PhD in History and Archaeology. Studies on Heritage, Memory and Cultures

• Genesis and development of settlements and cities
• Dynamics of territories occupation and economic and cross-cultural interactions between different peoples
• Conceptual frameworks: social complexity and ideologies (analysis of theological, philosophical, political, juridical Aspects concerning institutions and mobility of social structures)
• Symbolic relationship between memory objects;
• Events, intended as processes of construction and reconstruction of memory, which call into question the relationship between memory and history
• Philosophical texts, or schools of thought, which are relevant for intellectual history and intercultural dialogue

Appointed by RD n. 709/2023 Prot n. 149534 on Jun 02, 2023

The PhD has many research fields - anthropology, archaeology, politics, oriental studies, history and other intercultural connections - that cover a wide chronological lenght, extended from prehistory to modern times. They follow an inter-disciplinary dimension and different methodologies, working together in a whole-crossing way. The PhD aims to form scholars able to play high qualified roles in the Universities, in scientific and cultural institutions, in the private firms, in preserving, safeguarding and promoting the territory and its historical-artistic heritage, both in public and private, by processing and interpreting historical sources, archaeological materials, sociological data, building databases, employing graphic instruments.

The activities carried out by PhD students in History and Archaeology are varied and diverse, as is the academic environment in which they have to operate. Because of the long chronological period covered, society as a whole will be investigated through the most varied types of sources in its institutional, political, economic, social, geographical, religious, cultural and anthropological components. In this sense, bibliographical research will be flanked by excavation activities and on-site archaeological research which requires the acquisition and testing of practical skills, advanced research in archives, analysis of material sources, transcription and editing of unpublished documents, elaboration of interpretative models of data sources, and the use of cartographic and spatial analysis.

Attending general seminars; attending specific seminars; attending excavation campaigns on a national and international scale; training over computering, digitalizing, codex scanning, data implementing in complex servers, data processing, cartography processing, acquiring competence on preservation ways, safeguard and developing the territory and historical-artistic heritage, project designing for research in social sciences and humanities at international, national and regional level.

The PhD program promotes the international training of doctoral students, mainly through participation in international networks and scholarly publications of international impact. PhD students can take advantage of a minimum of 6 months additional funding for study abroad, and of many agreements with Universities and Research Institutions, including collaborative research agreements and doctoral training agreements granting double degree; they will be involved in international research networks of which members of the doctoral committee are promoters or part of the boards. The PhD program facilitates the participation of international doctoral students and international networking of doctoral students. The PhD program is part of several governmental scholarship initiatives for candidates from specific countries (e.g. China, Brazil, Chile) and has strong relations with several european Universities and research centers (e.g. Lyon, Paris Sorbonne, Rouen, Tours, Warwick, Warsaw) thanks to European funding. In a similar way the active links with German Universities (e.g. double degree Master program with the University of Bielefeld, of Cologne), common research projects or doctoral projects under joint supervision (e.g. University of Münster, University of Heidelberg) offer established joint training paths. We highlight in particular that the PhD program joined the UNA Europa initiative, in the framework of which a joint doctorate program in Cultural Heritage has been activated, and the framework agreement witth the European University Institute, which foresees, among many objectives, the hosting and exchanges of PhD students and the possibility, for the EUI PhD students, to be visiting lecturer at the University of Bologna and realize teaching activities, on the basis of ad hoc agreements to be signed.

The research activities of PhD students aim at the publication of monographs, articles, tools to support research, such as the creation of specific databases, websites, models of interpretation for data, and cartographic processing. PhD students are required to offer a paper related to didactic activities such as a lecture or a public seminary (first year); to defend a first draft of their PhD thesis and to present a scientific paper in an internal seminar to be subjected to peer review process for publication (second year); to present a second proposal of an article or paper in a conference or other scientific products to be subjected to peer review process for publication; final exam (third year).