Hey everyone, my name is Manuel or Manny (as I don't particularly like the English pronunciation). My family name is Hungarian and refers to a village in modern-day Slovakia that has seen six different ruling regimes in the last century alone. I also have roots in Canada, Chile and various regions in Switzerland. Genealogy alone gives me many reasons to be interested in contemporary history, but obviously there are many more reasons why I'm taking this major, such as my interest in contemporary issues: how historiography affects current politics, historical background behind relevant issues and much more.
My minor is *Methods-Data-Society*, more or less a fancy name for statistical data analysis fused with political science and sociology. BA-wise my background is in international relations, which I studied at the University of British Columbia with a focus on contemporary North American history, especially refugee immigration patterns and indigenous issues. After some great, unfortunately unpaid jobs in international cooperation it's my goal to end up in that field eventually. Becoming more proficient in new digital tools is therefore crucial to actually getting paid for work that isn't taking food and drink orders at *some point* in the near future.
This module connects my love for history and the excruciating build-up of new digital knowledge that is my minor, which is great. Before enrolling at UZH I was a complete beginner in regards to coding, digital collaboration tools etc. but I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I'm looking forward to this course, collaborating with all of you and learning new things!
