MA Modern British History (Part time)

Why Study Modern British History at UEA?

Modern British History at UEA offers a unique blend of political, international and imperial history. It provides a rare concentration of expertise on nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century foreign policy, matched by strengths in imperial history and political history. This provides an ideal research environment for anyone with an interest in Britain’s role in the modern world and the political debates about it, from the mid-nineteenth century to the post-war retreat from Empire.

This course enables students to explore the latest developments in an area with vibrant debate and a rich historiography that has been growing steadily in recent years, not least through the work of scholars at UEA. The MA course provides the opportunity to examine in depth a range of topics in this field from the era of ‘gunboat diplomacy’ to the bitter debates about appeasement, its replacement by Churchillian commitment and, ultimately, imperial decline. Seminars are led by scholars who have extensive research experience and are based on a series of key sources for the period. Guided by specialist teaching staff, and supported by a trained archivist in the same discipline, students are encouraged to develop the skills essential for postgraduate research. The culmination of the MA course is the dissertation, undertaken in the second half of the degree. This independent study will be completed under the supervision of one or more members of the School.

Content and Structure of the Course

The MA, which can be taken either as a one-year full-time programme or a two-year part-time degree, aims to equip students with the advanced skills and intensive subject knowledge they need to proceed to further independent research. This preparation is provided by three main elements. The first is the dissertation, the completion of which will provide all MA students with the experience and expertise to go on to doctoral study should they so wish. The second is a core module, in British history, which runs over both semesters, all of which reflect the challenges these countries experienced in coming to terms with the modern age.

Core Modules

The Politics of British Foreign Policy, 1850-1940, runs over the course of two semesters. Here the following themes and topics will be covered, to a greater or lesser degree according to the needs and interests of those participating in the programme of study: the ‘Age of Palmerston’; Conservatism and foreign policy; the radical ‘Troublemakers’; the Great Eastern Crisis; Lord Salisbury and ‘Splendid Isolation’; the continental commitment and the first World War; the challenges to Empire; appeasement; the Churchillian alternative.

Optional Modules

Students also take a supplementary module, which runs either weekly for a semester or fortnightly over the whole year.

The Empire at Bay, 1939-1956 explores developments within the British Empire between the outbreak of the Second World War and the Suez Crisis of 1956, with particular emphasis on imperial questions in Anglo-American relations.

Themes in Global History explores key transnational interactions of the last two centuries. Rather than examining diplomacy between states, it focuses on global connections between markets and societies which have contributed to contemporary globalization.

The culmination of the programme is a dissertation on an approved topic of your own devising. It is undertaken mainly in the second half of the degree and supervised by one or more members of the School.

Course Tutors and Research Interests

Larry Butler: twentieth century British history and the history of the British Empire, especially British decolonization

John Charmley: modern diplomatic and political history; Britain and the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century

Geoff Hicks: British political history and foreign policy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Anthony Howe: free trade; William Cobden; William Huskisson and the British State; international and national political economy, 18th to 20th centuries

Thomas Otte: diplomatic and international history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Course Organiser:Prof Thomas Otte

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Entry Requirements Degree Subject: History or a related subject Degree Classification: UK BA (Hons) 2.1 or equivalent Special Entry Requirements: Sample of work - see below Students for whom English is a Foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

• IELTS: 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all components)
• TOEFL: Internet-based score of 92 (minimum 19 listening, 21 speaking, 19 writing and 20 in reading)
• PTE (Pearson): 62 (minimum 55 in all components)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests such as TOEIC and the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English are also accepted by the university. Please check with the Admissions Office for further details including the scores or grades required.

INTO UEA and INTO UEA London run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich) or pseuealondon@into.uk.com (INTO UEA London).

Special Entry Requirements

Applicants must submit a sample of written work (in English). This should be a typed essay on a historical subject, 2-3,000 words long, preferably a photocopy of an assessment marked by a tutor, complete with critical comments and a percentage or grade. The essay should address a specific question, and must demonstrate an ability to construct a historical argument, familiarity with the conventions of academic writing, and competence in English.

Intakes

The School's annual intake is in September of each year.

Alternative Qualifications

If you have alternative qualifications that have not been mentioned above then please contact university directly for further information.

Assessment

All applications for postgraduate study are processed through the Faculty Admissions Office and then forwarded to the relevant School of Study for consideration. If you are currently completing your first degree or have not yet taken a required English language test, any offer of a place will be conditional upon you achieving this before you arrive.

There are many reasons to choose us. An MA in the School of History combines breadth of choice with depth of study. Students can choose from five excellent courses: Medieval, Early Modern, Modern British, Modern European and Landscape History, all carefully constructed and taught by specialists with relevant research interests and reputations. Unlike some MA courses, which ‘mix-and-match’ large numbers of small modules, within each course option students take a year-long 60-credit module, which allows them really to explore the subject in detail. Research skills are taught in a packed training programme, which provides everything our students need to further their historical ambitions. In the Spring Semester, they also make short presentations on their dissertation subjects, which, because the audience is mostly made up of their peers, makes for an event more like an informal symposium than a viva voce examination (which it isn’t anyway). Everyone finds this event helpful and enjoyable. UEA is extremely proud of its lively research community, which includes not just MA students but PhD students and teaching staff. We all benefit greatly from this intellectually stimulating environment and would like you to as well!

Fees and Funding Tuition fees

Tuition fees for Postgraduate students for the academic year 2013/14 are £5,000 for Home/EU students and £12,500 for International Students.

If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home/EU students).

Please note that all the above fees are expected to rise for the year 2013/14. We estimate living expenses at £600/650 per month.

Scholarships and Awards:

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a number of Scholarships and Awards. For further information relevant to the School of History, please click here.