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Department of History

1. Brief history

The Department of History and International Relations in its present form is heir to one of the oldest departments in the University of Colombo created when the University of Ceylon established a second Arts Faculty in Colombo in the early 1960s. Formerly the home of such distinguished scholars as Professor Lakshman Perera, Professor Tikiri Abeyasinghe, Professor Lorna Dewaraja, Professor Kumari Jayawardena, Professor Shelton Kodikara, Professor B.E.S.J. Bastiampillai, Professor G.R.T. Leitan and Professor Indrani Munasinghe, it has been at the forefront of the discipline as we know it today. The Department was initially called Department of History, renamed Department of Modern History, more recently Department of History and Political Science and finally Department of History and International Relations after a bifurcation in the department led to the creation of a Department of Political Science and Public Policy.

Today the Department of History and International Relations is known for its contribution to new branches of history such as cultural history and gender history as well as to established fields such as political, economic, social history of Sri Lanka and other regions. The department has a diverse mix of professional historians and International Relations specialists.

Our flagship degree programmes History (Special) and International Relations (Special) – attract a large number of highly qualified students.  Our department is the only one in Sri Lanka to offer a special degree course in International Relations. The M.A in International Relations – a two year programme - is an extremely competitive and sought after course. The medium of instruction is Sinhalese, Tamil and English for undergraduates and English for the postgraduate degree.

Our students are able to pursue their interests in historical research and international relations in a very unique and enriching environment, utilizing the many resources available from the Sri Lanka National Archives to the various libraries, NGOs, international organizations and think tanks that pepper the capital city.

2. Vision

Our vision is to be a center of excellence through intertwining the knowledge enhancement with research excellence.  To achieve this, the Department strives to focus on key issues, thematic areas, and theoretical  underpinnings in both History & International Relations by ...
  • focusing increasingly on problems rather than simply discussing incidents and events.
  • By engaging in questioning all aspects of issues, themes and theories in both these subject disciplines.
  • By being more inclusive in examining all aspects of society and encouraging critical attention that broadens this understanding.

3.      Mission

The achieve the mission of providing excellence in learning and knowledge creation with an ethical commitment, the Department strives to:
  • provide students with some key competencies that will help them in their future professional life
  • give them the necessary skills to adapt to any type of challenging work environment
  • to create a graduate who will have a sense of justice and integrity, intellectual honesty and tolerance towards difference

4.      Programs at the Dept.
BA General Degree in History (3 years)
BA General Degree in International Relations (3 years)
BA special degree in History (4 years)
BA special degree in International Relations (4 years)
MA in International Relations (taught)
MA in History (research)
MPhil. in History

 

5.        Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

     Strategy:
Department offers multi-discipline courses which are open to students from different departments and our students take courses offered by other departments.
Follows Faculty guidelines on assessment
Two hour lectures with one hour of discussion. Discussions are based on articles and questions
Although not indicated in the Department Review Report, informal methods of monitoring the workload of students exits.  
 
       Teaching and Learning Activities
Other than teaching and discussions, we have several programs:
Orientation program
History and Community Project
Guided visits to the National Archives, libraries and other resource centers
Field Trips
Documentary films
Guest lectures
Project for Visually Impaired Student

6.    Academic Guidance and Counseling
lStudent Counselors
Academic Tutors
Contact Student hours
Linked up with supportive services
Student Societies: History Society and International Relations Society
Coordinating: Post-graduate, Undergraduate programs, Examinations
Academic Sub-wardens