MA History

Start the course by exploring historical methods and research skills, followed by in-depth topic-based modules and the opportunity to devise and develop a specialist dissertation. The Approaches to the Past module, in the first semester, provides guidance on the different approaches to the study of history, including geographical scales of study and disciplinary approaches.

There are four core modules: Approaches to the Past, Research Methods and Skills, an Independent Study Presentation, and a dissertation. You also choose three special study modules from a varied list of options. Examples include The Fall of the Ancient City; Sport and Leisure in Victorian Britain; Medieval Queenship-Gender and Power in the Global Middle Ages; The ‘fifteen-year war’ and public memory in postwar Japan; Documenting the Local Past; The Organisation and Representation of Colonial Violence; and Church, Society, and Conflict in the Medieval West, c. 1000 - c. 1150. Please note that not all the Special Study options will run every year

During the final summer of studies you write a 20,000-word dissertation, with specialist supervision. Research training for the dissertation is provided in a specialist module through a blend of electronic learning and face-to-face contact, which helps you complete a range of research tasks associated with the development of your dissertation. This leads to a Day Conference (Independent Study Presentation), in which you showcase your dissertation plans and their development, and debate themes in the study of history with external speakers.