Welcome!

The Chair for Modern and Contemporary History at Saarland University has as its main focus the history of Western Europe and 20th century history. The chair has been held since 1985 by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Rainer Hudemann. Since 2012, he has additionally been holding the chair for “Histoire contemporaine de l'Allemagne et des pays germaniques” (Chair for the Contemporary History of Germany and German-speaking countries) at Paris-Sorbonne University, with part-time substitution at his chair in Saarbrücken. Some seminars, i.e. those for advanced and doctoral students, are offered in cooperation with Paris-Sorbonne.

The courses offered are aimed at both under- and postgraduate students, i.e. Bachelor, Master, and Magister Artium students, students pursuing a teaching qualification, (“Lehramtsstudium”), students preparing a degree in “Historisch Orientierte Kulturwissenschaften”, a course particular to Saarland University, combining cultural studies with History, as well as students enrolled in the bi-national Bachelor and Master courses in Franco-German studies.

The chair conceptually interlinks research and teaching particularly closely within the framework of international academic cooperation. Close ties exist with various universities and institutes, especially in francophone countries. In this context, several exchange places are available for students wishing to study abroad.