The University of Hull encourages qualified candidates for the “MA in Early Modern History” to submit their applications for the academic year 2009/10.
This new degree programme offers the opportunity to study European and Atlantic societies in the period from the Reformation, Humanism and the “first age of discovery” to the Enlightenment and Napoleonic Wars in a cross-national perspective. It will allow students to pursue their interests in any aspect of early modern history, and to obtain training specifically designed for undertaking further research in this period. One of the defining features of the course is that it considers developments in continental Europe and Britain as well as the Atlantic world and thus explores the chronological as well as geographical limits of the very concept of the “early modern”.
The Course
The MA consists of three core elements, three optional modules chosen from a wide range of courses, and an individually supervised dissertation.
The specifically designed core module examines meanings and definitions of early modern history and the distinctiveness of the period. In addition, all students follow two modules on “Research design and strategy” and historiography.
The choice of optional modules includes more than a dozen courses, among them “Humanism and the Reformation”, “War and peace in early modern central Europe”, “Pomp as politics: the princely courts of Germany and France”, “Renaissance women: history and texts”, “The Imperial crisis: Britain and America, 1760-1776”, “Britain and the global wars for Empire 1764-1815”, as well as palaeography and medieval/early modern Latin.
Entry requirements
Our normal entry requirement for an MA programme is a first degree in History or a related subject with a classification of at least 2.ii (or equivalent for non-UK qualifications). Mature students from other academic backgrounds are also encouraged to apply.
The Department
The Department of History is one of the larger history departments in the country, and particularly strong in early modern history. This field is covered by six professors and lecturers teaching various aspects of European (in particular British and German) and American history. In addition, several members of the associated Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation offer modules on the Atlantic slave trade and other economic and political links between European and colonial societies in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The University of Hull is one of the older universities in England, and has an excellent record in research, teaching, and graduate employment. The Department of History has been rated 5 in the last two national Research Assessment Exercises, recognition of its status as one of the leading centres of historical research in the country. Two thirds of the Department’s research output was deemed to be “world leading” or “internationally excellent” in last year’s RAE. In the 2008 National Student Survey, the Department earned a 97% overall rating for student satisfaction, and 87% of our graduates are either employed or engaged in further studies.
The Department of History is situated in the University’s central Hull campus, located in an attractive Victorian quarter of the city, and in proximity to several architectural and natural attractions of Yorkshire. The cities of York and Leeds can be reached by train or car in less than an hour, and London in about two and a half hours. Although the historic port city has in recent years undergone an extensive programme of urban regeneration, living costs are still considerably lower than in most other parts of the UK.
Information
More information on the department and the university is available at http://www.hull.ac.uk/history. The co-ordinator of the MA in Early Modern History, Dr Thomas Biskup (t.biskup@hull.ac.uk), is happy to answer any queries!