and theories of transmedia storytelling in the context of public history.
-Develop practical skills in digital storytelling using Twine and Klynt software.
-Design and implement a collaborative transmedia project.
-Analyse and adapt historical narratives for multiple platforms and diverse audiences.
-Reflect on the ethical and methodological challenges of narrating complex histories

This course explores the intersection of storytelling, digital media, and public history. It introduces the concept of transmedia storytelling as a method of creating interconnected narratives across multiple platforms, emphasising its role in engaging contemporary audiences with history. Students will examine theoretical approaches and case studies while gaining hands-on experience in developing a digital storytelling project.
 
The practical component centres on the collaborative development of a transmedia project connected to the exhibition on the Spueniekämpfer at the CDMH. Students will design and produce interconnected narrative elements across digital media, expanding and complementing the exhibition content for public audiences. The course therefore intersects directly with Project Management for the GLAM Industries (Part 2) and Luxembourgish History, encouraging students to align narrative design, historical research, and project coordination.
Working with archival materials and historical sources, students will collectively develop a transmedia storytelling strategy that translates scholarly research into accessible, engaging formats. 
 
By examining the challenges and opportunities of representing history in interactive formats, students will consider ethical questions, such as how to balance narrative creativity with historical accuracy and how to make diverse perspectives accessible to broad audiences. Through this process, the course builds skills in research, collaboration, and digital production, preparing students to navigate the evolving landscape of public history in the digital age.

Final exam during exam session
Final Group Project (60%): a group digital storytelling project, evaluated based on:
-Narrative structure and coherence
-Effective use of media and interactivity
-Historical accuracy and audience engagement
Written Exam (40%) – In-class written exam (90 minutes)
The written exam evaluates students’ understanding of key theoretical concepts, ethical challenges, and methodological approaches discussed in the course, as well as their ability to apply these frameworks to concrete public history scenarios involving digital and transmedia storytelling.

-Freeman, M., Gambarato, R. R. (Eds.). (2018). The Routledge Companion to Transmedia Studies. Taylor and Francis.
-Hartmut Koenitz et al. (Eds.) (2015). Interactive Digital Narrative: History, Theory and Practice. Routledge.
-Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.
-Murray, J. H. (1997). Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. MIT Press.
-Aarseth, E. J. (1997). Cybertext. JHU Press.
 
A comprehensive bibliography will be shared during the course.

• Course title: Digital and Public History Summer School
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: MADIPH-10
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Feeds-on experience of history
Descriptif :This year’s Digital Public History Summer School is designed as a walking excursion, aiming at exploring Luxembourg’s historical landscapes and material cultural heritage. Walking as embodied encounter with heritage and natural / cultural environments is an established methodology in social sciences and ethnography and its sensate and kinaesthetic attributes facilitate connections with lived experiences, journeys and memories, communities and identities. Historically, walking and knowing the past have a long tradition, yet pedestrianism as historical practice is now a lost art. 
 
During the excursion, students will learn how to “read” traces of the past in different historical landscapes (industrial, urban, natural) and how to document, analyze and turn their observations into different formats of digital narratives. During the walks, students will pair to exchange and dialogue about the impact of digital tools on public history, public engagement strategies, accessibility in digital design, and the creation of participatory digital projects.
Evening activities will include short presentations and group discussions based on a syllabus shared in advance. The course encourages collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, preparing students for the challenges and opportunities in doing “field work” in digital public history.

– Discover landscape and material cultural heritage as historical source.
– Explore walking as method of academic reflection, intellectual exchange, and group learning.
– Apply digital tools for content management, storytelling, and navigation.
– Critically evaluate ethical and practical challenges in doing digital public history.

 

Reflexive Essay
–  Short presentation of an article/book and a digital took for storytelling on the move (20%).
– Lab notebook documenting observations reflections during the excursion (20%).
– Reflexive essay on walking as historical method and its potential for doing digital history (60%).

O’Neill, M. Roberts, B., Walking Methods. Research on the Move. Routledge : London 2019.
Noiret, S., Tebeau, M., Zaagsma, G. (Eds.) (2022). Handbook of Digital Public History. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter Oldenbourg. doi:10.1515/9783110430295-001
Readman, P., Walking, and Knowing the Past: Antiquaries, Pedestrianism and Historical Practice in Modern Britain. History. The Journal of the Historical Association Vol.107 (2022) Issue 375, p. 51-73.
 
A comprehensive bibliography (provided as shared Zotero library) will be shared during the course.

• Course title: Project Management for the GLAM Industries pt. 2
• Number of ECTS: 6
• Course code: MADIPH-11
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Upon completing this course, students will:  
-Understand the specificities of project management in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) compared to corporate contexts.
-Analyse the lifecycle of digital public history projects from ideation to legacy.
-Develop skills to define project scope, goals, and success criteria tailored to cultural heritage contexts.
-Apply risk assessment and mitigation strategies to anticipate challenges.
-Gain proficiency in project management workflows, tools, and budgeting.
-Produce prototypes and communicate project ideas effectively to stakeholders.
-Collaborate in teams to transform project concepts into concrete outputs.

This year-long course is structured across two semesters:
Semester 1 provides the foundations of project management, guiding students through the design and planning phases of a digital public history project.
Semester 2 focuses on execution, during which students will realise a collaborative project based on their preparatory work.
The emphasis in Semester 1 is on developing the fundamental skills and tools needed to design and plan cultural heritage projects in the GLAM sector. Students are introduced to project lifecycles and planning methodologies, learning how to define scope, goals, and success criteria while taking into account institutional constraints and audiences. Practical workshops allow students to apply these concepts to their own project ideas, working step by step on feasibility studies, resource mapping, and risk assessment. Dedicated sessions on budgeting and workflows introduce students to project management tools and methods, while prototyping exercises promote iterative design and communication skills.By the end of Semester 1, students will have produced a comprehensive project proposal that includes a scope and goals statement, feasibility analysis, risk mitigation plan, budget, and prototype. This output will not only simulate real-world GLAM project preparation but also lay the groundwork for the implementation phase in Semester 2.

Final project (100%). Project proposal, including scope goals statement, feasibility analysis, risk mitigation plan, budget, and prototype. Students will be evaluated both on the quality of the teamwork and on their individual contribution.

Bibliography (extract)A detailed list of articles and recommended readings will be provided during the course. Students will also receive annotated lecture slides to guide them through key concepts, case studies, and practical tools.

• Course title: German for Public Historians – Deutsch für Public Historians
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: MADIPH-22
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: DE
• Mandatory: Yes

• Course title: Orientation
• Number of ECTS: 1
• Course code: MADIPH-13
• Module(s): Core Production Skills
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

– Identify personal academic and career goals within the field of Digital and Public History.
– Analyse programme offerings and opportunities in view of the desired career path.
– Develop an individual study plan tailored to professional aspirations.
– Reflect on strengths and areas for improvement in academic progress.
– Explore relevant internships, projects, and courses to enhance employability.
– Prepare for applications, interviews, and professional networking.

Orientation focuses on guiding students to craft a personalised academic and professional development plan through individual meetings with instructors. These one-on-one sessions provide a tailored approach to identifying students’ strengths, interests, and career ambitions.
 
The sessions will cover:
– Assessing the student’s current academic performance.
– Mapping the curriculum to personal career aspirations.
– Exploring opportunities such as internships, workshops, and additional certifications.
– Understanding pathways to roles in cultural heritage, public history, academia, and other related fields.
 
Students will also be encouraged to reflect on their progress and discuss strategies to overcome academic or professional challenges. By the end of the semester, they will have a clear action plan outlining their course of studies and career trajectory.

Final exam during exam session
– Participation in individual meetings – 50%
– Submission of a detailed study and career plan – 50%