Testimonials

Located in the historic Villa Schifanoia, surrounded by a sun-bathed Italian garden, and overlooking a breathtaking panorama of Florence, the History and Civilization Department, is a truly inspiring place. Excellent teaching staff from all over the world, multi-lingual surroundings, a multitude of scholarly events, and, last but not least, helpful and efficient administrative staff, all contribute to the fact that studying there is a privilege. As a HEC researcher, I received tuition and assistance not only of the highest quality, but also tailored to my particular needs. With a background in literature and sociology, I successfully completed an interdisciplinary Ph.D. project, learning such diverse skills as, for example, carrying out semi-structured guided interviews, or reading German Frakturschrift.

The HEC Department was not only a place where I received a red-carpet treatment in the four years of my stay there (impeccable library service which procures next to any book in the world you need, mission resources that allow you to carry out archival research abroad and attend conferences, Language Centre and editing service which overhaul your English), but also an institution which furnished me with experiences that helped my further academic career. With the support of the Institute, for instance, I was able to organize an international conference on my research topic and publish the conference proceedings.

Finally, I really believe in the importance of genius loci for all those who write. And all I can say is that watching the sun setting over Florence from the library window has a very soothing effect on the toils of producing a thesis.

Magdalena Waligórska

EUI Ph.D. 2009, Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Free University Berlin

The History Department at the EUI is a wonderfully diverse and stimulating community. Diversity here means not only many tongues and many nationalities, but many traditions, practices and concepts of history. It is a place full of opportunities for the open-minded.

The busy calendar of research events ranging from conferences to more intimate book presentations and workshops means that each researcher becomes part of a huge academic network, that cuts across national boundaries and disciplinary fields.

Given how competitive and internationally mobile the academic profession has become, the History Department at the EUI offers something truly unique, the ability to understand and be understood in a wider intellectual community.

Serena Ferente

EUI Ph.D. 2007, Lecturer in Medieval European History, Department of History, King's College London

The Department of History and Civilization at the EUI enhances different backgrounds and diverse historiographies. Thanks to its flexibility, it is truly interdisciplinary in its approaches to history. 

The doctoral programme certainly helps to consolidate  methodological and linguistic assets to obtain best chances to tackle the current internationalisation of academia.

More generally speaking, the experience of the international environment of the EUI is meant to strengthen existing skills in order to insert them into joint projects within the existing seminars provided by the History Department.

While learning the prerequisite skills to succeed in writing a Ph.D., the need for isolation is also of utmost importance, and it is facilitated by all the privileges offered to researchers (namely the language courses and correction service, interlibrary loans and job counselling).

The flexibility offered by  workshops and thesis writing seminars in comparison with more formal encounters caters to the diversity of needs of researchers.

Valérie Hayaert

EUI Ph.D. 2005, Senior Lecturer in French, BA French and Language Centre Programme Director at Canterbury Christ Church University