DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY

Introduction 

This Doctor of Philosophy degree programme provides students with wide-ranging and advanced  knowledge as well as skills in historical study and research. Taught PhD represents a significant  departure from the traditional PhD by thesis programme run by the Department over the years.  The course is built on the twin foundation of taught core courses on one hand and thesis by research  on the other. While the taught courses will ensure meaningful interaction between the learners and  the diversity of intellectual ideas represented by our faculty, the research component will equip  students with the requisite academic wherewithal critical for knowledge creation. Furthermore, the  utility of core subjects lie in enabling students in the formulation of study argument, understanding  diverse modes of historical writing and critical analysis. Additionally, the taught units will give  students firm grounding in the understanding of vistas of historiographical trends, emerging  theoretical discourse and analytical viewpoints.

 Rationale of the Programme
Undertaking a PhD research in our Department is an exciting experience which goes beyond the
interactions between the student and supervisor/s. Our students are exposed to teaching and
learning from multiple disciplines in the university. Exposing students to diverse shades of
intellectual discourse through teaching by different lecturers and research is a crucial goal of this
programme. We consequently graduate individuals who are exposed and grounded on the potent
multiplicity of intellectual opinions that exist beyond history as a discipline.

 Philosophy of the Programme
This programme is predicated on a much more incisive approach than history being merely a
study of the human past. History shapes our world; it shapes our lives. Its scientific study should
be geared towards ourselves, our identities, contestations and contradictions in both their
extrinsic and teleological context and sense. And that provides a fundamental philosophic
underpinning of this programme.
1.4 Objectives of the programme
The objectives of the programme are to:
i) Comprehend critical thinking, logical reasoning and its application to historical study.
ii) Explain the emerging historiographical trends, theories and interpretations.
iii) Equip students with advanced tools of historical research and scholarship.

 Expected Outcomes of the Programme
At the end of the programme the learner should be able to:

i) Demonstrate understanding of historical knowledge, and logical reasoning in
various historical contexts
ii) Globally competitive graduate in history
iii) Articulate various theoretical paradigms in historical sciences