History

Dr Jonathan Fitzgibbons - Programme Leader

Dr Fitzgibbons is a historian of early modern Britain. As programme leader for MA History, he teaches an optional module on Tudor and Stuart political culture. His research interests include the intellectual and constitutional history of Civil War Britain and the memory of trauma and conflict in the early modern world.

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Welcome to MA History

This rigorous Master's programme is designed to develop students' specialist knowledge of history alongside advanced research skills that are transferable to a variety of careers paths, including PhD study.

Students can specialise in the history of gender and sexuality, media history, global history, early modern or contemporary British history, or pursue a general programme of study instead. Through cumulative research, students can develop the relevant skills and an enhanced capacity for informed citizenship, critical thinking, and simple awareness.

The city of Lincoln is rich in history and heritage making it the perfect setting in which to conduct history research. Students can benefit from the historical resources available in the city, including at the International Bomber Command Centre and The Wren Library at Lincoln Cathedral which houses several thousand early modern books.

Students on the course are expected to undertake an in-depth independent research project and produce a detailed dissertation.

How You Study

The taught modules are delivered through a series of seminars which typically take place on a Wednesday. Students are supported in researching and writing their dissertation with a series of tutorial meetings with their supervisor.

Students on this course should expect to receive three to four hours of contact time per week. Postgraduate-level study involves a significant proportion of independent study, exploring the material covered in seminars. As a general guide, for every hour spent in class, students are expected to spend two to three hours in independent study.

Core modules:

- Historical Research (12 weeks)
- The Dissertation Map (six weeks)
- The Public Historian (six weeks)

Students also have a choice of one 12-week optional core module in Semester 1 and one 12-week optional module in Semester 2.

Optional core modules can include:
-Themes in Contemporary British History
-Themes in Global History
-Themes and Issues in Media History
-Themes and Issues in the History of Gender and Sexuality

Optional modules can include:
-Politics and Political Culture in Tudor and Stuart Britain, 1500-1700
-Early Modern Manhood
-Sex and Science in the Western World, 1800-present
-The Making of Contemporary Britain: From Sexual Liberation to Deindustrialisation 1970-1990
-Gender and Material Culture in Modern Britain
-Photographing Empire
-The History of the Book: Media and Print Culture in Early Modern Europe
-Break Ranks! Antimilitarism, Pacifism and Resistance to War
-Literature, Politics, and Identity in Interwar Europe
-Print Culture and the Book in the Nineteenth Century

Features

Students will be encouraged to take an active part in the academic life of the School by attending events and research seminars organised by the School of Humanities and Heritage and by research groups in the College of Arts.

Members of staff on the programme are involved in the ‘Global and Transregional Studies Research Group’ which runs events for researchers and students across the College of Arts, including a lively interdisciplinary seminar series

https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/hh/research/globalandtransregionalstudies/

An Introduction to Your Modules

† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.

Dissertation (MA History) 2023-24HST9013MLevel 72023-24The dissertation is designed to enable students to conduct a sustained piece of work which draws upon their research and self-organisational skills. The dissertation will require students to explore the problematic nature of primary source materials and they will be expected to analyse the relationship between primary and secondary sources. Engagement with recent scholarship in the field and a synthesis of a substantial amount of secondary literature is expected within the dissertation. Where appropriate, as part of their research, students will need to consider ethical dimensions associated with their area of inquiry.CoreHistorical Research 2023-24HST9064MLevel 72023-24This module offers students the opportunity to develop advanced expertise in historical research, such that they are prepared to undertake the MA dissertation but also to pursue doctoral research or other professional research work. The focus is not just on practical skills involving the finding and recording of material, but on refining skills of analysis and approaches to methodology developed at undergraduate level, as well as the critical incorporation of theoretical approaches into research design.CoreThe Dissertation Map: Dissertation Preparation 2023-24HST9068MLevel 72023-24This module will focus on developing a dissertation proposal as a type of dissertation map that students can refer to as they commence independent research and writing for their MA Dissertation. Students will be introduced to the key aspects of a dissertation proposal (sources, methodology and historiography) and develop their own approaches to these as they relate to their chosen project. The module will finish with a Proposal Roundtable where students will present their proposals to fellow students and staff within the School of History and Heritage.CoreThe Public Historian 2023-24HST9071MLevel 72023-24History is everywhere in the world around us. You can find it in popular fiction, in heritage sites run by organisations like the National Trust or by local communities, in the educational settings of schools and museums, and in government policy shaped by the past successes and failures of the state. This module will reflect the current diversity of non-academic forms of history and will aim to further students' understanding of the nature and practice of public history by exploring the aims, techniques and outcomes of different forms of historical practice. The module encourages students to reflect on the differences between professional and public history in order to enhance their understanding of the purposes of the historical discipline beyond the academy, and to deepen their awareness of how different producers create histories and how audiences interpret these histories. It also encourages students to think practically about how to use such insights in the planning of their own public history resource.CoreBreak Ranks! Antimilitarism, Pacifism and Resistance to War 2023-24HST9027MLevel 72023-24This module aims to examine the history of peace/antiwar movements both nationally and internationally. It explores forms of noncompliance to war regulations among civilians and in the army. Students can study the theoretical underpinnings of this field and apply that knowledge in designing and developing their own research project for the final assessment. Areas covered include theories of pacifism/antimilitarism, war resistance in art and literature, religious opposition to war, women in peace movements and anti-war movements today.OptionalEarly Modern Manhood 2023-24HST9028MLevel 72023-24This module introduces key issues and concepts in gender history, with particular reference to early modern masculinity. An introduction to key ideas and scholars is provided, focussing particularly on the ways in which scholars of the history of masculinity use a variety of texts from journals and letters to visual material and published works in order to elucidate the ideals and experiences of both early modern men and women. The module offers students the opportunity to engage in sustained analysis of developments in scholarship relating to masculinity in the period c.1500-1750. This is designed to enable them to demonstrate their understanding and ability to structure their own research, utilising primary and secondary sources, including works from cognate disciplines such as gender theory and other theoretically-informed approaches.OptionalEveryday Britain: MACE (The Media Archive for Central England) and the Historian 2023-24HST9062MLevel 72023-24OptionalGender and Material Culture in Modern Britain 2023-24HST9063MLevel 72023-24OptionalLiterature, Politics and Identity in Inter-War Europe 2023-24HST9065MLevel 72023-24The inter-war period in Europe was an unprecedented time of political and social upheaval. Also unique, was the way in which literature had a key role, not only in documenting this upheaval but as a powerful tool of self expression and self making. Many writers during this period saw their words as an intervention in the fight between right and left, alongside fights for gender equality, and the right to sexual freedom. This module will examine five key battlegrounds of political, social and sexual change: Russia, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Britain, and the ways in which writers engaged with this process. This will allow students to reflect upon the relationship between fact and fiction and the ways in which both history and life stories are shaped to fit particular narratives. The course enables students to critically engage with literary material including novels, poetry, memoir and diaries, and to use these materials as a historical source. It is designed to allow students to interrogate the nature of writing fictional and non-fictional material, and the ways in which these genres often overlap in the writing of history and the narrating of individual lives.OptionalMemory Wars: Contested Histories of the United States 2023-24HST9086Level 72023-24To understand the history of the United States and its current political and social landscapes you first have to begin by the acknowledging how the nation remembers itself. As divisive issues arise, so too do conflicting narratives about the national past and the true meaning of the American story. Today we are not just living through a culture war but a memory war. This module will introduce students to the breadth and depth of US History, covering historical events from the early modern to contemporary moment.OptionalPhotographing Empire 2023-24HST9066MLevel 72023-24This module will examine photographs produced during the era of European imperialism. The development of, and greater accessibility to, photography coincided with the era of high imperialism in the late nineteenth century and this module builds on recent scholarship which places the production and the impact of photographs at the heart of studies of the empire. Students can investigate the many ways in which the photographic image became a technology of power in the imperial project.OptionalPolitics and Political Culture in Tudor and Stuart Britain, 1485-1714 2023-24HST9079MLevel 72023-24The Tudor and Stuart periods were times of riot, rebellion and revolution. Monarchy was challenged, abolished and restored; parliaments grew in authority and regularity; England and Scotland became a United Kingdom. It was also a time of rapid change in the depth and quality of political engagement and activity for people across all levels of society: it was an age of mob demonstrations, mass petitioning, printed satires and armed rebellions. While historical studies have long recognised the constitutional and political significance of this period, the approaches taken by historians have evolved substantially in recent decades. The module allows students to investigate the history of monarchy, parliaments and the state, as well as the issue of popular politics, and the ways in which men and women outside of the political elite engaged with those in authority. It offers the chance to develop skills in locating, accessing and reading early modern printed and manuscript sources and to engage with Lincolns rich early modern archives.OptionalPrint Culture and the Book in the Nineteenth Century 2023-24ENL9040MLevel 72023-24This module centres on the history of the book and print culture over the long nineteenth century. Examining print from social, cultural, and economic standpoints, the module considers a number of key questions. How were Victorian texts written, revised, illustrated, published, printed, distributed, and sold? How were they read, and what evidence do we have to prove this? How did copyright debates over the century affect literary productions and the way authors thought about these productions? What was the impact of serialisation and the periodical press on both the publishing industry and the reader or consumer? What place did the book-as-object have within Victorian material culture? How do Victorian texts themselves depict reading, writing, and the book? How does reading texts alongside images qualify reading and interpretation? The module takes a synoptic approach to printed materials, including but not limited to books, periodicals, newspapers, illustrations and printed ephemera. The module also provides opportunities to use the extensive and unique resources of the Tennyson Research Centre, and facilities such as the conservation labs to explore microscopy and related techniques. Furthermore, use will be made of online resources such as Victorian periodical facsimiles.OptionalSex and Science in the Western World, 1800 to the present 2023-24HST9067MLevel 72023-24This module explores the medicalisation of sexuality from the nineteenth century to the present. Although what was considered healthy sexual behaviour had long occupied Western medical thought, in the nineteenth century physicians grouped together a series of sexual issues and made them the object of intense specialised analysis unparalleled in previous medical study. Students can explore how medical knowledge has shaped understandings of sex differences, gender, sexual behaviour and sexuality over time, and how, in turn, political and cultural problems have influenced science.OptionalThe British Image of the United States (1896-Present day) 2023-24HST9029MLevel 72023-24The Anglo-American relationship has been a central facet of British foreign policy throughout the twentieth century. Its pioneering historian, H.C. Allen, asserted the relationship could only be understood by considering political factors in conjunction with cultural links. This module examines one aspect of this process through the representation of America and Americans in British novels, films and TV series since the Great Rapprochement of the 1890s. It considers what the British image of the United States was and asks how did it develop over the course of the century? How far do the fictionalised relationships reflect the political relationships of the time in which they were written, and how far do they present an alternative story of Anglo-American relations? How far should we accept Allens contention that the cultural dimension of the relationship is critical to understanding its history?OptionalThe History of the Book: Media and Print Culture in Early Modern Europe 2023-24HST9069MLevel 72023-24OptionalThe Making of Contemporary Britain: From Sexual Liberation to Deindustrialisation, 1970-1990 2023-24HST9070MLevel 72023-24The 1970s and 1980s in Britain were contradictory decades. They saw the advent of second wave feminism, gay rights, vibrant youth subcultures and the weakening of the class system, alongside a return to the right in politics, institutionalised sexism and homophobia, and the destruction of the traditional working class. This module will examine key issues and events in these decades to understand these contradictions and analyse their lasting impact on contemporary Britain. Students will be able to engage with various themes such as sexuality, gender, class, race and identity, and tailor their assessments to pursue a combination of these areas.OptionalThe Study of Political History in Britain 2023-24HST9011MLevel 72023-24This module provides students with the opportunity to engage critically with the writing of British political history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A variety of different approaches to this subject are in turn analysed and contextualized. Their relationships with other approaches are examined through scrutiny of a series of historiographical debates. In the second half of the module, students can examine a number of modern texts and historical writing dealing with the period 1885-1924, in order to test out how these different approaches have influenced political historians.OptionalThemes and Issues in Media History 2023-24HST9072MLevel 72023-24This module aims to introduce postgraduate students to recent methodologies, theories and debates in media history. It combines an examination of the development of modern media technologies and institutions (especially the press, photography, cinema, television and radio) with an analysis of new scholarship to highlight past and present approaches to media history, as well as future directions in the field. Students can explore a range of perspectives on media history, including technological, social, economic and political accounts. They will be asked to engage critically with up-to-date media history research, and to develop their own positions on current historiographical questions.OptionalThemes and Issues in the History of Gender and Sexuality 2023-24HST9073MLevel 72023-24This course focuses on the history of gender and sexuality and introduces some of the key concepts and thinkers in the field, from feminists to queer theories. It examines some of the historical debates about notions of gender and sexuality, and the complex structures binding them together. It looks at the intersections of gender and sexuality with class, race, ethnicity and other modes of social belonging, and covers different geographical areas. It also introduces students to the main methodologies with which to approach the historical documents relevant to the history of gender and sexuality, from the early modern period to the present. This module also aims to widen students understanding of the themes and issues in the history of gender and sexuality, provide students with the conceptual and practical skills of an historian of gender and sexuality, and strengthen students critical thinking in the field.OptionalThemes in Contemporary British History 2023-24HST9074MLevel 72023-24This module will explore recent works and debates within contemporary British history, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will examine key animating questions within the field relating to class, race, gender and sexuality, while further exploring recent new directions such as urban history and the emotional turn within contemporary British history. The module is organised thematically with an emphasis on recent work in the field. The module emphasises journals, monographs and online debates as key sites for contesting and contributing to the field of contemporary British history. Students have the opportunity to develop a strong understanding of contemporary British history as it currently stands, as well as the multiple avenues through which it is articulated.OptionalThemes in Global History 2023-24HST9077MLevel 72023-24This module introduces students to some of the most important and innovative themes, debates and controversies relating to global history. Global understanding of the early modern and modern world presents challenges that are shared among several sub-fields in historical studies. Students will engage with the major themes in the field, which may include, but are not limited to, transoceanic communication, the circulation of knowledge, technological development, race, empire, trade, climate, urban expansion, among others. Students will have the opportunity to critically examine scholarly research which has focused in one or more regions of early modern and modern history, namely, the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic and Mediterranean worlds.Optional

How you are assessed

A variety of forms of assessment are used during this programme, including research projects, essays, public engagement projects, presentations, book reviews, portfolios, and the 15,000-20,000 word dissertation.

The University of Lincoln's policy on assessment feedback aims to ensure that academics will return in-course assessments to students promptly - usually within 15 working days of the submission date (unless stated differently above).

Fees and Funding

For eligible students, there are more ways than ever before to fund your postgraduate study, whether you want to do a taught or research course. For those wishing to undertake a Master's course, UK students can apply for a loan as a contribution towards the course and living costs. Loans are also available to those who wish to undertake doctoral study. The University offers a number of scholarships and funded studentships for those interested in postgraduate study. Learn how Master's and PhD loans, scholarships, and studentships can help you fund your studies on our Postgraduate Fees and Funding pages.

Programme Fees

Programme-Specific Additional Costs

For each course you may find that there are additional costs. These may be with regard to the specific clothing, materials or equipment required, depending on your course. Some courses provide opportunities for you to undertake field work or field trips. Where these are compulsory, the cost for the travel, accommodation, and your meals may be covered by the University and so is included in your fee. Where these are optional you will normally (unless stated otherwise) be required to pay your own transportation, accommodation, and meal costs.

With regards to text books, the University provides students who enrol with a comprehensive reading list and you will find that our extensive library holds either material or virtual versions of the core texts that you are required to read. However, you may prefer to purchase some of these for yourself and you will be responsible for this cost.

The School of History and Heritage MA Bursary

The School of Humanities and Heritage is pleased to be able to offer up to four bursaries, by competition, to University of Lincoln students and alumni who wish to undertake one of the MA degree programmes offered by the School (MA History, MA Medieval Studies, MA Conservation of Cultural Heritage, or MA English Literature).

For full details and information on how to apply, visit The School of Humanities and Heritage MA Bursary.

International Applications

Please note that this programme is now closed for international applications for September 2023 entry.

Entry Requirements 2023-24

2:1 honours degree in History or a related subject.

If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages:

https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.

Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/englishlanguagerequirements/.

If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-session English and Academic Study Skills courses:

https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/pre-sessionalenglishandacademicstudyskills/

These specialist courses are designed to help students meet the English language requirements for their intended programme of study.

Career Opportunities

The skills and knowledge acquired from studying history are valued by many professions. This programme aims to develop the advanced knowledge and expert research skills valued in both the public and private sectors.

As effective writers and communicators, historians can go on to careers in journalism, communications, and marketing. Research and organisation skills produce outstanding librarians, information managers, and researches, while many historian graduates also go on to complete additional study to become lawyers, diplomats, and public officials.

Postgraduate Events

Find out more about how postgraduate study can help further your career, develop your knowledge, or even prepare you to start your own business at one of our postgraduate events.

Find out More

Related Courses

A student carrying our restorative work on an historic object in the laboratory

Conservation of Cultural Heritage

Conservation of Cultural Heritage enables students to gain hands-on experience while being taught by experts in the field.

MA by Research History provides a supportive academic environment in which to conduct in-depth study and research.

Medieval Studies

Students are able to learn a range of research methods used within medieval studies and develop skills such as palaeography and Latin.

Key Information

MA History