The Book. History and Techniques of Analysis (MLitt) 2020 entry

Students can choose either four optional modules or two optional modules along with the Directed Reading module.

• Directed Reading in Modern History: designed to encourage the development of skills of historical analysis through concentrated study of a topic chosen by the student prior to the dissertation.
• Early Modern Documents and Sources: provides a wide-ranging introduction to the types of source material which researchers on the early modern period may encounter.
• Latin for Postgraduate Research: provides three tiers of Latin teaching (beginners, intermediate, and advanced) for students with earlier or no experience.
• Material Bibliography: covers the use of the book as historical evidence and practical aspects of cataloguing and Special Collections work.
• Palaeography and Manuscript Studies: provides a wide-ranging introduction to reading and handling original source material of all types which researchers of the early modern period may encounter.

Other modules which may be taken with the approval of the programme coordinator: 

• Political Thought and Intellectual History: offers a rich and varied graduate-level introduction to the political theory and intellectual history of the early modern period.
• Religion and Identity in Early Modern Britain: explores the significance of the Reformation in reshaping the ways in which Scots and Englishmen perceived themselves as members of distinct Protestant churches and communities in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• The European Renaissance: compares and contrast the Italian and Northern Renaissances, examining their medieval origins and exploring themes such as religion, humanism, court and urban life, in order to test this traditional interpretation.

Optional modules are subject to change each year, and some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University’s position on curriculum development).

Here is a sample of optional modules that may be offered.

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.