MA History

HASM026: Research Skills in Archaeology and History

Research - the acquisition of new knowledge - is one of the most personally fulfilling aspects of academia, and in life more generally. To be a successful researcher requires an understanding of the entire research process: beginning with idea generation and networking/team building, through the design of coherent, ethical and risk-assessed projects/funding applications, to collaborative working in equitable partnerships in order to generate data. All of this comes before evidence can be synthesised, analysed, visualised, interpreted and presented. Presentation itself is a vital part of the research process, and there are many audiences that require different kinds of engagement.

This module will provide you with understanding of the research process through first-hand experience. The module takes an active learning approach where, in addition to mini-lectures, discussions and research exercises, the class will work together on a number of activities, including the organisation and running of a Departmental Conference (physical or virtual). During classes you will work on tasks that you will tailor to your own interests and skill development needs. By the end of the module, you will have gained new experiences that will benefit your CV whilst advancing your own research.

Module aims:

Provide you with an understanding of approaches to archaeology, history and forensics and how these disciplinary fields interdigitate.

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HISM400: Dissertation in History

This module allows you to develop and pursue a piece of original research, based on analysis of original sources. With the advice and support of your supervisor you will use the use the skills and knowledge you have acquired in the taught modules to undertake a substantial piece of original research.

This module will allow you to pursue an individual programme of research on a research topic of your choosing approved by the module co-ordinator in conjunction with your individual supervisor.

• You will identify a suitable topic for research and produce a plan for its execution
• Complete an extended review of the existing scholarship and key debates surrounding the subject-matter of the dissertation and the field(s) to which it relates
• Identify and collate original and secondary sources related to the topic of research
• Identify and apply appropriate critical and historical methodologies
• Demonstrate your ability to construct a coherent, substantiated and sophisticated argument in both clear and correct prose.

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HASM024: Critical Approaches to Medieval Studies

The Middle Ages are an enduring source of popular fascination, appearing in various guises in television and film, games, novels, and even political and social discourse. But how can we move beyond a view of the Middle Ages conditioned by our own concerns to better understand the medieval period as it was experienced and shaped by contemporaries? This module provides a range of interdisciplinary approaches and historiographical debates to the study of the Middle Ages, applied each year to a particular theme (e.g. empire, gender, communication, dissent, truth, etc.). By examining historical, literary, and material evidence, with particular reference to the medieval resources available in the historic and cathedral city of Exeter, we will develop skills, methodologies, and knowledge preparatory to the further study of various aspects of the Middle Ages. No prior knowledge is required.

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HISM001: Critical Approaches to Early Modern History

This module introduces you to the main approaches historians have taken to studying early modern history. You will engage with the key theories informing particular approaches, whether religion and politics or print and material culture, to the study of early modern people, places, and societies; you will investigate the sources through which the early modern past can be studied (including wills and inventories; court depositions; sermons; personal letters and diaries; household accounts; ballads, plays, and literary texts; art, artefacts, and architecture) and they will consider the advantages and difficulties of using various methods. The module will therefore provide you with an essential toolkit for their further study of early modern history.

This module is designed to enhance your understanding of the main themes and approaches in the study of early modern history. You will engage with the key theories informing particular approaches to the study of early modern people, places, and societies; you will investigate the sources through which the early modern past can be studied; and you will consider the advantages and difficulties of using various methods. The module will therefore provide you with an essential toolkit for their further study of early modern history.

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HISM003: Critical Approaches to Imperial and Global History

The interconnected fields of imperial and global history constitute a particularly vibrant area of academic research. This module introduces you to key methodological and analytical approaches scholars have taken to studying colonial, imperial and global history. Drawing on the expertise of the Exeter Centre for Imperial and Global History, the module will examine a range of important themes and debates within imperial and global history, including coercion and resistance in imperial rule, processes of globalisation, gender and sexuality, postcolonialism, theories of decolonisation, and neo-imperialism.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to key themes, methods and analytical frameworks in the study of imperial and global history. It will enable you to think critically about key methods and techniques used by historians - and scholars in related disciplines - to analyse and interpret issues of imperialism and globalisation. It will give you the skills necessary to review scholarly books and articles in imperial and global history, and to produce critical writing assessing key themes, approaches and methods.

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HISM187: Critical Approaches to Modern British History

What is modern British history today? This module introduces you to classic and emerging debates in the study of modern British history, covering themes such as social change, and the experience of war, colonialism, and immigration. Our approach insists both on the importance of recognising the role the wider world has played in shaping Britain's history - and on the value of exploring this history through a local lens, drawing on the unique heritage resources of the city of Exeter and its surroundings to do so. No prior knowledge is required. The module will provide you with an essential toolkit for the further study of a wide range of aspects of modern British history.

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CLAM090: Classical Language and Texts Latin I (A)

There is arguably no better way to get beneath the skin of the cultures of the ancient world than through the ancient languages. Latin was originally the language of a small area of Italy called Latium, in which the city of Rome was located, but as Rome's power grew the reach of the language expanded right across the Roman empire. Even after the fall of the Roman empire, Latin remained alive, while also becoming the root language for many modern languages in turn (including English). This module, designed for those with no previous experience of the language, introduces you to the fundamentals of Latin morphology, syntax and vocabulary. It will particularly appeal to those who have encountered the classical world through texts in translation and wish to know more about the languages in which these works were composed. By the end of the module, you will be able to read, comprehend and translate simple sentences and short passages of Latin.

This module aims to:

• Introduce you to some basic Latin morphology, syntax, and vocabulary
• Equip you with the language-learning skills required to proceed further with your study of Latin
• Draw attention to the ways in which knowledge of Latin enhances our understanding of Roman culture
• Illustrate the relationship between Latin and other Indo-European languages, including English

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CLAM091: Classical Language and Texts Latin I (B)

Building on a solid foundation of learning in Classical Language and Texts: Latin I (A), this post-beginner module introduces further Latin morphology, syntax, and vocabulary with a view to equipping you with the skills to read longer and more complex texts. By the end of the module, you will be able to read, comprehend and translate GCSE-level sentences and passages, and will be well-prepared, should you wish, to proceed to Latin II.

This module aims to:

• Build upon your pre-existing knowledge of basic Latin morphology, syntax, and vocabulary
• Develop your language-learning skills
• Enhance your understanding of how knowledge of Latin can enrich our understanding of Roman culture
• Deepen your appreciation of the relationship between Latin and other Indo-European languages, including English

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CLAM228: Classical Language and Texts: Latin V

This module – the highest level on our Classical Language and Texts ladder – is designed for experienced readers of Latin, building on Latin IV or equivalent. The module seeks to enhance your skills as a Latinist through the detailed study of a themed selection of challenging set texts within their historical, intellectual and literary-cultural contexts. You will develop further your linguistic mastery of the language and your interpretative abilities through a combination of close reading and discussion of modern scholarship. You will also have the opportunity to develop more advanced skills in literary criticism, from relevant theoretical approaches to understanding the apparatus criticus.

This module seeks to:

• Further your mastery of the Latin language, including more advanced grammar and syntax.
• Broaden and deepen your knowledge and understanding of Latin literature and the contexts in which it was produced.
• Develop your skills in close reading and literary interpretation to prepare you to read texts independently.
• Equip you with the advanced skills required for the interpretation of challenging texts.
  

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CLAM252: Classical Language and Texts: Latin II

This module will build on your knowledge of Latin from Latin level I or equivalent (e.g. GCSE). You will learn independently to read and understand passages without adaption from Latin texts. You will be introduced to grammar and syntax not covered at previous levels of study. Texts will be chosen from various authors of prose and poetry to encourage you to appreciate the style of different authors and the relationship between language and literary content. Building on developing your knowledge of Latin grammar and syntax, study of language and literature will progressively be introduced as your confidence increases.

• To develop your linguistic confidence, the ability to read extracts without adaptation from the most important and influential Latin authors, and to encourage you to appreciate the style of different authors and the relationship between language and literary content.

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CLAM254: Latin III

This module will build on your existing knowledge of Latin. You will need to have completed CLA2252 Classical Language & Texts: Latin II (or equivalent). This module will increase your fluency in reading whole Latin texts and strengthen your linguistic abilities. You will focus on studying a main set text in each term and supplementary and supporting texts which will be complemented with classes dedicated to language and syntax work.

• To study set texts, Latin language work and the practice of literary criticism together in a single integrated module.

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CLAM255: Latin IV

This module offers you the opportunity to really get to grips with Latin literature in the original language. By reading a themed selection of texts within their historical, intellectual and literary-cultural contexts, as well as engaging with modern interpretations of these works, you will broaden your knowledge of Latin literature, develop sophisticated skills of literary analysis and enhance your understanding of the Latin language. At the end of the year, you will have gained an appreciation for the subtleties of literary texts and will be able to regard yourself as 'reading', rather than 'translating' classical literature. The module will therefore be an excellent way to round off your study of Latin literature if you are finishing at this point, as well as providing vital preparation for further study.

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HASM012: An Introduction to Early Modern English Palaeography

This module offers an introduction to early modern palaeography - the skill of reading handwritten documents from the period 1500-1750. Palaeography unlocks a wealth of archival manuscripts for the postgraduate researcher in disciplines ranging from History and Politics to English Literature, Drama, and Visual Culture. The module is suitable for both complete beginners and those wishing to improve their palaeography skills. After a brief introductory lecture, the module is structured around practical workshops in which, with guidance from the tutor, students collectively transcribe a varied selection of documents. Workshops also include discussion of a range of issues related to handwritten historical documents.

After an introduction to types of handwriting, letter forms, abbreviations, and the process of transcription, the module is structured around practical workshops. These teach the skill of reading and interpreting handwritten documents from the early modern England. The workshops also include discussion of document types, early modern vocabulary, and the challenges of archival research as well as palaeography. This provides preparation for MA and doctoral dissertations based on analysing handwritten documents from the early modern period, allowing students to tackle original sources with confidence.

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HASM014: Past Magic: Histories and Archaeologies of the Supernatural

Beliefs about magic and the supernatural have been a feature of many past societies across the globe, and the evidence for them survives in many different forms, including texts, landscapes, and objects. At the same time, however, 'magic' is a contested term which is difficult to apply uncritically to past societies. This module introduces the evidence for magic in past societies, using case studies from a range of periods to present the historical and/or archaeological frameworks for studying magic. It also asks how far broad concepts like 'magic' or 'the supernatural' help us to understand the beliefs of past societies. It will be team taught, exploring examples from the module tutors' research areas.

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HASM015: Past Magic: Histories and Archaeologies of the Supernatural

Beliefs about magic and the supernatural have been a feature of many past societies across the globe, and the evidence for them survives in many different forms, including texts, landscapes, and objects. At the same time, however, 'magic' is a contested term which is difficult to apply uncritically to past societies. This module introduces the evidence for magic in past societies, using case studies from a range of periods to present the historical and/or archaeological frameworks for studying magic. It also asks how far broad concepts like 'magic' or 'the supernatural' help us to understand the beliefs of past societies. Part of the module will adopt a project-based approach, asking students to choose a topic and explore the evidence for it. It will be team taught, exploring examples from the module tutors' research areas.

You will develop an understanding of how objects, landscapes and historical texts can be used to understand magic and the supernatural, and practise the skills needed to interpret them, through a series of case studies covering a range of periods and approaches. You will also learn to reflect critically on how the concepts of 'magic' and 'the supernatural' have developed in scholarly writing, and the challenges involved in applying them to past societies which viewed the universe very differently.

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HASM025: Historical Masterclass

This module offers you a unique opportunity to delve deeply into a specialist area of cutting-edge historical research currently being conducted here at Exeter. You will choose one from a range of masterclass options based on the research expertise of staff teaching on the module, and aligned with the research strengths of the department as represented by the various History Research Centres and MA Pathways. Through small-group tutorials you will work together to engage with current debates and controversies in your tutor's specialist area, and develop the conceptual understanding, source awareness, and methodological skills you will need in order to pursue your own project of research. As well as providing you with a deep appreciation for the complexities and nuances of a specific area of research, the module will provide hands-on training to help you to develop key skills which are required for the MA dissertation and further research, and are also transferable to other careers: planning and organisation of a project; research; detailed and critical analysis; and writing in a variety of formats. Through attendance at events organised by one or more Research Centres, you will also learn to communicate that research, its aims, methods, and discoveries: an essential part of your development as a postgraduate researcher.

The aims of the module are fourfold:

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HASM019: Oceanic Histories

What happens when we put oceans at the heart of our explorations of the past? This module will demonstrate how studying oceans, seafarers, coasts, ships, and navies can illuminate a wide range of historiographical and methodological debates, from the origins of our globalised world and the development of the nation-state, to the construction of gendered and national identities. Throughout the course - both during the weekly seminars and in your independent work - you will focus on how oceanic, naval, and maritime perspectives can provide alternative interpretations of some of the most important issues of historical analysis. With a strong comparative and interdisciplinary element, the course will highlight how oceanic perspectives have interacted with different national historiographies, and played a fundamental role in the development of world, global, and environmental histories.

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HASM013: Mental Health in Social and Historical Context

This module invites students to critically reflect on the study of mental health across different historical and cultural contexts, in order to better understand and engage with challenges around mental health today. Rather than assume the universality of mental health experiences and treatments, this module aims to defamiliarize mental health as profoundly shaped by the specificities of time and place, introducing students to cutting-edge research being undertaken across the humanities and social sciences. Through reading recent innovative published work and discussions in seminars, students will engage with a range of historical and ethnographic case studies and develop a strong understanding of how mental health has been linked, for instance, to questions of power and social justice, colonialism and decolonisation, and migration and the environment. The module as a whole will equip students to think comparatively about mental health across distinct contexts, and to reflect critically on the value of humanities and social sciences approaches in the face of contemporary mental health challenges.

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HASM023: Disenchanting Enchantment

This module explores a wide range of occult and esoteric enterprises that flourished in Europe and North America from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. These include animal magnetism, astrology, Swedenborgianism, Modern Spiritualism, Modern Theosophy, ritual magic and psychical research. You will examine the ways that these enterprises both challenged and aligned with developments in the sciences and organised religions, and how they related to the wider political, intellectual, social, and cultural contexts. The module will equip you with ways of critically thinking about present-day relationships between the occult, science and religion.

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HASM027: In Sickness and In Health: Medicine and Disease in the Past

Are sickness and health universal human conditions, unchanging across time and space - or are they shaped in more or less important ways by historical context? This module invites you to critically reflect on the study of medicine and disease in the past, introducing you to the thriving fields of the history of medicine and the medical humanities. Through seminar discussions focused on case studies drawn from across geographies, chronologies, and disciplines, you will explore how disease categories, treatment regimens, and illness narratives have been variously constructed in the past - and consider what the value of this historical perspective might be in informing medical practice, policy, and education today.

This module is designed to enhance your understanding of the main themes and approaches in the interdisciplinary study of the medical humanities with a focus on past societies. It will enable you to think critically about key methods and techniques used by humanities and social science researchers to analyse and interpret issues of health, medicine and disease in their historical and cultural contexts. It will give you the skills necessary to review and to produce critical writing assessing key themes, approaches and methods across the medical humanities.

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HASM029: Reproduction and Reproductive Justice: Past, Present and Future

Reproduction is a key aspect of human biological, demographic, and social life. It is also a prominent policy issue, a site of crucial contests around rights and justice. This module offers opportunities to study all of these questions, separately and together, from a range of different disciplinary perspectives, and with a focus on the past, present and future. Ideas and practices around fertility and generation vary across the globe, the complex interactions between the social, biological, and political dimensions of reproduction have changed over time, and are still changing, with technological advances only one factor, new models of kinship, and powerful political forces.

This module aims to enrich and strengthen students' understanding of reproduction as a complex and multifaceted human phenomenon that has been construed, pursued, organised and regulated quite differently in different places and periods, and which continues to change dramatically in terms of technology, kinship, agency, possibility and coercion. It aims to familiarise students with the various ways that scholars across the humanities and social sciences have approached the study of reproduction and reproductive justice and with the different kinds of evidence and methods used, so enabling them to critically evaluate key arguments and analyses.

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HASM030: Reproduction and Reproductive Justice: Past, Present and Future

Reproduction is a key aspect of human biological, demographic, and social life. It is also a prominent policy issue, a site of crucial contests around rights and justice. This module offers opportunities to study all of these questions, separately and together, from a range of different disciplinary perspectives, and with a focus on the past, present and future. Ideas and practices around fertility and generation vary across the globe, the complex interactions between the social, biological, and political dimensions of reproduction have changed over time, and are still changing, with technological advances only one factor, new models of kinship, and powerful political forces.

This module aims to enrich and strengthen students' understanding of reproduction as a complex and multifaceted human phenomenon that has been construed, pursued, organised and regulated quite differently in different places and periods, and which continues to change dramatically in terms of technology, kinship, agency, possibility and coercion. It aims to familiarise students with the various ways that scholars across the humanities and social sciences have approached the study of reproduction and reproductive justice and with the different kinds of evidence and methods used, so enabling them to critically evaluate key arguments and analyses.

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HASM031: Global Classrooms: Health Humanities and Geographies

This module is an exciting and unique opportunity to work with students from other universities and courses. This is a highly accessible interdisciplinary course with no pre-requisites and no prior knowledge required.

It is a transnational, trans-institutional and transdisciplinary exploration of pressing, contemporary concerns in health humanities and geographies, delivered through transformative and innovative sensorially rich methods, both digital and in person.

You will have an unprecedented opportunity to engage with students from across prestigious partner organisations exploring and sharing disciplinary and cultural differences in relation to concepts of health, care, gender and sexuality, wellbeing, ableism and disability, shame, 'madness' and embodiment.

If you have a keen interest in health humanities, environmental humanities or health geographies, or want a course that uses innovative technology in learning environments and helps develop your knowledge and skills in digital learning and interaction, then this is the module for you!

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HASM018: Working with Medieval Manuscripts and Documents

This module introduces you to the main technical skills you will need to study medieval archival material. It offers in-depth training in palaeography (the study of old handwriting), diplomatic (the study of legal documents), codicology (the study of manuscripts as artefacts), and bibliography (the study of libraries and collections). You will also learn how to study and produce critical editions of medieval texts. Each seminar will be taught by members of staff with expertise in that area, and several seminars will involve hands-on experience with medieval manuscripts. In short, this module provides you with the essential skills needed for independent postgraduate research in medieval studies.

Much of what we know about the Middle Ages is based on handwritten medieval manuscripts and documents, which are often unpublished and are difficult to understand without specialist knowledge.

• This module is designed to give you the skills to start reading medieval sources in the original, and to understand the decisions that editors make when transcribing and publishing them. You will learn how to read and transcribe a range of medieval manuscripts and documents, and to recognise different scripts and abbreviations.
• The module will also teach you how to understand the technical descriptions of manuscripts found in printed and online catalogues, and provide you with the basic training needed to produce your own descriptions and critical editions of manuscript material. To help develop these practical skills, some seminars will be held in research libraries with access to original documents (e.g. Special Collections at the University of Exeter, Exeter Cathedral Library, and/or Devon Record Office).

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HISM039: History in Public: A Workplace Project

This module will enable you to undertake a project in association with a non-university partner organisation, totalling up to 100 hours over 2 months. You will have responsibility for finding a partner organisation, although the department has contacts with a large number of relevant organisations in the region that will help with this process. The module provides an opportunity for you to develop a 'History in Public' project with a partner organisation, by designing a project brief, working with the partner organisation to deliver this project, and to reflect on the process of adapting academic skills to other working environments. The module will allow you to develop an understanding of how the skills and knowledge acquired as part of a History Master's degree are applicable to the workplace and to extend relevant work-based skills and knowledge in a reflective way. It will also give you an understanding of a non-academic work environment through practical activities and enable you to gain experience in the use of relevant methods, technologies and applications commonly used in such organisations.

Workshops: you are required to attend an introductory meeting and project workshops, co-ordinated by the Module Convenor. Sessions include: sourcing and selecting work placements; managing relationships with project partners (including initial contacts, letter-writing, CV-writing); project brief design; delivery plan; project evaluation criteria and techniques.

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HASM021: Violence and Conflict: Histories, Memories, Legacies

How and why should we approach the study of violence and conflict in past societies? From the proliferation of new forms of conflict within and between societies, to growing awareness of the diversity of 'everyday violence', scholars are exploring fundamental questions about what constitutes violence, how it is organised, and how it reverberates through communities and lives. This module will introduce you to a range of historical approaches to studying violence and conflict across disciplines, geographies, and chronologies, and equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue research in this field. You will learn about the various methods used to reconstruct histories of violence and conflict, from forensic archaeology to historical documentation and quantitative data, and develop a deeper understanding of key themes aligned with our research expertise at Exeter.

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HASM033: Debates in Public Holocaust Memory

Public memory of the Holocaust has gained increasing prominence in many Western nations during recent decades. This module critically examines some of the key debates regarding this phenomenon. These include discussions of the basic purpose of Holocaust memorialisation and education, the ways in which the Holocaust has or should be compared to other events, its representation through varied public media forms, and the extent to which the identity of those remembering shapes the meanings created. The module will consider how all of these issues are shaped by complex historical and social contexts, and some of the key controversies that have arisen. The module is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing in aspects of memory studies, modern history, Jewish studies (also incorporating discussions of Christianity and Islam), and politics.

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HASM034: Debates in Public Holocaust Memory

Public memory of the Holocaust has gained increasing prominence in many Western nations during recent decades. This module critically examines some of the key debates regarding this phenomenon. These include discussions of the basic purpose of Holocaust memorialisation and education, the ways in which the Holocaust has or should be compared to other events, its representation through varied public media forms, and the extent to which the identity of those remembering shapes the meanings created. The module will consider how all of these issues are shaped by complex historical and social contexts, and some of the key controversies that have arisen. The module is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing in aspects of memory studies, modern history, Jewish studies (also incorporating discussions of Christianity and Islam), and politics.

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