History MA
1 Year Full-Time | September Start

You will learn how to identify the intellectual, social, and cultural contexts that inform advanced research in historical studies. The module trains you in the skills necessary to compile historiographical material and develop theoretical knowledge about the past, including contextual analysis, source scrutiny, and understanding the ever-changing state of the historical field. These skills have major implications for your research. Most importantly, you will explore the methods and critical theories that define the study of your particular field of history. Thus, your curiosity and inquisitiveness underpin the direction of assessment. You will need to collect, sift, and analyse the secondary sources that dominate the historical understanding of your research topic. The module provides an overview of the ways in which historical writing has changed over time, and considers how theory and conceptual thinking has influenced historians. You will also learn how the historiography has developed in relation to your own research topic.

What were the social, cultural and political consequences of war? How have people analysed war, and how have they tried to prevent or end violent conflicts? The module invites you to explore these questions from a variety of angles, drawing on approaches from political history, cultural history and the history of ideas. We will address debates on, and experiences of, war and peace in different historical contexts – from the early modern period to the contemporary world.

The module is divided into three parts: ‘Theories and Thinkers’, ‘Peace-Building in Practice’ and ‘Conflicts in Context’. In the first section, we will analyse influential theories of war and peace. The second section allows you to explore different attempts to create a more peaceful world, encompassing high-level diplomacy, the work of international organisations such as the League of Nations as well as the campaigns waged by peace activists. In the final section of the module, we investigate different types of conflict, from civil war to total war.

In this module, you will learn about the advantages and potential pitfalls of doing History in the digital age. In doing so, you will develop skills that are essential for postgraduate research. The module develops your understanding of the relationship between planning research (formulating research questions, considering methodology), doing research (using a range of digital and traditional investigative techniques) and reflecting upon research (data handling and organization, the politics and ethics of research and reflective practice for writing). The module is designed to prepare you to collect, interpret and disseminate research as a means of supporting all of the modules that you take at Masters level. Crucially, the module equips you with the conceptual tools needed to approach your extended research project, the dissertation.

Throughout the module, you will consider the advantages and disadvantages of studying History in the 21st century. You will consider the historical, cultural and political role of archives, libraries and museums, but also the way in which digitized sources, digital research tool and the internet are shaping the nature of research. You will reflect on how digital methods differ from more traditional forms of historical enquiry, and how you, as a historian, can best use new technologies to develop your work.

In this module you will be provided with the skills to complete a dissertation on a topic that you will negotiate with your supervisor. The History dissertation represents the culmination of your postgraduate studies. It will enable you to apply the skills you have acquired in core modules and options to a discrete body of primary sources related to an identifiable area of historical enquiry. It is an exercise in research and is intended to develop your research skills and your ability to work independently. Dissertation topics will be supervised by an expert in the field who will guide you through the various stages of formulating, researching and writing this substantial piece of work

In this module you will consider the British imperial experience from colonial expansion in the early modern period, to anti-imperialism and decolonisation in the twentieth century. You will also explore the British Empire’s relationship with the other modern empires. The approach is largely thematic. Introductory weeks will explore the early modern origins of empire and key approaches to the study of empire and colonialism. In subsequent weeks you will consider the British Empire’s changing character through an exploration of several broad themes. In addition to examining the British Empire’s relationship with racial, religious, and cultural difference; you will also consider how peoples and places were settled and subjugated, how the empire was organised politically and economically, and how the empire legitimated itself. You will also explore how the British Empire had a transformative impact on the movement of people across the world. Each theme connects to a common set of questions: What motors drove imperial expansion? How are empires organised politically, and how have empires dealt with ethnic minorities, religious diversity, and cultural difference? How has power been expressed and how have peoples and places been subjugated? How did people resist colonial rule? You will also consider how different empires interacted, whether the British imperial experience was distinct, and whether we can compare the ways empires have dealt with religion, race and cultural difference.

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Effective reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
• Discussing ethical issues in research, and analysing results.
• Describing bias and limitations of research.