Course information

Course highlights

• This programme provides a unique introduction to the emerging field of spatial history, including the study of representations of space, landscapes, mental maps, spatial practices and topographies of memory.
• Students will explore approaches to the history of cities as hubs, transfers and travel, the circulation of ideas and the migration of peoples. 
• Students will gain proficiency in powerful tools for mapping, geographic analysis and the study of social networks as well as skills in the use of non-textual sources and overcoming the challenges of translation and multi-lingual archives.

Teaching format

The MLitt in Transnational, Global and Spatial History is a taught postgraduate programme run by the Institute for Transnational and Spatial History (ITSH) in the School of History. Over the course of two semesters, students will take two compulsory modules and two optional modules. 

Teaching methods include seminars, fortnightly tutorials and practical classes. Class sizes range from individual supervision up to 12 students. The modules are assessed by coursework only; there is no final exam.

Students will spend the final three months of the course focusing on researching and writing the final assessment piece for the MLitt, a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue.

Compulsory modules

• Global Times Plural Spaces 1: offers a strong foundation in the major approaches to comparative and transnational history as well as the emerging field of spatial history.
• Global Times Plural Spaces 2: explores a variety of understandings of spatial history, including the idea of mental maps, the study of landscapes, places of memory and spatial practices.

Optional modules

Students choose two optional modules. Optional modules are subject to change each year, and attendance may be limited (see the University’s position on curriculum development).

• Skills in Transnational History: the acquisition and development of skills in the digital humanities and skills required for using specific historical sources.
• Directed Reading in Modern History: offers a directed reading project designed to encourage the development of skills of historical analysis through concentrated study of a topic chosen by the student.
• The Creation of an Atlantic World: introduces students to the concept of the Atlantic World, a unit of analysis used by historians to understand the changes wrought in the western hemisphere by the British, French, and Iberian discovery and settlement of the Americas, and by Europe's slave trade with Africa.
• War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe and New Worlds: explores the transformations in the size, scale and scope of European warfare between the late fifteenth and late eighteenth centuries.
• Disease and Environment (c.1500–2000): examines the manner in which sickness and death have shaped human history, both biologically and culturally, over the past 500 years.
• Environmental History: Nature and the Western World, 1800-2000: studies environmental history over the past two centuries in an international context.
• Themes in Middle Eastern History and Politics: looks at a variety of theoretical and disciplinary approaches, including Orientalism, as well as exploring questions of nationalism, statehood and identity.
• Perceptions of Central and Eastern Europe: study of the diverse ethic and cultural characteristics of the region itself and its transformation since the emergence of modern nationalism in the mid-nineteenth century.
• Political Thought and Intellectual History: introduces the political theory and intellectual history of the early modern period.
• Building Britain: The Construction and Deconstruction of Britishness since 1707: explores the concept of 'Britishness' and its construction and deconstruction from 1707 to 2000.
• Themes in American History: the most important issues in the history of North America, from its foundations as European colonies onwards.

The modules listed ran in the academic year 2015-2016 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2016 entry.

Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.

Dissertation

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.

Conferences and events

The School of History is home to a number of seminars which meet regularly throughout the teaching period from September to May. Papers are given by both St Andrews historians and invited guests.

The current (2015-2016) programmes for these seminars are:

• Mediaeval Studies
• Modern History
• Reformation and Early Modern History
• Scottish History
• Middle East History and Iranian Studies
• The Institute of Intellectual History
• Postgraduate Forum (Early Modern and Modern)
• Postgraduate Forum (Mediaeval).

The Institute for Transnational and Spatial History host regular guest lecturers, events and reading groups. 

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).