M.Phil. International History

Course Description

The M. Phil course in International History offers students the chance to pursue historical research outside the boundaries of the nation state. Students will be trained in transnational, comparative, and international approaches to history and have the opportunity to study foreign languages, cultures, and societies. Possible topics of focus include the movement of culture, people, and ideas across national boundaries and issues such as imperialism, globalization, social movements, and the roots of international war and conflict. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to reflect on the historical roots of current issues that cross national boundaries such as the refugee crisis, the spread of radical politics, security and intelligence services, the international economy, and other critical issues to prepare for careers in areas such as global politics, NGOs, journalism, or for further postgraduate study.

The course consists of seven modules. The two mandatory modules include a year-long, core module on International History: Methods and Themes and an International History Research Seminar in which students will hear guest speakers who are leaders in their field. Three elective modules can be selected from a wide range of specialties, including continental European, Irish, Chinese, U.S., and environmental history. For their fifth module, students can choose either a foreign language (from French, Spanish, Russian, German, Polish, Italian, or Chinese -depending on availability of staff) or an additional module in International History Methods. The final module is the capstone project, a dissertation based on independent research on a topic in international history, individually supervised by a member of staff.

Possible elective modules include History, Memory and Commemoration; the Irish Civil War from an International Perspective; Environmental History; U.S. Social Movements and Social Thought in an International Perspective; Global History of Concentration Camps; Modern China in an International Perspective; and A World History of Communism.