History: Medieval and Renaissance Studies MA

Overview

The programme draws on our considerable medieval and early modern expertise across history, literature, languages, and archaeology (see here for our academics and their research interests). We examine issues such as:

• the notions and exercise of secular and spiritual authority
• the operation of power in medieval and early modern societies
• the development of conceptions of and attitudes to gender
• the construction of identities

You’ll become skilled in the advanced research methods and techniques needed to read and interpret original sources. There’ll also be training in languages and palaeography: vital attributes if you want to continue into doctoral research.

You will also have the opportunity to participate fully in the activities of Liverpool’s Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Breadth of expertise

The interests of our staff and PhD students are extremely diverse and span the medieval, early modern and modern periods.

Their work encompasses political, social, cultural, economic, military and diplomatic history, across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

Active seminar programmes, linked to our research centres and MA programmes, enable staff and postgraduates to present their work and listen to eminent visiting speakers.

 These are our on-going seminar series:

• Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• Eighteenth-Century Worlds
• Contemporary Cultural and Social
• History Department Seminar
• International Slavery
• New Research (run by our postgraduate students)

Recent conferences and workshops have addressed ‘Religion in the Spanish Baroque’, ‘Text and Place in Medieval and Early Modern Europe’, ‘Re-thinking PostSlavery’ and ‘British Nuclear Culture’.

Taught programmes that prepare you for future research

By pursuing our programmes you’ll gain the skills and knowledge you need to carry out further research towards a PhD.

Our MA programmes are taught by research-active experts who bring their knowledge of, and passion for, their subjects into the seminar room.

Teaching takes place in small-group seminars or workshops and through one-to-one tutorials, as we believe this leads to the best collaboration between students and staff.

We offer programmes in:

• History (with separate pathways in Culutral History, Eighteenth-Century Worlds, Twentieth-Century History and Medieval and Renaissance Studies)
• International Slavery Studies

You can also pursue an MRes in History or a vocational Masters in Archives and Records Management.

Our commitment to postgraduate students

We welcome enquiries from all postgraduate students interested in studying here and will give you all the academic, practical and pastoral support we can. 

Students have a voice here and are represented on the School Postgraduate Committee. There’s also a dedicated staff/student liaison committee to oversee our MA and PhD programmes. 

Students study two 30 credit core modules and four 15 credit research training modules, culminating in a 60 credit dissertation.

Visit the History: Medieval and Renaissance Studies MA page on the University of Liverpool website for more details!