Pristupačnost
The purpose of the doctoral programme in History at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, in relation to labour market needs, lies in educating future historians-researchers and historians-teachers who will be employed in research institutes and universities, with competences acquired through a much more rigorous selection process than was previously the case. These future researchers and university teachers are expected to preserve awareness of the national past and to present that past objectively and recognisably to future generations of researchers, teachers and students.
It need hardly be emphasised that Croatia’s accession to the European Union has significantly affected the sovereign position of the Republic of Croatia. Whether and how the implementation of a common European constitutional framework may influence the integrity of individual member states depends primarily on the level of awareness of one’s own identity and the recognition of the identity of others. The degree to which Croatian identity will be recognised depends largely on what is known in Europe about Croatia and its past. Only scholars and teachers in the field of history possess the appropriate tools that can contribute to a broader understanding of Croatian history among their European colleagues.
Within the Faculty of Croatian Studies, as a constituent of the University of Zagreb, the study of History offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programmes. The institutional strategy of doctoral studies at the Faculty of Croatian Studies is directed towards fulfilling the tasks of the University of Zagreb as a research university and forms part of the national and European lifelong learning strategy, that is, education that keeps pace with continuous scientific development in the relevant scientific areas and fields and serves individual, national and global knowledge needs.
Teaching in the doctoral programme in History at the Faculty of Croatian Studies is carried out by academic staff employed at the Department of History of the same Faculty. Among external associates, special mention should be made of the participation of staff from the Croatian Memorial-Documentation Centre of the Homeland War. Their approach is primarily based on personal experience in scientific research projects. They have conducted intensive research in various domestic and foreign archives and have presented their analyses and syntheses in a range of domestic and international publications and at numerous scientific conferences in Croatia and abroad. This path, which represents the essence of the historical craft, forms the basis for discussion with future generations of historians.
A specific feature of the Faculty of Croatian Studies is precisely that it was established with the aim of closely linking the teaching and scientific-research components of the academic community. The innovativeness of the doctoral programme lies primarily in an organisation based on the integration of scientific research and university teaching, as well as on generational and interdisciplinary collaboration. Given the strong research background of the teaching staff, the entire programme is designed in accordance with their profiles and competences.
In addition to substantial theoretical knowledge, the teaching staff possess extensive practical experience in the conception and implementation of scientific research tasks. The doctoral programme in History fully follows the concept and organisation of History studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels and represents the final phase in implementing the idea of generational solidarity and pragmatism, in the sense that the more experienced, older generation helps the younger generation to recognise and avoid the “pitfalls” of historical research.
The History programme at the Faculty of Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb was the first among the humanities in the Republic of Croatia to introduce the ECTS credit system (in the 2003/2004 academic year) and to align its curriculum with the Bologna Process. The doctoral programme in History fully follows the goals emphasised in the Bologna Seminar in Salzburg (3–5 February 2005), the Glasgow Declaration (15 April 2005), and the Bergen Communiqué (19–20 May 2005).
With regard to student mobility, doctoral students may attend compulsory and elective courses within any study track or constituent unit of any university in the Republic of Croatia, provided that the course carries a clearly defined ECTS value. As a rule, doctoral students are expected to spend one semester at a foreign university and earn 30 ECTS credits there. The Faculty Council of the Faculty of Croatian Studies shall decide on each exception related to the selection of elective and compulsory courses outside the home institution, based on a reasoned request submitted by the student.