Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies
The department conducts research and offers under- and postgraduate studies in Archaeology, Enviromental archaeology, History, History of Science and Ideas, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Theology. Associated to the department is the national Environmental Archaeology Laboratory (MAL).
The Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies offers teaching and research in a variety of academic disciplines, viz. archaeology, philosophy, philosophy of science, history, history of science and ideas, religious studies and theology.
Our course offerings include a social studies programme with a focus on the humanities, bachelor’s and master’s programmes in religious studies and theology, a master’s programme in historical studies and a wide range of non-programme courses.
The department also runs well-organised third-cycle (doctoral) programmes. Our staff includes highly skilled and successful researchers and research teams working in scholarly environments which in various ways have received commendations for excellence, e.g. in the fields of science history, history of technology, environmental history, educational history and history didactics, population history and gender studies.
The department is also responsible for a national research resource, the Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology.
Our teachers and researchers are involved in many third-stream activities and take active part in the public debate on cultural and social issues. We also collaborate with other disciplines and faculties at Umeå University, for example in the field of teacher education, and provide teaching in areas where our staff possesses special competences, e.g. ethics, gender, diversity issues and philosophy of science.
