Organisation profile

The Department of History holds that awareness of the past is essential to understanding the present and that all knowledge has historical roots. Such an approach helps students learn from the past and apply this knowledge to the present and future in a critical and constructive fashion. We argue that History is a useful subject that enables learners to understand and capture the salient features of humanity's shared past. Studying history equips students to face the challenges ahead. As such, the Department aims to cultivate our students' appreciation of history and to sharpen their critical and analytical abilities.

The Department is composed of a team of energetic scholars and dedicated teachers from diverse backgrounds and with varied areas of expertise. Courses reflect our efforts to conduct research-led teaching. For instance, faculty members' research strengths in archaeology, architecture, art, business, childhood, colonialism, diseases, environment, ethnicity, historical anthropology, historical GIS, historiography, gender, law, leisure, material cultures, maritime defense, migration, military, medicine, multiculturalism, museum studies politics, religions, science, and urbanism, have all formed courses in these areas. Geographically speaking, faculty members work on East, South, and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, America, Oceania, and Africa. To maximize our expertise, the Department offers courses on the history of all these regions and continents. On chronological coverage, faculty members work on topics stretching from antiquity to the contemporary world. Our projects are funded by a wide variety of agencies and institutions, which reveals the extensive recognition for our staff's achievements. All the faculty members of the Department have demonstrated excellence in historical research and have published widely in academic journals, books, and edited volumes.