Fachbereich 04: Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften - Durchführung der Veranstaltung: fremde Unterrichtssprache - Englisch

This course examines the profound transformations brought about by the spread of gunpowder weapons in the early modern world between roughly 1300 and 1700. Sometimes described as a “military revolution,” these changes reshaped not only the ways wars were fought but also the structures of states, economies, and societies. We will investigate the introduction and diffusion of firearms and artillery, the development of new fortifications, and the rise of disciplined standing armies. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which gunpowder warfare influenced state-building and the fiscal demands of war in Europe, including Eastern Europe and Russia.
The course also adopts a global perspective, exploring how gunpowder transformed warfare in the Ottoman Empire, Safavid Persia, Mughal India, Ming and Qing China, Korea, and Japan. Students will consider the extent to which European developments were unique or part of broader global patterns of military innovation. Through close engagement with historiographical debates, they will assess competing interpretations of the “military revolution” thesis, from Michael Roberts to more recent global approaches.
By the end of the course, students will be equipped to critically analyze how technological and organizational change in warfare influenced the emergence of early modern states and empires worldwide.

VERMERK: Diese Übung ist bilingual, Teilnahme an Diskussionen und Gruppenaufgaben auf Deutsch ist möglich. Sehr gute Englischkenntnisse werden jedoch für die Teilnahme am Kurs vorausgesetzt, da überwiegend die englischsprachige Forschungsliteratur zur Diskussion und Analyse angeboten wird.

What does the situation of women reveal about the development of a society? This interdisciplinary course explores this question through the lens of Southeastern Europe in the 20th century. Building on existing narratives of “backwardness” and development initiatives in the region, we focus specifically on the perspectives of women—voices that have often been omitted from historical accounts.
Using a variety of sources such as oral history interviews, autobiographies, letters, poetry, and photographs—some of them in the original languages—we examine the ambivalent lived experiences of women in different social contexts. In doing so, we critically engage with the complex concept of “development”—one of the most frequently used terms in politics and society—by highlighting gender as a largely overlooked dimension.
Digital and AI-based tools (Transkribus, DeepL, ChatGPT) will also be employed, allowing us to critically reflect on their potentials and limitations in historical research.
The course introduces students to working with non-traditional sources, raises awareness of gender-related questions in development debates, and offers an engaging entry point into the history of Southeast Europe. It is designed for anyone interested in critical historiography, interdisciplinary research, and digital methods.

Was sagt die Situation von Frauen über die Entwicklung einer Gesellschaft aus? In diesem interdisziplinären Kurs gehen wir dieser Frage am Beispiel Südosteuropas im 20. Jahrhundert nach. Ausgehend von bestehenden Narrativen über „Rückständigkeit“ und Entwicklungsinitiativen in der Region gehen wir gezielt auf die Perspektive von Frauen ein, deren Stimmen in historischen Darstellungen oft ausgelassen wurden.
Anhand unterschiedlicher Quellen wie oral history-Interviews, Autobiografien, Briefen, Gedichten oder Fotografien – teilweise in Originalsprachen – beleuchten wir ambivalente Lebensrealitäten von Frauen in verschiedenen sozialen Kontexten. Dabei hinterfragen wir den vielschichtigen Begriff von „Entwicklung“ – einen der meistverwendeten Begriffe in Politik und Gesellschaft – mit einem Fokus auf Geschlecht als bislang wenig beachteter Dimension. Zum Einsatz kommen auch digitale und KI-gestützte Werkzeuge (Transkribus, DeepL, ChatGPT), deren Potenziale und Grenzen wir im historischen Arbeiten kritisch reflektieren.
Der Kurs vermittelt Grundlagen im Umgang mit nicht-traditionellen Quellen, sensibilisiert für Geschlechterfragen in Entwicklungsdebatten und bietet einen spannenden Einstieg in die Geschichte Südosteuropas. Er richtet sich an alle, die an kritischer Geschichtsschreibung, interdisziplinärer Forschung und digitalen Methoden interessiert sind.

The Middle Ages were far more interconnected than is often assumed. Warfare, trade, pilgrimage, and diplomacy created dense networks of contact and exchange across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Within these frameworks, the practice of gift-giving – especially among political and religious elites – played a central role in shaping diplomatic, social, and religious relationships in times of peace and war. Far more than acts of generosity, medieval gifts were embedded in systems of reciprocity, obligation, and symbolic communication. Rulers and institutions exchanged valuable and often highly codified gifts to forge alliances, express loyalty, affirm hierarchies, seek favour, or to avoid war. In religious contexts, gift-giving served as an expression of devotion, penance, and memoria. The act of giving was thus never neutral: it was a performative gesture, rich in symbolic meaning and governed by cultural norms and expectations.
This seminar examines the functions, forms, and values of gifts in the medieval world. The concept is broadly defined to include tributes, bride gifts, and other structured exchanges. While our understanding of diplomacy and gift exchange in the Middle Ages relies heavily on written sources, the seminar will focus on the material culture of these transactions – on the surviving “material ambassadors” themselves, their designs, their meanings, and their donors.