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By the end of their bachelor's degree, students will have acquired:

1. General knowledge and interdisciplinary skills

• Vast general and interdisciplinary knowledge by opening up to other disciplines and understanding their connections to history
  • A grounding in the fundamentals of various disciplines of Philosophy & Letters (the humanities), in particular art history, philosophy and literature (frameworks, guidelines, principal theories, vocabulary, concepts, methods and issues)
  • A grounding in the fundamentals of the social sciences (principal theories, vocabulary, methods and challenges)
  • The ability to build an interdisciplinary dialogue between the different humanities and social sciences and to problematise their relationship to history
    All course units (CUs) included in 'Formation générale': e.g. Introduction à l’économie (year 1); Littératures européennes comparées (years 1 and 2); Histoire de l’art et archéologie du Moyen Age à nos jours (year 2); Psychologie (year 2).
     
• Knowledge in areas which are complementary to history
  • In-depth knowledge in one or more subject areas complementary to history
    All credits to be chosen in years 1 and 2 from Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Law; minor subjects offered in years 2 and 3

2. Specialised knowledge

• Specialised knowledge in the different disciplines of history and an understanding of the challenges of the discipline
  • Basic knowledge of the main issues in the history of societies since Antiquity (frameworks, key events/moments, developments, interpretative frameworks, historiographical controversies), including the history of Belgium
    The 'Connaître l’histoire' CUs in year 1: Histoire des sociétés occidentales; Histoire de Belgique; Histoire du temps présent ou Geopolitics
     
  • In-depth knowledge of the different periods and fields of history (frameworks, key events/moments, developments, interpretative frameworks, historiographical controversies), including socio-economic, political, institutional, cultural and religious aspects, so as to be able to consider in a critical manner any historical issue in context
    The 'Connaître l’histoire' CUs in years 2 and 3: e.g. Histoire approfondie de l’Antiquité; Histoire approfondie de l’époque temporaine; Histoire approfondie du moyen âge; Histoire approfondie des temps modernes; Anthropologie historique (year 3)
     
  • Basic knowledge of the development of historiography from its origins to the present day (main academic trends/schools, authors and methods)
    Historiographie (year 2); Anthropologie historique (year 3)
     
• Expertise in the use of different methods for analysing and interpreting historical sources, as well as reflective and critical awareness in the exploration of history
  • An understanding of the basic epistemological issues involved in historical knowledge
  • In-depth knowledge of and the ability to theoretically justify the aspects of the creation of historical knowledge, from formulating a question to constructing a narrative and applying the successive steps of source criticism (external criticism, internal criticism and search for corroborative material)
  • In-depth knowledge of the types of bibliographical resources available to historians
  • The ability to identify and use the documentary resources relevant to the resolution of a historical problem, including tools of the historian, works ('secondary literature') and primary sources
  • The basic techniques needed to use and interpret historical sources, in particular paleography and quantitative methods
    All of the 'Faire de l’histoire - Théorie' CUs: Critique des sources de l’information (year 1); Ressources documentaires en histoire (year 1); Heuristique des différentes périodes de l’histoire (year 2); Paléographie et diplomatique (year 2); Méthodes quantitatives en histoire (year 3)
     
• The skills to undertake personal research on a question of history, including the proper and effective use of the discipline’s specific research resources and working methods
  • The knowledge and ability to use the main reference tools in the various disciplines of history
  • The ability to develop and undertake documentary research on a given question (undertake bibliographical research and heuristics for historical works and sources, including unpublished documents and archival sources by the end of the bachelor's programme)
  • The ability to summarise the current scholarly state of investigation on a historical issue of limited scope
  • The ability to follow the instructions for a significant piece of work (including respecting deadlines) and an ability to discuss and interact constructively with a supervisor
  • By the end of the bachelor's programme in history, the ability to set out the terms of a research question, contextualise the question, develop relevant hypotheses, gather and critically analyse documentation (academic work and sources, both published and unpublished), use information critically, propose explanations and interpretative hypotheses, and present the results in a well-argued essay (preparation for the master's dissertation)
  • By the end of the bachelor's programme in history, the ability to take a stance as a historian on the question of the role of this profession in society, in particular as regards the issue of remembrance, the specific nature of historical discourse and the public history approach
    The 'Faire de l’histoire - Mise en Œuvre de la théorie' CUs in year 1: Initiation à la recherche historique
    All of the 'Faire de l’histoire - Mise en Œuvre de la théorie' CUs in years 2 and 3. In particular, the two intermediate-level seminars and the advanced-level seminar Histoire de l’Antiquité, du Moyen Age, des Temps modernes ou de l’époque contemporaine
    Seminar Enjeux & débats: historiographie et métier d’historien

3. A grounding in the scientific method (‘transferable skills’)

• Critical thinking and scientific reasoning skills
  • The ability to carry out a piece of academic work in accordance with the scientific method and demonstrate critical skills in the analysis of a given question, in gathering and analysing any type of information and in the review of any type of document (written or visual)
  • The ability to construct a clear and sophisticated reasoned argumentation involving a problem, a hypothesis and its verification
    All CUs for the bachelor's degree in history
     
• Strong writing skills and the ability to analyse and summarise information
  • The ability to summarise and identify the issues in any complex text or line of reasoning
  • The ability to take a personal position in a debate about ideas and to construct reasoning to defend it, including vis-à-vis those who do not share its assumptions
    All CUs for the bachelor's degree in history

4. High-level written and oral communication skills (‘transferable skills’)

• A grounding in scientific communication in keeping with referencing and publication norms
  • The ability to produce a piece of academic work in accordance with the norms and ethics of academic writing (bibliographical references, use of quotations, construction of a critical approach, production of relevant annexes, etc.)
  • Sufficient knowledge of how to use the different means of communicating research results (oral presentation, written essay, commentary, review, etc.)
    All of the 'Faire de l’histoire - Mise en Œuvre de la théorie' CUs in years 1, 2 and 3
     
• Communication skills in at least one language other than French
  • Oral and written proficiency in at least one modern language other than French
  • Comprehension of a written text in at least one ancient or modern language other than French
  • Comprehension of a text written in Old French, Middle French or Classical French
  • Comprehension of basic academic vocabulary in at least one language other than French
    Initiation à la langue latine; Auteurs latins I; Espagnol; Italien; Allemand; Néerlandais; Anglais I ou II; Paléographie et diplomatique