Modern History

You can study aspects of modern History. Across the modules on this course, you will explore the role of social change, investigate intellectual, political and cultural history, interrogate social memory and learn about histories of emotion and sentiment. You customise your degree. You will be able to design your own individually negotiated topic as well as your own research dissertation, a signal achievement that employers will recognise. This degree offers you pathways into the cultural and heritage sectors, and you will develop your skills and knowledge through involvement in public history, digital history, and heritage at MA level.

The MA Modern History allows you to study History from the 18th century to the present day. This period saw rapid progress in globalisation, conflict and the expansion of human rights. From the brutal slave trade; growth and decline of empires; wars between Great Powers; Cold War superpower confrontation; to the struggles for national independence; and the terrorism of 9/11 you will experience the clash of ideas, cultures and politics in order to better understand how the contemporary world was made. Study the past to thrive in the future.

An MA Modern History is increasingly regarded as a valuable extension of undergraduate study in that it offers you an anticipated edge in the professional job market, not least through practice with advanced research, independent study, longform essays, report-writing and digital work based on original research, and with the critical interrogation of a wide variety of sources. This MA also enhances applications for teacher training where advanced specialist knowledge can be an asset. The MA Modern History provides routes into both PGCE History and PGCE English.

Postgraduate experience and training are also essential for you if you intend to continue your study of History at MPhil/PhD level. And if you have your sights set on industry or a professional career, this MA provides a crucial qualification to help you stand out in an increasingly competitive job market. The course team ensures that postgraduate study remains accessible, and you do not need to have completed a History BA in order to apply. You can take an MA Modern History as part of a career break or change, and this MA is also suitable for anyone wishing to return to the academic study of history after a break to pursue their passion for a historical period, to improve intellectual and communication skills, or to start a new career.

All about the course

History is one of the foundational disciplines in humanities scholarship. By training as a historian you will learn to seek and sift complex information, to critically assess primary sources, to trace the connections between culture, society, politics, and economics, to explain change over time, and to understand past events of enormous importance. Situated in a World Heritage Site, Canterbury Christ Church offers a unique context in which to undertake your studies.

You have convenient access to numerous archives in London, and locally in Kent. Canterbury’s own history spans from the Roman period through the twentieth-century and to present day, and you will find evidence of this history all around you. You will be taught in small classes by experienced academic staff who are noted authors and specialists. The Course is designed to be both accessible and rigorous, and you can study History at Masters level without necessarily having done so before. This course is taught through graduate-level seminars and workshops. Students are asked to prepare in advance for substantive class discussions which might cover primary sources, key secondary literature, methods and approaches to the past, or to present their work and research to others.