LFU:online

Acquisition of basic skills for dealing with historic sources and presentations of Austrian History as well as skills in presenting the newly acquired knowledge orally as well as in writing. Acquisition of basic knowledge and application of relevant methods aiding scientific research.

Since the Enlightenment, scientific expeditions have been an essential instrument for exploring and investigating the near and distant world. In the course of the 19th century, inspired by the travel and expedition reports of famous explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt and Georg Forster, they increasingly attract public attention, contribute enormously to the popularization of science, and become prestigious projects of a nationally figured science. Scientific expeditions become major undertakings, which on the one hand were intended to increase the scientific fame of the respective countries, but in which political and economic interests could also be satisfied.
These different dimensions of scientific expeditions will be dealt with in the course and accordingly the course will have the following main contents:
On the one hand, scientific expeditions will be examined as a special scientific practice, and thus located and dealt with in the development of science since the Enlightenment. The main focus will be on fundamental developments and trends rather than on special disciplinary developments. Scientific framework conditions of the Habsburg Monarchy as well as essential institutions involved in the planning, execution and processing of the various expeditions will also be dealt with.
A second focus is on the political, military and economic dimensions of the scientific expeditions. These are pronounced differently in the individual expeditions. It is essential, however, to interpret the scientific undertakings in the context of an increasingly nationally figured science and to consider the political and cultural implications of science.
The third thematic focus deals with the public perception or processing of the expeditions and the museum representation of finds and discoveries of the respective expeditions. This includes the different media representations, which ranged from the satisfaction of sensationalism to popular science. The use of (new) media in the documentation of expeditions as well as the exploitation and exhibition of finds and discoveries from the expeditions will also be addressed, as well as the associated discussions in recent years about the handling of collections that originated in colonial contexts and debates about their restitution.

Brief introduction to the subject; reading and analyzing scientific essays and historical sources in class; oral presentation(s) and written paper(s).

The students are expected to take actively part in discussions, present their own topics and hand in a paper.
 

Basic literature will be announced in the course; research of further specific literature is part of the students' tasks.

Positive assessment of compulsory module 1

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