M.Phil. Medieval Studies

Course Description

The new M. Phil in Medieval Studies offers students a broad overview of the Middle Ages through Trinity’s excellent collection of medieval manuscripts, at the same time as allowing students to specialise in one of three areas: History, Language and Literature or Culture and Civilisation.

History

The new M.Phil in Medieval Studies has a common set of entry criteria and leads to a Master's degree in Medieval Studies one of three specialisms: History, Language and Literature, and Culture and Civilisation.

In the first semester, students gain a good grounding in the sources that underpin the study of the Middle Ages and begin to explore Trinity’s holdings of medieval books and documents. They also learn, refresh or advance their knowledge of Latin and choose one optional module. In the second semester, they continue to develop their expertise in handling medieval sources, receive in-depth training in palaeography, and choose one further module from the wide range of options offered each year. In the final semester, students write their dissertation on a topic of their choice, with expert supervision.

Language and Literature

The new M.Phil in Medieval Studies has a common set of entry criteria and leads to a Master's degree in Medieval Studies one of three specialisms: History, Language and Literature, and Culture and Civilisation.

In the first semester, students gain a good grounding in the sources that underpin the study of the Middle Ages and begin to explore Trinity’s holdings of medieval books and documents. They also learn a language and choose one optional module. In the second semester, they continue to develop their expertise in handling medieval sources, receive in-depth training in reading medieval books and documents, and choose two further modules from the wide range of options offered each year. In the final semester, students write their dissertation on a topic of their choice, with expert supervision.

Culture and Civilisation

The new M.Phil in Medieval Studies has a common set of entry criteria and leads to a Master's degree in Medieval Studies one of three specialisms: History, Language and Literature, and Culture and Civilisation.

In the first semester, students gain a good grounding in the sources that underpin the study of the Middle Ages and begin to explore Trinity’s holdings of medieval books and documents. In addition, they may study a language and choose optional modules in areas such as Art History, Gender and Sexuality, Music, Religion, History, or Literature. In the second semester, students continue to develop their expertise in handling medieval sources, receive in-depth training in reading medieval books and documents, and choose two further modules from the wide range of options offered each year. The final element of the programme is a dissertation on a topic of the student’s choice, completed under supervision.