History (Research) – (M.A.)

Contents

The main aim of the programme is to ensure that after graduation, you are able to function as a junior academic researcher-either in a semi-academic position or at a university. You will be able to solve complex academic problems independently, critically and creatively, and report on these results with clarity both in writing and verbally. You will be qualified to continue onto PhD research.

Although the main focus of the programme is on your chosen specialisation, the programme also includes a number of courses compulsory for all students.
In the first semester, you will be required to follow a course in historical methodology, which is worth 10 ECTS.
In the second semester, there is a compulsory course in historiography, also worth 10 ECTS.

Once you have selected your specialisation, the remaining programme has the following structure:

Introduction

This section of the programme includes an intensive literature seminar, in which you will be given an outline of issues relevant to your specialisation. You will use secondary literature sources. This section is worth 10 ECTS.

In-depth study

The next stage of the programme consists of two research seminars, in which you will carry out research using original source materials or published documents. Each research seminar is worth 10 ECTS.

Tutorial

During the tutorial you will determine the subject of your thesis. This part of the programme is worth 10 ECTS.

Optional courses

You will also follow a number of optional courses, worth up to a total of 20 ECTS. These may comprise courses offered at any department of Leiden University or at another Dutch university. In many cases you are advised to follow these courses abroad.

Thesis

The programme concludes with a final exam and a thesis. Together these are worth 40 ECTS.

Specialisations

• Ancient History
• History of the European Expansion and Globalisation
• Global Connections: Migration, Networks, Institutions
• Medieval and Early Modern European History
• Political Culture and National Identities

Specialisation: Ancient History

This specialisation will provide you with a broad overview of the history of the Greek and Roman period, with a particular focus on the history of mentality and social and economic history in the period 400 B.C. - 400 A.D.

You will concentrate on the complex history of the Roman Republic, looking at the civic institutions and civic ideology of the cities of Asia Minor and Egypt in the Hellenistic and the Roman Imperial Era, through to Greco-Roman religion and to the rise of Christianity.You will have access to a wide range of research subjects.

Areas covered include:

- The economical, social and legal effects of Roman expansion and the exercise of power during the late Republic
- The social history of the cities in the Greek part of the ancient world
- The study of documentary texts, in particular those of Greek inscriptions

Specialisation: History of the European Expansion and Globalisation

This specialisation focuses on the interaction between the European and the Non-European parts of the world. Adjustments, negotiations and conflicts between colonial powers and colonised societies are investigated and the impact and influences of these interactions examined. There is an emphasis on the backgrounds and causes of the transfer of people, systems, goods and ideas through the ages, using primary sources and applying advanced research methods.This specialisation benefits in particular from a number of related studies and centers of Leiden University.

These include:

- A complete curriculum in Asian, African and American cultures and languages
- Unique documentation centers and libraries on Asia, Africa and the Caribbean
- Easy access to the National Archives and the Royal Library in The HagueThe research group works in close collaboration with the Forum for the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction (FEEGI) in the United States and is responsible for the publication of the well-known research journal Itinerario.

Specialisation: Global Connections: Migration, Networks, Institutions

In this specialisation you study the history of global connections and the various effects these have on people, goods and ideas. We offer three approaches from which you can make a selection: migration, networks, and institutions. Together, these approaches allow you to study the social and economic history of the increasing worldwide interconnectedness.

Migration studies the issue of human mobility and the integration of migrants into host societies, intertwined with the processes of urbanisation - a important topic in today´s political discourse. Today´s discussion, however, can only be fully understood with knowledge about developments which took place in the past.

In Networks the attention shifts to the geographical dispersion of migrants and patterns of migration. It allows the student to study other networks, such as the networks of trade and investment which form the major backbone of today´s "globalisation".

Finally, Institutions form the setting in which economy and society function. Social and economic history studies the ways in which people manage to survive and earn a living, but in order to understand the dynamics of the market, one needs to study the economic institutions as well. You can focus on the political economy of Europe or Asia and concentrate on governmental policies covering economy, trade and investment, and shaping responses to increasing interconnectedness. World history, which aims at comparing levels of modernisation across regions over time, is also part of the Leiden curriculum.

Leiden University has a long tradition of research and teaching on the topics of international relations, the history of European expansion, non-western languages and cultures, as well as the history of racism and migration. The MA programme makes full use of this strong tradition.

This programme prepares you to find employment on this topic in a national or international context: for instance in trade unionism, governmental and non-governmental organisations and journalism.

This specialisation is linked to the research theme "Managing migration and global interdependence" .

Specialisation: Medieval and Early Modern European History

This specialisation studies the many continuities as much as the dramatic changes in European culture in the late medieval and early modern period.

It looks at our ongoing fascination with:

- The world of court culture
- Flourishing urban communities
- State building
- Artistic revolutions
- Political conflict
- Major intellectual and religious change

You will have the opportunity to study the Low Countries, both within their own perspective as well as in relation to Iberian and Central European history.But of course it also reflects our ongoing fascination with the world that Huizinga studied so brilliantly; a world of court culture and flourishing urban communities, of statebuilding and artistic revolutions, and of political conflict as well as momentous intellectual and religious change.

The course offers much scope to study the Low Countries, one of the main economic, cultural and political centers of Europe in this period. Yet the course also consciously aims to put this in its wider context; with specialists in Iberian and Central European history, too, we encourage our students to think beyond national boundaries and traditions.

Specialisation: Political Culture and National Identities

In this specialisation you will study the political culture and national identity of a number of European countries and the United States, viewed from their international context. Traditionally, national histories were often looked at in isolation. However, the idea that developments in one country can only be fully understood when viewed in relation to developments in other countries has now gained ground.

You will look at the political culture and national identities of specific countries, and analyze how they are influenced from outside their national borders through the process of cultural transfer-in other words, the adaptation of foreign examples or the inspiration emanating from them. And as the study of the way national politics and identities are conceived is a new research area for the university, you will be among the first students to graduate having used this new approach.

You can choose to study for your degree in the context of the history of individual countries. Once you have completed a theoretical and practical introduction in the literature seminars, you will specialise by choosing from specific research seminars.

This programe has a workload of 120 ECTS.

Accreditation

Accredited by: NVAO in: Netherlands

Funding details

Scholarships / Grants:

Leiden University:
For additional information: Website