Memorabilia as collector's items and exhibition objects

• Lecturers: Rudolf Holbach, Markus Evers
• Degree programme/module: ges144/GM 4 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.); ges500/ges503 in the Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: winter term 2014/15 to summer term 2015
• Short description: The linguistic, visual and other media as well as the materials of artefacts of memory are diverse. Even more diverse are the occasions for their creation and preservation: they range from family events or military service to religious experiences, and refer to personal highlights as well as events, places and people of general historical or cultural significance. The project aims to examine the different contexts of memorabilia made of paper, glass, metal, etc. as well as the possibilities and problems of collecting and exhibiting them. Private collections serve as a basis, which can be supplemented by museum artefacts. In co-operation with the Heimatmuseum Schloss Schönebeck, the students developed the concept for the exhibition "ZurückDenkStücke: What remains of the experience", which opened on 18 July 2015. Together with their teachers, the students produced a book to accompany the exhibition: "Evers, Markus / Holbach, Rudolf (eds.): Zurückdenkstücke. What remains of the experience, Bremen 2015". [more]

The Middle Ages in the MachMitMuseum

• Lecturer: Lena Schönborn
• Degree programme/module: GM 2 and VM 2 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.); AM 2 and MM 6a/b in the Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: summer term 2012 to winter term 2012/13
• Short description: In co-operation with the children's and youth museum "miraculum" and the art school of the city of Aurich, Oldenburg students developed an exhibition on the Middle Ages entitled "Spinning wheel, sword and quill: The Middle Ages to join in" (exhibition period: 17 February - 15 December 2013 and 23 February - 9 November 2014). The project module consisted of two events: In Part 1, the students familiarised themselves with the topic and acquired the necessary background knowledge to define the subject areas for the exhibition. To this end, the topics were to be prepared in a child-friendly way and brought together with the "miraculum" in an exhibition concept. In part 2, the students created exhibition texts, an audio guide and accompanying material for the exhibition. [more]

The Coin Treasure of Jever

• Lecturers: Martin Lindner, Susanne Börner
• Degree programme/module: AM in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.) and Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: Summer term 2011 to winter term 2011/12
• Short description: In 1850, one of the largest antique silver treasures in northern Germany was found in what is now Jever Castle Park, but has so far only been accessible to the public to a very limited extent. Students from the University of Oldenburg, in collaboration with the Jever Castle Museum, have developed an exhibition based on original pieces, reports of finds and other sources (exhibition period: 4 March - 29 April 2012). Together with the teaching staff, the students produced a book to accompany the exhibition: "Becker, Ida / Büttner, Matthias / Claaßen, Astrid (ed.): Der römische Münzschatz von Jever. Die Region Friesland und das Römische Reich im Spiegel antiken Geldes (Oldenburger Forschungen. Neue Folge 27), Oldenburg 2012".

Games in the Middle Ages

• Lecturer: Rudolf Holbach
• Degree programme/module: AM 2 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); VM 2 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: Summer term 2011
• Short description: The forms and functions of play as a "primal phenomenon of life" are of particular interest in the context of a modern cultural studies orientation in medieval studies. The course dealt with the significance of games and free time in a society organised by estates, in which a clear distinction between work and "free time", between the public and the private sphere did not yet exist to the same extent. The main aim of the project seminar was to develop forms of presentation of medieval games and the academic discussion of them for the public. The event culminated in a presentation at the "Long Night of Museums" on 10 September 2011 in Oldenburg. [more]

Making a boring topic exciting

• Lecturer: Indre Döpcke
• Degree programme/module: PB 72 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Duration: SoSe 2011
• Short description: Imagine you are a museum educator in an open-air museum and are given the task of developing a museum education concept for the new permanent exhibition on environmental history and a corresponding programme for upper secondary school pupils. How do you go about it? The seminar dealt with this question using a practical example: based on a reflection of academic debates on educational goals in schools and those of the museum as an extracurricular place of learning, suggestions for the educational implementation of the topic were developed using environmental history. As the Chair of Didactics of History was involved in the joint research project "Mensch & Umwelt. Pilot project for the networking of research, museological documentation and didactics", the Chair of History Education works closely with the Museumsdorf Cloppenburg - Lower Saxony Open-Air Museum, the results of the seminar flowed directly into practical exhibition concepts.

World behind glass. Paperweights as memorabilia and historical material sources

• Lecturer: Rudolf Holbach
• Degree programme/module: PrM in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.); MM 7 in the Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: Summer term 2010
• Short description: The history of paperweights made of glass dates back to around 1840. Initially by-products of glass production and small gifts and souvenirs, they soon became collector's items due to their rich variety, especially in the Anglo-Saxon countries, and in the course of time developed in part into more expensive art and prestige objects. Individual locations or regions gained a special reputation for their production using special techniques. However, the focus of the event was less on paperweights as evidence of craftsmanship and more on them as historical sources, which are signifiers of personal and collective memory and perception through images and writing. Beyond "real statements", such paperweights can be understood in particular as souvenirs of journeys and at the same time as an expression of the appreciation of certain cities, buildings, squares, etc. and the self-image associated with them, as a sign of patriotism, of piety, of a love of nature and enthusiasm for technology, of turning to the past and to modernity, etc. They could be used to commemorate memorable places and events. They could serve as a reminder of memorable events, as a bearer of family news or proof of mutual affection and also functioned and still function as advertising media. They therefore cover a broad spectrum as image and material sources. At the end of the project, the students familiarised themselves with the history and conditions of production and technology in the glass industry and important European and other locations as they changed, in order to be able to recognise and comparatively evaluate the significance of paperweights as historical sources. The participants were then able to select, classify and describe exhibits from a private collection, research their background (e.g. history of buildings, monuments, companies), place them in a general historical and cultural context and present the results to the group. Students on the Museum and Exhibition MA worked in a group to develop the concept for an exhibition in co-operation with the Schlossmuseum in Jever, which was to be shown in winter 2010/11. Together with their teachers, the students produced a book to accompany the exhibition.

Oldenburg flashes of inspiration

• Lecturer: Dagmar Freist
• Degree programme/module: Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: Summer term 2009
• Short description: Did you know that the treatment with Schüßler salts, the introduction of the streamline shape in ship and airship construction, the first complete translation of the "Fairy Tales from 1001 Nights" in German, the anchoring of the historical-critical method in theology and important thought-provoking impulses for modern philosophy, pedagogy and sexology can be traced back to Oldenburg scientists? From 13 August to 31 October 2009, the exhibition "Geistesblitze - Forscher, Erfinder und Gelehrte im Oldenburger Land" (Flashes of inspiration - researchers, inventors and scholars in the Oldenburg region) at the Oldenburg State Library traced the originators of these and other "flashes of inspiration". Scientists and students from the University of Oldenburg vividly presented important researchers, inventors and scholars from the 17th to 20th centuries who are associated with the city and region of Oldenburg. The exhibition project, which was specially designed for the "City of Science" framework, was based on a co-operation between the Oldenburg State Library, the Institute of History at the University of Oldenburg, the Academy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg and the Oldenburgische Landschaft [to the virtual exhibition]. Together with the teaching staff, the students produced a volume to accompany the exhibition: "Freist, Dagmar / Müller, Wolfgang Erich (eds.): Oldenburger Geistesblitze. Forscher, Erfinder und Gelehrte im Oldenburger Land (Schriften der Landesbibliothek Oldenburg 48), Oldenburg 2009". [more]

Remembering 20 years of peaceful revolution and German unity

• Lecturer: Maren Ullrich
• Degree programme/module: PB 71 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Duration: Winter term 2008/09
• Short description: November 2009 marked the twentieth anniversary of the peaceful revolution in the GDR. The memory of this event was directly linked to German reunification, which was also to be commemorated for the twentieth time on 3 October 2010. Public media and institutions of historical culture devoted a great deal of attention to the forthcoming anniversaries. Museums, history societies and archives planned a large number of exhibitions, films, reports and events. The Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship also announced a funding programme and took over the coordination of the various initiatives. The declared aim was to "initiate a societal debate on the history of the GDR, especially at a local level." After a fundamental discussion on the meaning and purpose of historical anniversaries, the participants in the seminar first gained an overview of the planned initiatives and their networking. In the second half of the semester, the conception of a special exhibition was trialled on the basis of a specific project.

The century of the camps

• Lecturer: Yvonne Robel (in cooperation with the Sandbostel Camp Memorial)
• Degree programme/module: ges142 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges142/AM 4/MM 1 in the Master of Education (M.Ed.); GM 4 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: winter term 2012/13
• Short description: The presence of camps pervades the 20th century. They were used in various ways for the systematic surveillance and repression of society, the segregation of undesirables (such as colonised people, stateless persons, "asocials" or racially ideological or politically defined "enemies"), the exploitation of labour, the systematic extermination of people as well as for order and discipline (e.g. of refugees). Are camps therefore to be regarded as phenomena of modernity? Do they represent, in the words of Giorgio Agamben, a permanent and persistent state of emergency? What notions of continuity are we assuming when we speak of the "century of camps"? Is the term suitable as an epistemological bracket for researching the 20th century? - After an introductory examination of these questions, we worked in teams to analyse individual camp types of the 20th century. We then focussed on the Sandbostel camp, which served as a prisoner of war camp from 1939, as a "reception camp" for prisoners of the Neuengamme concentration camp in April 1945, as a British internment camp for members of the SS after liberation, as a prison between 1948 and 1952 and as accommodation for young GDR refugees in the 1950s. Joint research questions were developed against the background of the theoretical discussion and on the basis of existing sources from the history of Sandbostel and in co-operation with the memorial site. The aim was to think about possible ways of thematising and presenting these questions on site, with a view to the concept of the camp itself and the overlapping uses of the camp in Sandbostel. Some of the students' findings will probably be available on the memorial's website in the future.

Images of perpetrators. Forced labour at the "Valentin" submarine bunker

• Lecturer: Yvonne Robel (in collaboration with Kathrin Herold, educational assistant at the "Valentin" bunker memorial site)
• Degree programme/module: ges142 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges142/AM 4/MM 1 in the Master of Education (M.Ed.); VM 4 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: summer term 2012
• Short description: As one of the largest armaments ruins, the 'Valentin' submarine bunker in Bremen-Farge still bears witness to National Socialist rule and the exploitation of forced labourers on site. The construction of the more than 400-metre-long bunker with its metre-thick concrete walls claimed the lives of over 1,000 civilian forced labourers, prisoners of war, prisoners of the Farge labour education camp and concentration camp inmates. It was not until 2011 that the city of Bremen was able to take over the bunker from the German Navy and dedicate itself to its design as a 'memorial site'. Based on the bunker 'Valentin', the seminar dealt with questions of National Socialist perpetration. To this end, it worked primarily with files on a trial and investigations against former perpetrators of the adjacent labour education camp. The results - in project teams and individual work - include, for example, a lesson concept on the topic of "Perpetrators and deeds viewed from multiple perspectives", a project day concept on the question of what room for manoeuvre those responsible had on site, or a linked PowerPoint presentation on perpetrators and victims at the bunker construction site itself. All of the students' findings will be used by the team at Denkort Bunker Valentin for educational work on site and as suggestions for the future design of the exhibition.

Web project: Memory in comics

• Lecturer: Yvonne Robel
• Degree programme/module: PB71 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); TM in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.); ges500/ges503 in the Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: winter term 2012/13
• Short description: Comics can be just as much a medium of historical culture as monuments, exhibitions or films. This applies in particular to the trend of graphic novels, which repeatedly thematise experiences of exclusion, persecution and violence. Art Spiegelman's Maus is probably the most prominent example of this specific form of "history comics". Just like Joe Sacco with his committed, contemporary historical comic reportages on Palestine or Bosnia and Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) with her autobiographical treatment of the Iranian revolution and living conditions, Art Spiegelman has liberated the comic from its marginalised existence in the bourgeois cultural discourse. In the German context, too, the publications mentioned above encouraged many illustrators, comic authors and publishers to deal with contemporary historical themes and questions of remembrance. What special content potential do such comics harbour? What do they tell us about national and transnational trends in remembrance (of violent history)? What trends are remembrance in comics subject to? Do comics develop their own dynamics of historical-cultural narration? And to what extent do they attempt to reflect the peculiarities of this medium and processes of remembrance themselves? The seminar approached these questions both on the basis of the relatively young and transdisciplinary field of comic research as well as through concrete individual examples. From a historiographical perspective, comics can be analysed in terms of their links to oral history, their source value and their usability in history lessons. The aim was to jointly design a website that provides quick access to the topic of memory in comics by means of short introductory texts and reviews of individual comics. In addition to a critical survey from a historical perspective, the seminar also focussed on freer forms of academic writing and web-based processing options. [more]

Radio project: "Labour-shy, asocial, criminal ... " - Persecution scenarios in Oldenburg

• Lecturer: Yvonne Robel
• Degree programme/module: ges142 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges142/AM 4/MM1 in the Master of Education (M.Ed.); VM 4 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.); ges500/ges503 in the Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: summer term 2012
• Short description: "Who is asocial here?" asks one of the audio tracks created in the seminar. During National Socialism, countless people were labelled as "work-shy", "asocial" or "criminal", persecuted and murdered. These were categories that were subject to constant negotiation. They labelled "deviant behaviour", were sometimes charged with hereditary biology and were used to register "vagrants", the destitute, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals and "strangers to the community", among others. In Oldenburg, too, the wide-ranging persecution measures were legitimised as "preventive crime prevention". The project seminar focussed on these processes in particular by examining source material from the state archives. The results are audio tracks produced by the students, which approach the topic and individual fates of persecution in different ways. They thematise the negotiation processes regarding the range of concepts and the resulting consequences for those affected - particularly in the state of Oldenburg. The audio contributions are publicly accessible in an interactive city map on the web. [more]

Radio project: Historical side streets. Oldenburg postcolonial?

• Lecturer: Yvonne Robel
• Degree programme/module: PB71 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Duration: winter semester 2011/12Brief description: Oldenburg is not generally regarded as a city in which we are confronted with the German colonial past on a daily basis. However, it was particularly important - in the spirit of postcolonial studies - to uncover these not immediately obvious remnants of that time and the colonial gaze, some of which is still effective. The participants worked together to familiarise themselves with the overall topic, developed sub-themes, researched them, collected the available sources and materials, created a manuscript for a soundtrack and implemented this idea themselves under technical guidance (accompanied by the radio station O1). The clickable markers on an interactive city map tell, for example, about "Bünting Coloniale" and "Rose am Stau", where colonial goods were sold on Oldenburg's shop counters, about an inconspicuous memorial stone on Ofener Straße, which establishes a connection to the genocide in former German South West Africa, or about an ethnological show that took place on the Dobbenwiesen in 1905. Other soundtracks go in search of colonial traces in the State Museum of Nature and Man and follow an Oldenburg resident into the "Boxer Rebellion". The result is six lovingly edited contributions that deal with colonial history in Oldenburg in an exciting way and critically analyse the current way of dealing with it. You can find a television report by Maik Nolte on the topic and project here. [more]

Film project: History in television documentaries - criticism and production

• Lecturer: Frank Schmekel
• Degree programme/module: AM 6
• Duration: Summer term 2011
• Short description: Under the seminar title "History in Television Documentaries", 18 students of the subject History had the opportunity not only to critically examine historical television documentaries, but also to produce them themselves. This leap into the deep end was made easier for the students thanks to the co-operation with the "Geschichte mitmachen" project run by local broadcaster o1, but even with the dedicated help of Maik Nolte, there was still plenty to do. The content of the documentaries had to be found, analysed and prepared for media production in the form of a script. The only requirement for the students was that the documentaries should shed light on regional historical content. Finally, sources, film motifs, music and interview partners had to be found and staged correctly. The results of the work are 15-30 minute films that are characterised by a great deal of love, intensive project work and a considerable degree of professionalism. There is the documentary about the Getruden Cemetery, which first eked out a marginal existence, then served as a burial place for Oldenburg's most famous people and increasingly became an oasis of peace in the middle of a growing city. The city itself and its changes in the 19th century are the subject of another production, in which Oldenburg's step into the modern age as the capital of a grand duchy is thematised. Here it is possible to understand why particularly striking buildings such as the PFL were built. The documentary about Count Anton Günther, who still occupies the collective memory today - be it on equestrian statues or murals - starts a little earlier. The production about euthanasia in Wehen before, during and after the Nazi era presents a completely different approach to remembrance and commemoration. Here, one of the darkest chapters of German history is reflected in Oldenburg's immediate neighbourhood. Finally, the productions about Carl von Ossietzky and the name dispute at the University of Oldenburg as well as the history of the popular Wallstraße should be mentioned. While the former looks at the difficult path to the naming of the university, the latter provides a historical insight into today's popular pub street. The productions could be viewed either on local Oldenburg television or at the University of Oldenburg, where they will be screened publicly in October 2011. There was also the opportunity to talk to the makers of the TV documentaries. The films can also be viewed on youtube (e.g. History of the Gertruden Cemetery, Carl von Ossietzky - the name dispute, History of Wallstraße).

Places of remembrance and German-Polish relations

• Lecturers: Berit Pleitner, Hans-Henning Hahn
• Module: AM in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); GM in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: winter term 2009/10
• Short description: In a joint seminar with students from the University of Poznan, this seminar focussed on the history of Poland in the 20th century. Excursions to Poznan and Gdansk were organised for this purpose. In Poznan, the main topics were Prussian rule / Greater Poland uprising and the founding of the state in 1918 / Second World War and German occupation as well as the 1956 uprising; in Gdansk, the topics were the 1970 workers' uprising / KOR 1976 / Solidarnosc and martial law 1980/81. In addition, the question of German-Polish relations always resonates with these topics. These topics were worked on in small groups together with the Polish students, as an important aspect of this seminar was the exchange with the hosts. Together, they considered forms of historical representation and different approaches to history.
• Award: Honoured with the Teaching Prize of the University of Oldenburg for the academic year 2009/10 in the category "Best Module". [more]

EVENTVS II: Olympia

• Lecturers: Georg Müller, Lena Schönborn
• Degree programme/module: ges185 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges188 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: summer semester 2016
• Short description: In August 2016 - during the Olympic Games in Rio - the ancient Olympic Games of 67 AD were re-enacted in Oldenburg, in which Emperor Nero won the olive branch under dubious circumstances. The participating schools each represented a city-state of the Greco-Roman world (a polis) and competed against each other in athletics and artistic competitions as well as in chariot races. The participants in the project module were assigned to the different schools and designed the 'treasure houses' in consultation with the supervising teachers. The students were also responsible for organising the competitions.

EVENTVS I: Triumphus

• Lecturers: Lena Schönborn, Georg Müller
• Degree programme/module: -
• Duration: Summer term 2014
• Short description: EVENTVS is a series organised by the University of Oldenburg, which presents living antiquity every two years in cooperation with secondary schools in the city of Oldenburg and the surrounding area. On 11 October 2014, pupils, teachers and students re-enacted Caesar's triumphal procession from 46 BC. Participants included the Ulricianum grammar school from Aurich, the Alte Gymnasium grammar school from Bremen, the Alte Gymnasium grammar school from Oldenburg, the Cäcilienschule grammar school, the Eversten grammar school, the Graf-Anton-Günther-Schule grammar school, the Herbartgymnasium grammar school and the Neues Gymnasium grammar school.

Forms of life in the Middle Ages

• Lecturers: Maren Ullrich, Sarah Neumann
• Degree programme/module: ges173 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges173/MM 2 in the Master of Education (M.Ed.)
• Duration: summer term 2014
• Short description: The module "History teaching at grammar schools" focuses on the combination of specialised and didactic expertise, which is indispensable for prospective history teachers and makes historical learning possible in the first place. In the summer semester of 2014, this was not only tested theoretically but also practically using the example of the subject area "Forms of life in the Middle Ages": At the beginning of the semester, selected materials were analysed in a specialised manner and reflected upon in terms of subject didactics. This was followed by an intensive methodical examination of the conditions and possibilities of project- and activity-orientated history lessons. This preliminary work led to the planning, realisation and reflection of a project week on the above-mentioned topic in the seventh year of the IGS Kreyenbrück.

Oldenburg for children: concepts for child-friendly city tours

• Lecturer: Berit Pleitner
• Degree programme/module: Master of Education (M.Ed.); Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.); Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.); for students in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) by arrangement as well as open to students from the areas of specialisation "Institutions and Media of Historical Culture" or "Historical Professionalisation"
• Duration: winter term 2008/09
• Short description: The Foundation of Lower Saxony supports the project "Children lead children" for the city of Oldenburg. The aim is for children and young people to develop their own guided tours of the city. These do not have to be conventional - in other words, they do not have to relate solely to the city centre or the city's history. Instead, the aim is to give children and young people the freedom to present the city from their own perspective and using the methods and media of their choice. The Lower Saxony Foundation provided funding for the realisation of the project. The co-operating schools were the IGS Flötenteich, the RS Osternburg and the GS Röwekamp. [more]

Projects in history lessons

• Lecturer: Berit Pleitner
• Degree programme/module: AM 7
• Duration: Summer term 2008
• Short description: This seminar offered the opportunity to carry out a three-day project on the topic of "Everyday life in the GDR" with pupils from the 10th grade of the Realschule Osternburg. The first seminar sessions were used to prepare the content and methodology for the project days, during which students were to take over a school working group alone or in pairs. After the project days, three regular sessions were used for follow-up work. The seminar thus offered the opportunity to gain practical experience at the school and evaluate it together. [more]
  

Surveillance and punishment in the age of the nation

• Lecturer: Yvonne Robel
• Degree programme/module: ges142 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges142/AM 4/MM 1 in the Master of Education (M.Ed.); VM 4 in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: summer term 2013
• Short description: Since its closure in March 2013, the prison department in Oldenburg's Gerichtsstraße has attracted regional and national attention. The departure of the last inmates marked the end of a chapter in the history of the local prison system that spanned more than 150 years. But what prompted the people of Oldenburg in the 19th century to build a new prison according to the modern standards of the time? How was it equipped, also in relation to today's standards? Who served their sentences in Gerichtsstraße? What values applied in the prison? What obligations, perks and internal punishments were the norm? And how did all of this change over time and in particular against the backdrop of the various system changes? These and other questions were investigated by a student project at the Institute in collaboration with Oldenburg Prison. The results have been published in an anthology: "Koop, Gerd / Robel, Yvonne (eds.): Gefangen am Schlossgarten. Zur Geschichte des Oldenburger Strafvollzugs in der Gerichtstraße (Criminal Education Practice Series 19), Lingen 2014".

Regional places of remembrance

• Lecturer: Mareike Witkowski
• Degree programme/module: TM in the Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: winter term 2009/10
• Short description: In recent years, Pierre Nora's concept of "lieux de mémoire" has achieved a veritable triumph in historical studies. According to the definition of Etienne Francois and Hagen Schulze, "places of memory" represent "long-lasting crystallisation points of collective memory and identity that transcend generations". Since its creation, the concept has been expanded to increasingly analyse transnational and European places of remembrance in addition to national places of remembrance. The exercise focussed on the regional places of remembrance in the state of Oldenburg. After a short familiarisation period with the theoretical concept, the local places of remembrance were jointly crystallised in order to then research them in more detail. The seminar participants wrote their own texts on selected places of remembrance, which were published in an anthology: "Witkowski, Mareike (ed.): Oldenburger Erinnerungsorte: Vom Schloss bis zur Hölle des Nordens, von Graf Anton Günther bis Horst Janssen, Oldenburg 2012". [more]
• Award: Honoured with the Teaching Prize of the University of Oldenburg for the academic year 2009/10 in the category "Particularly successful instruction for independent academic work and research". [more]

Travelogues of the 19th century

• Lecturer: Katrin Freese
• Degree programme/module: ges141/ges151/BM 3 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Duration: summer term 2014
• Short description: The module uses 19th century travelogues about the Orient and Eastern Europe to provide an introduction to various theoretical and methodological approaches to analysing travelogues as sources for the history of culture and perception. One focus will be on historical stereotype research, which will be used to analyse the images of the "other" described in the travelogues. The aim here will be to determine what function the description of "thieving and barbaric Russians" and "backward and fateful Turks" had for the travellers' identity formation as representatives of German society. The stereotypes are contextualised against the background of colonialism and emerging imperialism and their possible function in political processes is scrutinised. In addition to historical research into stereotypes, we will also look at the theoretical approaches of Orientalism and so-called 'mental mapping'. The aim of the module is to provide an introduction to various methodological approaches and an overview of the function and content of a significant part of the stereotypical world of 19th century German society. The results of the study of travelogues from the basic and advanced seminars will be presented at the student conference "Travelogues" in the form of lectures and posters.

In the service of power. Museums and exhibitions under National Socialism

• Lecturer: Mareike Witkowski
• Degree programme/module: PB72 in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); ges500/ges503 in the Master of Arts "Museum and Exhibition" (M.A.)
• Duration: summer term 2013
• Short description: In recent years, numerous museums have begun to research the history of their buildings during the National Socialist era. The popular myth that their institution was able to keep out of politics as far as possible has been shattered. Museums were politically dependent and often obeyed before they were even required to do so. The seminar will focus on the role of museums and exhibitions during the National Socialist era. To what extent can they be interpreted as stabilisers of the regime? How was National Socialist ideology conveyed through the medium of exhibitions? What leeway remained in the conception and realisation of exhibitions? Together with the seminar "History of the Museum", a student conference will take place on 24/25 May 2013.

Ambivalences of the Enlightenment and Haskala in the European Context

• Lecturers: Dagmar Freist, Gerd Steinwascher, Christina Beckers
• Degree programme/module: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); Master of Education (M.Ed.); Master of Arts "European History" (M.A.)
• Duration: winter term 2009/10
• Short description: "Ambivalences of the Enlightenment and Haskala in the European Context" - this was the topic of a student conference organised by students from the Early Modern Department of the Institute of History at the University of Oldenburg, which took place on Saturday, 6 February 2010, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, on the Haarentor campus (Hörsaalzentrum A14, Hörsaal 3). The speciality: The speakers were Bachelor's and Master's students from the university. In their presentations, they focussed in particular on the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskala) of the period from 1770 to 1880. The student conference was aimed at academics, students and all interested parties.

The Middle Ages in the MachMitMuseum

• Lecturer: Lena Schönborn (in cooperation with the MachMitMuseum "miraculum" Aurich)
• Module: GM 2/VM 2 for students of the M.A. European History, AM 2 and MM 6a/b for students of the M.A. Museum and Exhibition
• Duration: summer term 2012 to winter term 2012/13
• Short description: The "miraculum" is a children's and youth museum that has set itself the task of communicating educational content interactively in annually changing exhibitions and encouraging children to participate. An interactive experience exhibition on the Middle Ages is planned for 2013, in which this historical epoch is to be made tangible and staged through action-orientated learning with all the senses. Our aim is to prepare the concept for this exhibition in collaboration with the Aurich art school "miraculum" and to gain an insight into the working methods of a children's and youth museum. The project module consists of two events: In part 1, we will familiarise ourselves with the subject matter during the summer semester 2012 and acquire the necessary background knowledge to define the individual subject areas for the exhibition. To this end, the topics will be prepared in a child-friendly way and brought together in an exhibition concept together with the "miraculum" art school. Small excursions to Aurich and possibly a departure from the weekly rhythm are conceivable here. In part 2, we will accompany the implementation of the concept on site in block dates in autumn 2012 and spring 2013. The exhibition will finally open in March 2013.

The coin treasure of Jever

• Lecturers: Martin Andreas Lindner / Susanne Börner
• Degree programme / module: Advanced module course for students of the MA Museum and Exhibition and MA European History
• Duration: Summer term 2011 - Winter term 2011/12
• Short description: In 1850, one of the largest antique silver treasures in northern Germany was found in what is now Jever Castle Park, but until now it has only been accessible to the public to a very limited extent. An exhibition was developed by students at the University of Oldenburg in collaboration with the Jever Castle Museum based on original artefacts, reports of finds and other sources. It was on display from 4 March 2012 to 29 April 2012 at the Schlossmuseum Jever. [more]

Games in the Middle Ages

• Lecturer: Rudolf Holbach
• Semester: Summer term 2011
• Degree programmes / module: B.A. (AM 2), M.A. European History (VM 2)
• Short description: The forms and functions of play as a "primal phenomenon of life" are of particular interest in the context of a modern cultural studies orientation in medieval studies. The course dealt with the significance of games and free time in a society organised by estates, in which a clear distinction between work and "free time", between the public and the private sphere did not yet exist to the same extent. The main aim of the project seminar was to develop forms of presentation of medieval games and the academic discussion of them for the public. The event culminated in a presentation at the "Long Night of Museums" on 10 September 2011 in Oldenburg.[Press report in Uni-Info 7/2011]

Making a boring topic exciting

• Lecturer: Indre Döpcke
• Semester: Summer semester 2011
• Degree programme / module: B.A. (PB 72: Historical Museums and Exhibitions)
• Short description: Imagine you are a museum educator in an open-air museum and are given the task of developing a museum education concept for the new permanent exhibition on environmental history and a corresponding programme for upper secondary school pupils. How do you go about it? The seminar dealt with this question using a practical example: based on a reflection of academic debates on educational goals in schools and those of the museum as an extracurricular place of learning, suggestions for the educational implementation of the topic were developed using environmental history. As the Chair of Didactics of History was involved in the joint research project "Mensch & Umwelt. Pilot project for the networking of research, museological documentation and didactics"[Homepage], the results of the seminar flowed directly into practical exhibition concepts.

World behind glass. Paperweights as memorabilia and historical material sources

• Lecturer: Rudolf Holbach
• Semester: Summer term 2010
• Degree programme / module: M.A. Museum and Exhibition (MM 7) and M.A. European History (PrM)
• Short description: The history of paperweights made of glass dates back to around 1840. Initially by-products of glass production and small gifts and souvenirs, they soon became collector's items due to their rich variety, especially in the Anglo-Saxon countries, and in the course of time developed in part into more expensive art and prestige objects. Individual locations or regions gained a special reputation for their production using special techniques. However, the focus of the event was less on paperweights as evidence of craftsmanship and more on them as historical sources, which are signifiers of personal and collective memory and perception through images and writing. Beyond "real statements", such paperweights can be understood in particular as souvenirs of journeys and at the same time as an expression of the appreciation of certain cities, buildings, squares, etc. and the self-image associated with them, as a sign of patriotism, of piety, of a love of nature and enthusiasm for technology, of turning to the past and to modernity, etc. They could be used to commemorate memorable places and events. They could serve as a reminder of memorable events, as a bearer of family news or proof of mutual affection and also functioned and still function as advertising media. They therefore cover a broad spectrum as image and material sources. At the end of the project, the students familiarised themselves with the history and conditions of production and technology in the glass industry and important European and other locations as they changed, in order to be able to recognise and comparatively evaluate the significance of paperweights as historical sources. The participants were then able to select, classify and describe exhibits from a private collection, research their background (e.g. history of buildings, monuments, companies), place them in a general historical and cultural context and present the results to the group. Students of the MA Museum and Exhibition worked in a group to develop the concept for an exhibition in co-operation with the Schlossmuseum in Jever, which was to be shown in winter 2010/11. Students on the MA in European History worked with the teaching staff to produce a catalogue for the exhibition.

Oldenburg flashes of inspiration

• Lecturer: Dagmar Freist
• Semester: Summer term 2009
• Degree programme / module: M.A. European History
• Short description: Did you know that the treatment with Schüßler salts, the introduction of the streamline shape in ship and airship construction, the first complete translation of the "Fairy Tales from 1001 Nights" in German, the anchoring of the historical-critical method in theology and important thought-provoking impulses for modern philosophy, pedagogy and sexology can be traced back to Oldenburg scientists? From 13 August to 31 October 2009, the exhibition "Geistesblitze - Forscher, Erfinder und Gelehrte im Oldenburger Land" (Flashes of inspiration - researchers, inventors and scholars in the Oldenburg region) at the Oldenburg State Library traced the originators of these and other "flashes of inspiration". Scientists and students from the University of Oldenburg vividly presented important researchers, inventors and scholars from the 17th to 20th centuries who are associated with the city and region of Oldenburg. The exhibition project, which was specially conceived for the "City of Science" framework, was based on a co-operation between the Oldenburg State Library, the Institute of History at the University of Oldenburg, the Academy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg and the Oldenburgische Landschaft [to the virtual exhibition].
• The exhibition was accompanied by the catalogue volume: Oldenburger Geistesblitze. Forscher, Erfinder und Gelehrte im Oldenburger Land, edited by Dagmar Freist and Wolfgang Erich Müller (Schriften der Landesbibliothek Oldenburg 48), Oldenburg: Isensee, 2009.
• Press: to the article in Uni-Info

Remembering 20 years of peaceful revolution and German unity

• Lecturer: Maren Ullrich
• Semester: winter term 2008/09
• Degree programme / module: B.A. (PB 71: Institutions and Media of Historical Culture)
• Short description: November 2009 marked the twentieth anniversary of the peaceful revolution in the GDR. The memory of this event was directly linked to German reunification, which was also to be commemorated for the twentieth time on 3 October 2010. Public media and institutions of historical culture devoted a great deal of attention to the forthcoming anniversaries. Museums, history societies and archives planned a large number of exhibitions, films, reports and events. The Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship also announced a funding programme and took over the coordination of the various initiatives. The declared aim was to "initiate a societal debate on the history of the GDR, particularly at a local level." After a fundamental discussion on the meaning and purpose of historical anniversaries, the participants in the seminar first gained an overview of the planned initiatives and their networking. In the second half of the semester, the conception of a special exhibition was trialled on the basis of a specific project.