Why is our world the way it is today? How did it become this way? How can we find solutions to the local and global challenges of environment, sustainability and well-being of societies?
The Department of Geographical and Historical Studies conducts research into the mutual impacts of space, time and environment, as well as educates specialists in the fields of History, Geography and Environmental Policy. Our department is located on the Joensuu campus.
580
Bachelor's and Master's Degree Students
110
Postgraduate students
70
Employees
Studies
History, Geography and Environmental Policy – The Department of Geographical and Historical Studies is an open and international academic environment that offers multidisciplinary and student-oriented education in these three majors.
The diverse offering of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in English includes a selection of courses in Finnish and General History; Physical, Environmental and Human Geography; Geoinformatics; and Environmental Policy.
In addition, we organise the English-language Master’s Degree Programme, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change: a Master’s Degree Programme in Environmental Policy and Law, which provides advanced training in policy, law and impact assessment concerning climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources. The department also offers the international, non-degree study programme Karelia, Russia and the Baltic Area.
Research
Our research is focused on the mutual impacts of space, time and the environment. It responds to the ‘global challenges’ identified in the UEF strategy by developing multidisciplinary approaches, theories, and methods in environmental policy, history, and human and physical geography.
Specific focus areas are, among others,
- the sustainable use of natural resources, the transformation towards circular economy, and the relationships between environmental and social changes,
- borderlands as historical, geographic and environmental transition contexts,
- the relationships between the natural environment, socio-economic conditions, and well-being.
News and events
BLOG: All things HiMa
All things HiMa is the blog of the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies of the University of Eastern Finland. Posts in Finnish and in English.
News
Contact information
Moritz Albrecht, PhD, Human Geography, especially Sustainability Governance
Abdellatif Bencherifa, PhD, Human Geography
Tapio Bergholm, FT, Finnish History
Ismo Björn, FT, Finnish History, especially Environmental History
Ronald Bordessa, PhD, Cultural Geography
Irina Chernyakova, hist.tiet.kand., Russian History
Eric Delmelle, PhD, Geospatial Health
Pieter Dhondt, PhD, History
Daniel Franks, PhD, Mineral Policy
Paul Fryer, PhD, Human Geography
Pradipta Halder, FT, Environmental Policy, especially Social Sustainability and Bioeconomy
Päivi Happonen, FT, Finnish History, especially Population History and Electronic Document Management
Raimo Heikkilä, FT, Physical Geography
Juha Hiedanpää, HTT, Natural Resource Policy
Petri Hottola, FT, Tourism Geography and Cultural Interaction Research
Ari Hynynen, TkT, Urban Planning
Jussi Jauhiainen, FT, Regional Policy and Planning in the Baltic Sea Region
Ari Jokinen, HT, Natural Resource Policy
Alpo Juntunen, FT, Russian History
Markku Kangaspuro, FT, Russian History
Pauli Karjalainen, FT, Geography, especially Human Geography
Jouni Kauhanen, FT, Finnish History, especially History of Northern Finland
Ilja Kristian Kavonius, VTT, Economic History, especially Quantitative Methods of Economic History
Osmo Kiiskinen, FT, History, especially General History
Kimmo Kiljunen, PhD, Development Research
Sonja Kivinen, FT, Geography, especially Environmental Change
Johanna Kohl, VTT, Social Environmental Research
Jukka Kokkonen, FT, Finnish History
Anu Koskivirta, FT, Finnish History
Ossi Kotavaara, FT, Accessibility and Geospatial Analytics
Jan Kuhanen, FT, African History
Tuomas Kuhmonen, KTT, MMM, Rural Research
Timo Kumpula, FT, Geography, especially Geoinformatics
Lasse Laaksonen, FT, Military History
Matti Lackman, FT, Finnish History
Antti Laine, FT, Finnish History
Eeva-Liisa Lehtonen, FT, Finnish Cultural History
Olli Lehtonen, FT, Economic Geography, especially Geospatial Research
Leo Levanen, FT, KT, History, especially History of Theatre
Jyrki Loima, TT, History of Minorities and Intellectual History
Aija Lulle, PhD, Migration
Teemu Makkonen, FT, Cross-Border Economic Development
Pirjo Markkola, FT, Finnish History
Kaisa Matschoss, Dr.rer.pol., Environmental Policy, especially Social-Scientific Energy Research
Olli Matikainen, FT, Finnish History
Tero Mustonen, Human Geography
Susanna Myllylä, KTT, HTT, Environmental Policy, especially Environmental Justice and Local Communities
Sarolta Németh, PhD, Human Geography, especially European Territorial Development and Cooperation
Arto Nevala, FT, Finnish History
Pekka Nevalainen, FT, Finnish History
Kristopher Olds, PhD, Human Geography, especially Human Geographies of the Pacific Rim
Anssi Paasi, FT, Human Geography
Jyrki Paaskoski, FT, Finnish and Russian History
Kati Parppei, FT, Russian History
Taru Peltola, HT, Environmental Policy
Juha Pohjonen, FT, Finnish History
Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola, FT, Human Geography, especially Border Studies
Antti Puupponen, YTT, Environmental Policy, especially Sustainable Rural Development
Petri Raivo, FT, Tourism Geography, especially Cultural and Heritage Tourism
Outi Ratamäki, YTT, Human-Animal Studies, especially Animal Policy
Vesa Rautio, YTT, Human Geography, especially Economic Geography of North Russia
Olli Rosenqvist, FT, Human Geography, especially Theoretical Rural Research
Aleksi Räsänen, FT, Geography, especially Environmental Geoinformatics
Jarkko Saarinen, FT, Human Geography, especially Research on Tourism Development and Regional Impacts
Aleksandr Saksa, FT, Karelian Archaeology
Markku Salomaa, VTT, European Military History
Nora Schuurman, YTT, Animal Geography
Yury Shikalov, FT, History, especially Russian and Karelian History
Maarit Sireni, YTT, Human Geography
Eino Siuruainen, FT, Social Geography
Seppo Sivonen, FT, History, especially African History
Katriina Soini, FT, Environmental Policy
Irma Sulkunen, FT, Finnish History
Pasi Tuunainen, FT, Military History
Eira Varis, YTT, Human Geography, especially Transition in Russia and Eastern Europe
Heikki Vesajoki, FT, Geography
Petteri Vihervuori, FT, Geography, especially Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Antto Vihma, VTT, Climate Policy and Law
Teppo Vihola, FT, Finnish Economic History
Ulf Wiberg, PhD, Geography, especially Northern European Social and Economic Geography
Joensuu Campus
Postal address
University of Eastern Finland
Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies
Department of Geographical and Historical Studies
Joensuu campus
P.O. Box 111, FI-80101
Finland
Visiting address
Yliopistokatu 7, Metria, 3th floor, Joensuu