Humanities

Unife

• Maria Giulia Bernardini
• Marialuisa Caparrini
• Francesca Cappelletti
• Agostino Cera
• Matteo Vincenzo D'alfonso
• Antonino Falduto
• Eleonora Federici
• Ada Patrizia Fiorillo
• Federica Fontana
• Gianluca Forgione
• Giovanni Ganino
• Giulia Giorgi
• Anita Gramigna
• Micaela Latini
• Elena Marescotti
• Isabella Libertà Mattazzi
• Martina Mengoni
• Alfredo Mario Morelli
• Marco Luca Pedroni
• Marco Peresani
• Giorgio Poletti
• Giovanna Rizzarelli
• Alessandro Roccatagliati
• Goranka Rocco
• Fabio Romanini
• Beatrice Saletti
• Daniele Speziari
• Paolo Tanganelli
• Silvia Zanazzi
• Tamara Zappaterra

Other University

• Giovanna Bosi
• Andrea Gatti
• Giovanni Leghissa
• Sandra Christine Vlasta
• Rafael Bonilla Cerezo
• Paolo Divizia
• Patricia Kauark Leite
• Juan Manuel Lopez Garcia
• Carlos Lorenzo
• Daniel Mara
• Luiz Oosterbeek
• Robert Sala Y Ramos

Other institution

• Christophe Falgueres  
• David Pleurdeau  
• Francois Semah

The PhD in Human Sciences acts as a catalyst among various scientific and disciplinary fields, enabling candidates to conduct research in a highly interdisciplinary environment and gain broad-spectrum research training.

The curriculum, closely aligned with the research activities planned during the PhD program, has been specifically designed to promote interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary skills, as well as to deepen specific themes related to the expertise of faculty members. Over three years, doctoral candidates must earn a minimum of 18 credits (90 hours) by attending seminars, workshops, and courses. Particular emphasis will be placed on advanced IT skills, which are essential for professionals in the humanities but are often insufficiently considered in humanities training programs.

Doctoral candidates will be under constant monitoring by their tutors and the entire faculty board. Semi-annual meetings will be held where each candidate presents the progress of their research to the board. Candidates are also required to produce at least two scientific publications during the three years, which will serve as a solid foundation for their future professional placement. To ensure the achievement of this goal, preparatory seminars on writing scientific articles are planned, and tutors will play a crucial role in coordinating, discussing, and reviewing the articles with the candidates. Post-PhD monitoring will also continue after the program concludes, with semi-annual tracking of career progress until stable employment is achieved. Employability data will be used to recalibrate interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary training content. Alumni will also be encouraged to create an association to advise and support new PhD candidates.

To foster networking opportunities not only within UNIFE but also with other Italian and international institutions, research mobility of at least three months and joint projects with foreign universities will be strongly encouraged.

In addition to strictly scientific objectives related to the specific skills acquired through research, the PhD program also pursues secondary goals aimed at broadening the employment prospects of future PhD graduates:

• Providing the tools and support necessary for candidates to publish at least two scientific articles in high-impact journals (Class A or ISI).
• Promoting collaborations with foreign institutions through international mobility and co-supervision.
• Offering high-level transferable skills through participation in courses, workshops, and seminars focusing on new methodologies and technologies for the management, cataloging, and enhancement of cultural heritage.
• Equipping candidates with the skills necessary to manage and draft high-profile scientific research projects, particularly those funded by postdoctoral programs.
• Establishing collaborations with companies in the cultural heritage sector to identify the evolving needs of the labor market.
• Ensuring that candidates graduate with a structured curriculum (publications, transferable skills, international experiences, etc.) that enables them to compete successfully in competitive calls and contests.

The program aligns perfectly with a society increasingly valuing professionals in the humanities and cultural heritage sectors. According to labor market forecasts in Italy (2022-2026; Excelsior Unioncamere), the SUM PhD program considers both "expansion demand" and "replacement demand" and recognizes the increasing demand for digital skills and professionals capable of enhancing and preserving cultural heritage.

External Evaluation
Monitoring will also extend to the overall functioning of the doctoral program through the establishment of an external evaluation committee (board of advisors), appointed every three years. This committee will consist of three foreign university professors (with proven experience in evaluation mechanisms and the management of doctoral schools), representing the three most prominent areas of the Doctoral Board, along with a representative from the professional sector. The committee will meet annually and prepare an evaluation report based on documentation provided by the board and interviews with doctoral candidates and board members. Any weaknesses identified will be addressed by the academic board, which will propose a resolution plan within a maximum of one month.

Course Alignment with University and Department Strategic Guidelines
The course's primary objective is to train young researchers with an excellent scientific profile in the humanities and human sciences in their broadest sense. As mentioned, the interdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches, involving faculty from both Italian and foreign universities, aim to prepare professionals who:

• Possess in-depth knowledge of cultures and individual and collective behaviors;
• Can interpret cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, from the earliest phases of prehistory to contemporary productions;
• Are capable of constructive communication and interaction with specialists from various fields, applying the most modern research methodologies and effectively integrating ICT with classical analytical methods;
• Acquire research skills that develop professional expertise sensitive to inclusion, equity, and gender equality, in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN).

Consultation with Stakeholders
A stakeholders’ committee has been established, composed of three members of the academic board (including the coordinator), a representative of doctoral candidates, and 18 external members. The external stakeholders come from the following sectors: SMEs, cooperatives, public administration, museums, research institutions, publishing houses, archives, and non-profit organizations. The committee will meet annually to discuss the status of the doctoral training program and propose modifications and implementations to maintain the program’s competitiveness. An online form (https://forms.gle/C8fCrWCQ9hAvGShJ7) has been prepared to facilitate discussion during meetings, allowing committee members to provide their opinions and suggestions for improvement. The questionnaire will also be sent to all external collaborators involved in the doctoral program over time to gather their feedback.

Career Opportunities
Based on the descriptions provided, the course aims to train specialists in the following areas: intellectual and scientific professions, as well as managerial roles in the public and private sectors. The course also adheres to the criteria set out in the “Guide to Cultural Heritage Professions” identified by Article 9-bis of the Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code, concerning professions such as archaeologists, archivists, librarians, cultural anthropologists, physical anthropologists, experts in diagnostics, and specialists in sciences and technology applied to cultural heritage and art history.

The main career opportunities for future doctoral graduates can be summarized as follows (ATECO codes: 58, 59, 60, 63, 9, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96):

• Research and teaching in human sciences;
• Specialized publishing and organizing cultural events;
• Museum and museum network management, curation, cataloging, and collection analysis;
• Management of archaeological sites and planning actions for enhancement and accessibility;
• Managing cooperation and development projects and cultural mediation;
• Human resources management;
• Management, study, and cataloging of archival and library assets;
• Designing cultural and tourism itineraries;
• Positions in archival, archaeological, fine arts, and landscape superintendencies and in MiC museum centers;
• Expert in promoting cultural heritage in the field of international relations;
• Cultural mediator and education services manager;
• Promotion and communication officer;
• Experts in social media marketing for cultural fields;
• Careers within the creative industries and cultural sectors, as well as in territorial planning and heritage enhancement;
• Professional roles in the protection and promotion of historical, library, and archaeological heritage.

Dissemination Activities
To promote the dissemination of research conducted by doctoral candidates and engage the general public, an annual conference will be organized where doctoral candidates and graduates present their research, emphasizing societal impacts. The first doctoral conference ("Co-scienza. Reflections and Connections in Human Sciences") took place on September 27, 2024.

Additionally, a new website for the SUM doctoral program has been launched, featuring comprehensive information about the course, training activities, and a newsletter aimed at a broad audience. The SUM doctoral program’s Instagram profile, managed directly by the doctoral candidates, showcases their research progress, and their "discoveries" are and will continue to be highlighted through short posts targeted at a non-specialist young audience.

The program is structured into two curricula that encapsulate its interconnected core themes:

1. Prehistory and History: This curriculum focuses on the study of human evolution, environments, and cultures from a diachronic perspective. By delving into multiple disciplines (anthropology, archaeology, geology, paleobotany, paleontology, ancient and modern history, history of science, and epistemology), doctoral candidates will integrate theoretical and experimental approaches, benefiting from numerous laboratories and archaeological projects led by board members.
2. Signs, Texts, and Interpretations: This curriculum emphasizes developing interdisciplinary knowledge in analyzing language and other sign systems and interpreting texts and symbols from diverse languages and eras. It draws on tools provided by literary history and theory, linguistics, philology, arts and performance studies, aesthetics, philosophy, anthropology, epistemology, educational sciences, and philosophy of law.

The highly interdisciplinary nature of the faculty (spanning six distinct CUN areas) enables doctoral candidates to acquire not only specialized knowledge in their research area but also a range of transferable skills, broadening their employment opportunities.

The educational offerings, designed to align closely with the research activities of the doctoral program, aim to facilitate the acquisition of interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary skills while enabling in-depth exploration of specific topics related to faculty expertise. Over the three years, doctoral candidates must earn a minimum of 18 credits (90 hours) by participating in seminars, workshops, and courses. Particular emphasis is placed on advanced computing skills, which are now essential for professionals in the humanities.

In addition to planned educational activities, training will also occur through peer interaction among doctoral candidates. Semi-annual presentations on research progress will serve as opportunities for scientific deepening and fostering a strong network among peers.

Another fundamental element of research training is publishing, as noted in previous sections. Candidates must produce at least two publications during the three years (in open-access journals, ISI or Class A), a crucial element in preparing them for competitive careers and meeting professional requirements.

Doctoral growth will also be supported by tutors, who will provide guidance on dissertation research, methodological aspects, and complementary activities aimed at facilitating future employment opportunities.

See the activities

The doctoral program is distinguished by its collaborative interdisciplinarity and a training agenda that harmoniously integrates the humanities and natural sciences, emphasizing innovative data processing methodologies. The program bridges "fundamental sciences" and "applied sciences," challenging the notion that they are distinct and disconnected from society.

Collaboration with private companies and museums promotes the bidirectional exchange of knowledge and skills between the research and productive sectors, improving dissemination of results and transferring methodologies and approaches beyond academia.

The program aims to train young researchers with advanced methodological skills applied to prehistoric archaeology and archival studies, fostered through national and international collaborative networks with public and private institutions. These collaborations enable researchers to acquire specialized expertise relevant to both the scientific and business sectors.

The international dimension of research is enhanced through partnerships with foreign research institutions, where doctoral candidates will complete at least three-month training periods. These experiences provide opportunities to establish collaborations, acquire advanced methodological skills, and develop their future careers.

The program's internationalization is further supported by the joint doctoral pathway in transcendental philosophy with PUCPR, a well-established curriculum demonstrating robust integration between the two institutions and their doctoral candidates.

The presence of 10 professors from foreign universities (in Spain, France, Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Portugal) within the doctoral board ensures ongoing international collaborations and enhances employment prospects for doctoral candidates.

Equipment and/or Laboratories

The main resources available to doctoral candidates are as follows:

• State-of-the-art laboratories for prehistoric archaeological research: Radiometric dating, paleoanthropology, vertebrate paleontology, archaeozoology, material and rock art characterization (spectrometry, Raman, etc.), lithic industry analysis, sedimentology, palynology, restoration, fossil DNA extraction, and equipment for 3D modeling of anthropological remains.
• Prehistoric excavations of international significance.
• Computer Laboratory.
• Epistemology of Education Laboratory.

Library Resources:

• Leonardi Library Collection: 5,300 monographs and 300 journals.
• “Letters and Philosophy” Library Collection: Over 130,000 volumes and 412 periodicals covering 23,437 years of content.
• Digital Resources Access: Available through SCOPUS and Unife SBA Digital Library.
• Multidisciplinary E-Resources: JSTOR, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge.
• Humanities-Specific Databases:

• L’Année Philologique
• Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (Th.L.L.)
• Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (Th.L.G.)
• Bibliotheca Teubneriana Latina (B.T.L.)
• Repertories of bibliographic news and sources on classical antiquity, BHA Bibliography of the History of Art, The Getty Provenance Index Database, ISTC Incunabula Short Title Catalogue, Mirabile.

Technological Tools:

• Photogrammetry: Agisoft Photoscan Professional (aerial and tower-based).
• 3D Scanning and Image Management: Optocat.
• Phoenix RC: Software simulator (ERDAS) for image analysis (geomorphological study of prehistoric sites).
• Autocad Map 3D: For floor plan design and GIS.
• Q-GIS: For intra-site and inter-site spatial analysis.

Infrastructure:

• All locations provide wireless connectivity, multimedia classrooms, and access to GARR university IT services (e.g., FileSender).
• A dedicated computer lab is available for students.
• Computer platforms in each laboratory are freely accessible to students.

Specialized Databases, Reference Collections, and Prehistoric Materials:

• Institutions involved maintain specialized libraries for their respective fields.
• Complete and updated collections of all European publications, available both in print and online.

Services Provided:

• Orientation and assistance.
• Book consultation and lending.
• Journal consultation.
• Interlibrary and document delivery services.
• Intersystemic lending.
• Electronic resource consultation.
• Reproduction services.