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University of the Witwatersrand Social Sciences Department

University of the Witwatersrand Social Sciences Department – See Details Below:

History

“A people not prepared to face its own history cannot manage to face its own future” – Karl Heinz Hansen, German politician

Founded in 1917, the Department attracts top-class academics. It has been led by several eminent intellectuals and seminal thinkers on South African society. These include  W M Macmillan and J S Marais.  

Over the past few decades, the  Department has developed a focus on the social history of Africa.  Simultaneously it has maintained its traditional expertise in world history. The Department offers a wide variety of units taught by some of the world’s leading Africanists and Europeanists. 

History students at Wits draw upon a vast range of local and international academic expertise, and on NGO, government, and business experiences.  This gives intellectual depth and practical meaning to their work. 

Careers 

The History Department offers training in: 

• Assessing evidence 
• Writing accurately and economically 
• Constructing an argument 

This will give the student an advantage in any profession. The ’information age’ makes the discipline of History more useful, not less. Graduates are working in almost every profession imaginable, including professional research, heritage and museum management, cultural tourism, and curriculum development, and educational policy.

University of the Witwatersrand Social Sciences Department Contact