History Degrees Online

This course provides training in and experience of historical analysis of issues of importance for the understanding of contemporary Britain. It focuses upon the study of British history over the past century, but assumes that British history must be understood in relation to other countries and regions, in particular the Empire/ Commonwealth, Europe and North America. The programme defines history broadly to include economic, social, cultural, political and diplomatic history. It is designed to provide all students with a common core course which surveys the main features of, and issues in, this range of approaches to British history since c.1900.

A second compulsory core course, History in Practice, enables students to discuss major themes in historiography and theory in relation to recent British history, to access and use sources, including documentary, visual and oral sources, and to apply a range of methods including use of IT and oral history.

A third strand allows students to chose a course through which they can specialise either in aspects of British history; Britain’s relationship with other countries or clusters of countries (the Empire/Commonwealth, Europe, the United States); comparisons or contrasts with other countries and regions, studied through such courses as Latin America from Colony to Modernity and American History on Film; or specific themes and approaches to history, such as women’s history, cultural history or the history of the Cold War. Each of these strands is taught over 20 weeks between October and Easter of each year, followed by a period of independent research for a dissertation.

Students also attend the weekly Contemporary British History research seminar at the Institute of Historical Research chaired by Professor Pat Thane and Professor Rodney Lowe at which speakers at the cutting edge of the subject area give papers about their work. A workshop is also normally held at Cumberland Lodge for MA and PhD students, including sessions on the relevance of contemporary history in areas such as policy-making and journalism.

The course is open to both full-time students over one academic year (October-September) and to part-time students over two academic years.

The aim of the Core course is to provide a broad introduction to the discipline of Book History. This will involve introducing students to a number of historical approaches and methods, to a wide variety of textual materials spanning the 13th to the 20th centuries, and to a range of libraries and archives containing these materials. By the end of the course students should not only have a good working knowledge of the techniques and materials of Book History but also some idea of the areas or periods on which they might wish to concentrate in their later work.

Scheme of Classes
The course will occupy 40 hours of formal classes (20 sessions) spread over two terms. Although it contains a wide range of materials, the Core course is integrated by the idea of the ‘life cycle’ of a text. More precisely, this involves looking at five major aspects of this cycle: Publication, Manufacture, Distribution, Reception, and Preservation that together constitute what has been called the ‘circuit of communication’.

The Core Course’s teaching programme uses three different approaches.

Introductory Surveys
The Course begins with three ‘introductory surveys’, each of which takes a part of the ‘circuit of communication’ and offers a broad introduction to it:

Book Structures/Manufacture (Induction Week and Week 1)
Publication/Distribution (Induction Week and Week 2)
Reading/Preservation (Induction Week and Week 3)

Each Introductory survey will consist of two seminars, one of which will be offered in the Induction Week and the other in Week 1 (Book Structures/Manufacture), Week 2 (Publication/Distribution) and Week 3 (Reading/Preservation).

Case Studies
Following this series of Introductory surveys will be the main part of the course which consists of a series of chronologically ordered Case Studies:

Case Study 1: The Medieval Book
Case Study 2: Books of Hours
Case Study 3: Shakespeare’s Quartos and First Folio
Case Study 4: The Illustrated Book
Case Study 5: The Novel 1830-1895
Case Study 6: Elkin Mathews/Penguin/Publishing 1960s-2000
Case Study 7: From Papyrus Roll to Scrolling Screen

Case Studies usually last between two and three weeks. These case studies will aim to draw on as many different types of written and printed text as possible in order to give students a wide range of Book History experience.

However, in order to ensure continuity and coherence, all case studies will have common and recurrent features that will bind them together. These common features will include:
The provision of an historical context in which the case study can be set.
The relation of the individual case study to as many of the five aspects of the circuit of communication as are relevant to the period under study.
A strong emphasis on the ‘materiality’ of the text, that is, on the book and other textual materials as manufactured objects that are distributed, bought and sold.

Each Case Study will be the responsibility of a Case Study Leader, although more than one teacher (and sometimes more than one institution) may be involved in the teaching of a specific Case Study. Continuity between case studies will be ensured by the Course Director and/or Course Tutor who will be present at most teaching sessions.

The final Case Study will be somewhat different. It will last just one week and will take a single ancient text, following it through all its evolutions from papyrus roll to its existence as an electronic text accessible through the Internet. This is designed both to pull all the other case studies together, and to suggest possibilities in Book History beyond the geographical and chronological boundaries of the other case studies.

Workshops
The third and final element of the Core course is the workshop. There is one workshop in the first term and one in the second. These give students the chance to step back from their detailed studies and discuss a major intellectual or scholarly issue arising from them. The Autumn term workshop will address the historiography of Book History in order to foreground the various theoretical models Book Historians use to account for the things they observe and evaluate. The workshop in the second term will tackle the tricky historical issues raised by the attempt to define and establish the nature and distribution of literacy in past populations.

Organised Visits and Practical Sessions
Most of these will run in the summer term and will normally occupy the vacated teaching slot on Wednesdays. Visits to the libraries in London, Oxford and Cambridge will be included in this scheme. This is part of the teaching programme (not an optional extra) and is a vital means of broadening stduents’ experience of Book History materials and locations.

Assessment
There will be one diagnostic essay (of 1,500 words) to be submitted in the first term. This diagnostic essay is ungraded and is there to give you and the University the chance to assess your progress at an early stage (and take early remedial action in the unlikely event of that being necessary).
The Core Course will be examined by one essay (of 5,000 words) to be handed in at the beginning of the summer examining term (by Wednesday 23 April 2008). Coursework may be submitted at any time before this date for comments and suggestions that may be taken into account before the final submission. Core course essays are expected to be distinct in topic and period from essays submitted for a candidate’s chosen option.

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Accreditation Information :
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Accreditation Information :
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Qualifying Exams :

Tution Fees :
Financial Aid / Scholarship Offered :
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Accreditation Information :
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Qualifying Exams :

Tution Fees :
Financial Aid / Scholarship Offered :
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The MA in Local and Regional History provides an exciting opportunity to obtain valuable local history research skills and, under the guidance of supervisors, produce local historical research to professional standards. The programme focuses on the local history of England, including London, but there is also scope to work on other areas. Students are introduced to key historical approaches, sources and methods and learn to apply them to the study of specific local history projects. The course is interdisciplinary, and importance is placed on the use of architecture, material culture, archaeology and literature as important sources for the study of localities. Field trips and museum visits form a key part of the course.
The MA will appeal to anyone wishing to develop a broad range of transferable historical skills and those with interests in the history of localities, parishes, local government, historic buildings and the historic enviroment. It also represents excellent preparation for future PhD research.
Church of Codford St Mary, Wiltshire (C) English Heritage
The MA is taught by staff at two of the United Kingdom’s leading research centres, the Centre for Metropolitan History and the Centre for Local History/Victoria County History. Both are based within the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and School of Advanced Study in the University of London, where students can draw on wealth of expertise in urban and local history as well as unrivalled library and other resources for the study of the history of London and of other cities. Students join a thriving and lively community of students, researchers and teachers at the IHR and take full advantage of the facilities and resources of the central University, as well as the nearby British Library, the Museum of London and other important national centres.

The MA in Historical Research is one of three Masters degrees available at the Institute of Historical Research which share a common training programme. The others are the MA in Local and Regional History and the MA in Urban and Metropolitan History.
The MA in Historical Research is tailored to individual research interests. It allows students to undertake assessed work and independent projects in the issues and controversies which interest them most. Students are introduced to key historical approaches, sources and methods and learn to apply them to their particular subject area. The course offers wide-ranging research training, and importance is placed on the use of architecture, material culture, archaeology and literature to aid historical research and understanding. Field trips and museum visits form a key part of the training programme.
The Church of St Mary le Bow
The MA will appeal to anyone wishing to develop a broad range of transferable historical skills and those seeking a professional career in the historical profession. It represents excellent preparation for future PhD research.
The MA is taught by staff at two of the United Kingdom’s leading research centres, the Centre for Metropolitan History and the Centre for Local History/Victoria County History. Both are based within the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and School of Advanced Study in the University of London, where students can draw on wealth of expertise in urban and metropolitan history as well as unrivalled library and other resources for the study of the history of London and of other cities. Students join a thriving and lively community of students, researchers and teachers at the IHR and take full advantage of the facilities and resources of the central University, as well as the nearby British Library, the Museum of London and other important national centres.

1. Core Course: Britain since 1900: Politics, Society, Economy, Culture, International Relations
Course convenor: Professor Thane
This course consists of 20 weekly classes, each of two hours, in the autumn and spring terms. Subjects covered include political parties, the economy, social class, the constitution, the rise of the welfare state, the end of empire, Britain and Europe, gender relations and the Cold War.
Assessment will be by means of two 5,000 word essays, one submitted at the end of each term.
2. Core Course: History in Practice
Course convenor: Dr Kandiah.
This course will include 20 weekly lectures/discussions on historiography and theory as applied to history. Includes subjects such as oral history, IT and historians, visual sources, quantitative methods, economic history, political history, diaries and biographies, post-colonial history and social history.
Assessment will be by means of one 3,000-5,000 word essay submitted at the end of the first term and one presentation about a sources project at the end of the second term…
3. Option Courses
(not all courses will be available in all years) . These will include:
* Political Parties, Voters and Political Culture in Britain since 1900.
Tutors: Prof. Thane, Dr. Kandiah.
* Political Parties, Voters and Political Culture in Britain since 1900.
Tutors: Prof. Thane, Dr. Kandiah.
* Britain and the Cold War.
Tutor: Dr Kandiah
* Gender and British Society since 1900
Tutor: Prof. Thane
* British State Welfare and the state of welfare in Britain since 1900.
Tutor: Prof. Thane.
* Interviewing for Contemporary Historians.
A practical training course.
Tutor: Dr Kandiah
* Museums and National Identity
Tutor: Dr Elisabeth Kehoe
* The City of London 1850-2000
Tutor: Prof Roberts
In the Institute of Commonwealth Studies:
* Ending the Empire: The British Experience in the 20th Century.
Tutor: Prof. Rob Holland.
Assessment is normally by two 5,000 word essays, one per term, though requirements for some courses may differ.
4. Supervised 15,000 word Dissertation
on a topic of the student’s choice, to be completed by the end of September.