Modern History MLitt

Each module typically comprises:

• 1.5 to 2-hour weekly seminars
• fortnightly tutorials for Directed Reading in Modern History
• 100% coursework assessment.

• Directed Reading in Modern History: designed to encourage the development of skills of historical analysis through concentrated study of a topic chosen by the student prior to the dissertation.
• History in the Making: Theories, Approaches and Practice (1 and 2): examines the development of history writing and historical research since the Enlightenment, and the emergence of fields, trends and new approaches in current historiography.

Students choose one optional module. Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University’s position on curriculum development).

• Building Britain: The Construction and Deconstruction of Britishness since 1707: combines the study of topics such as the growth and decline of Britain's Empire, the two World Wars and the Welfare State with the more conceptual notion of the construction of British national identity.
• Crossing Borders: European History in Transnational Perspective: focuses on late-modern European history and its historiography as well as the inter-connection between Europe and non-European areas.
• History of Modern Science: introduces students to core themes in the history of science from the scientific revolution onwards.
• Key Issues in German Historiography: engages with some of the most hotly disputed issues in German history.
• Perceptions of Central and Eastern Europe: examines perceptions of Central and Eastern Europe which have undergone significant transformation since the emergence of modern nationalism in the mid-19th century.
• Themes in American History: exposes students to several key debates in American historiography by focusing on a series of issues that have especially preoccupied scholars in the field.
• Themes and Debates in Modern French History: explores key themes in French history and introduces students to some important historiographical and methodological issues.

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.