Reasons to study History MA at DMU:

• A flexible structure to studying 
  the course has four core modules and a dissertation that develops your History skills through training in historical debates, historiography and the use of primary sources, along with close supervision and mentoring. You can choose to develop your own lines of enquiry or work on historical topics more broadly, with a range of projects which can be tailored to your interests.
• Research-rich learning environment
  with historians who have a passion for their research and teaching. Specialisms range from the medieval Indian Ocean, modern Britain and Europe, Colonial History, Sports History and Photographic History. Please visit the Institute of History to see individual staff research interests.
• Give your career an edge
  by developing your research and transferable skills through the study of historical sources and methods; practical training in writing for publication, teaching and research, presentations and event management, providing you with skills in teaching, publishing, research and managing cultural events
• Preparation for further study
  as the MA, with its focus on individual research, provides ideal preparation for progression to PhD. The enhanced qualification in History can also contribute to further study in education (PGCE) and heritage and archive studies
• Participate in the DMU research community
  through open seminars and conferences organized in the History subject area, including the History Research Seminars, Cultural Exchanges week events, International Centre for Sports History and Cultures, Photographic History Research Centre and the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre

The master’s degree in History offers you the opportunity to learn in a structured, yet flexible way. You will study the core modules which provide you with structure but at the same time they will help you to build and develop your historical skills to conduct independent research, manage projects, organise conferences, think critically while engaging you with a passion for History.

The modules are designed to advance your understanding of ‘Historical Methodologies’ but at the same time also introduce you to the importance of digital humanities, ‘Public History and Heritage’. The course uniquely brings together the history of ‘Global Leicester’ spanning across the historical periods and blending the local with global narratives.

At the same time the programme is flexible in helping you develop your own specialisms and research interests. While the core modules provide you with the academic rigour of learning history at advanced levels, the practical skills involved in History and Humanities research allow you get first-hand experience of conference management, presenting work and writing for publications. It is an ideal stepping-stone to either research at PhD level or a career in teaching, publishing, research or event management.

The staff who teach History here have produced ground-breaking monographs on topics such as internment in the First World War, the history of Montenegro, cultural exchanges in the Indian Ocean World and the history and heritage of the Olympic Games. Their research has featured on numerous media programmes, including BBC TV’s My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947 and BBC Radio 4’s Sport and the British. In addition, many of the staff members have links with Museums and Galleries and provide consultancy for a range of establishments and institutions. This programme provides you with an opportunity to work with them and learn from leading historians.

Structure and assessment

Module detail

Historical Methodology
This module provides an introduction to advanced historiography. It will develop students’ knowledge of traditional historiographical concerns alongside current trends and new directions in writing and thinking about the past. It also aims to enable students to think critically about the way historians have formulated research questions, used sources, and written history, across time and place. It will help students to build up an informed knowledge of recent developments in historical thinking as well as a history of the discipline of History itself.

Topics to be covered will be drawn from the following themes: nation and state in History; global and transnational histories; empires and colonies; orientalism and occidentalism; social history, structuralism and the Annales; history from below; history in numbers; cultural history and postmodernism; materiality and visual history; gender history; and migration history.

Public History and Heritage
This module provides an introduction to Public History and Heritage. It will develop your knowledge about the debates, theoretical underpinnings and development of public history and heritage in both the UK and the wider world. It will enable you to engage in debates around how public history is constructed, contested and represented in society. It examines the growth in the heritage industry and considers the ways in which the digital age has impacted upon the development and growth of this sector. The module also brings together an array of industry specialists to provide a practical and theoretical approach to teaching and learning on this module.

Global Leicester
The city of Leicester is one of the most diverse cities in Europe. It is shaped by both by its long migration history and also by its position as a post-industrial city in the Midlands. Using Global Leicester as the pivotal point, this module will emphasise the importance of place and scale while drawing on multiple themes. The module is designed to unpack local history through global lenses. The module will consider the multiple ways in which we can understand the history of migration through and beyond the axis of Leicester. For example, the complex relationship with the empire and the subsequent population movement due to the expulsion Asians in Uganda. The changing landscape of both the physical city and the demographic movement of people via themes of food, empire, football, trade, material objects. The themes will reflect and draw upon the expertise currently in History and more broadly research which has explored the wider ramifications of migration through the ages to present-day Leicester. The students will be encouraged to approach some of these themes and ideas through leading individual discussions and presenting a focused research case study.

Conference Training and Presentation
The module is designed to train students in the skills involved in event organisation and presentation. It will involve collaborative as well as individual research skills. Students will be guided through the necessary training in organising a conference, choosing a topic and delivering a relevant paper. Students will be assigned roles (treasurer, programme developer, marketing manager, website designer) and will also present a paper at the conference. Students will be assessed on a reflective essay, outlining their contribution to the management of the conference and a written version of their presentation (including slides). Please visit the Conference Twitter handle @DMUHumsConf to sample previous years’ conferences.

Dissertation
The final project will be a sustained piece of writing, amounting to 15,000 words.  The piece will draw on research undertaken throughout the year but will provide a new and sustained argument.

Note: All modules are subject to change in order to keep content current

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