Prospectus

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History

Master

The History Master consists of the following specialisations:

Ancient History
Archival Studies
Europe 1000-1800
Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence (with subtrack Economic History)
Colonial and Global History (with subtrack Maritime History)
Political Culture and National Identities (with subtrack Political Debate)
Europaeum programme European History and Civilisation: Leiden-Oxford-Paris Programme

New MA students (including those still in the admittance procedure) are required to attend the MA Introduction.
September 1st 09.15 – 10.00 (students starting September 2015)
February 1st 09.15 – 10.00 (students starting February 2016)

If you have questions concerning this meeting or your plan of studies before this date, please contact the coordinator of studies Esther Buizer

Programme

Programme

Literature Seminar (10 EC)
Students commence their programme with a Literature Seminar, whether starting in September or February.

Research Seminar (10 EC)
Students follow one Research Seminar in the first semester of their programme. Students starting in September follow their Research Seminar in the Fall Semester, students starting in February in the Spring Semester.

Optional Courses (10 EC)
Students follow one or two optional courses. All MA courses offered at level 400 or higher can be followed as optional course. These may comprise MA courses offered by Leiden University and those offered by other (foreign) universities. Alternatively, students can also opt for an internship. For more information about the different possibilities, see the specific MA Optional Courses page.

Thesis and exam (30 EC)
The Master’s Programme will be concluded by a MA-thesis. Students are guided in writing their thesis by thesis supervisors. Half way the first semester a student commences with the thesis and has to ask a member of staff active in the field of his/her specialisation to act as their thesis supervisor. In the Overview of Staff, divided by specialisation, possible supervisors can be identified. The thesis is written in the second semester. Before graduation students sit for a final exam for which they defend their thesis and answer questions on additional literature.

Thesis Seminar
Students are expected to take a thesis seminar. This seminar consists of a number of meetings in which students are given the opportunity to present their work and to comment on the work of others. The seminar aims at providing students with some additional support in the writing process as well as achieving further uniformity where practical matters are concerned.

Optional Courses

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First Semester (Fall Semester)

Literature Seminar
Current Debates in Medieval and Early Modern History I 10
Debating the Ancient Economy 10
Subverting Empire 10
Understanding the Archives 10
Essential Readings in Economic History 10
Migration and Integration 10
Political Debate 10
Political Culture and National Identities 10
Maritime History 10

Research Seminar
Early Modern Encounters: Money, Migration, Microbes 10
Fighting Against Rome. The Jewish Revolts under Nero/Vespasian, Trajan and Hadrian 10
The Global Framing of the Medieval Expansion of Europe (1000-1500) 10
‘For the Honour and Dignity of the State’: Dutch Ambassadors Representing the States General at European Courts, 1648-1702 10
The Invisible Hand. Colonial Collections Revisited 10
Treasures of the Sea: New Perspectives on Maritime History and Maritime Archeology 10
The Construction of National and Regional Identities at Exhibitions and World Fairs 10
Containing Corporate Power 10
Political Eloquence 10
Epigraphy 10
The State in Africa 10
You Are What You Eat: Gender, Class, Ethnicity and Food Culture 10
Migrants, Criminals and Exiles: Urban Practices and Effects of Mobility, Containment and Exile, 1650-1900 10
The Uneasy Relationship of the Left with Immigration: An International Comparison (1880 to the Present) 10
The American Civil Rights Movement 10
Exporting Revolution: Socialist Movements and Labor Internationalism, 1880-1940 10
The History of Everyday Life under Communism in East-Central Europe 10

Second Semester (Spring Semester)

Literature Seminar
Current Debates in Medieval and Early Modern History II 10
Roman North Africa: A Stolen Continent 10
New Imperial and Global History? Current Debates and Approaches 10
Understanding the Archives 10
Migration and Integration 10
Political Culture and National Identities 10

Research Seminar
Institutions in World History: The State, Trade and Empire, 1500-1800 10
How I Met Your Mother: Relations of Family, Friendship and Clients in Ancient Rome 10
Ways of Doing Greek 10
Violent Transformation: The Decolonization War in Indonesia, 1945-1950 10
The Rise and Decline of American Empire 10
Connecting Dreams: Europe in Africa, Africa in Europe 10
Town and Garrison in 19th Century Europe 10
Numismatics of the Ancient World 10
Paradigm Shift? Archival Concepts and Archival Functions in the 21st Century 10
Missions, Empires, and Nations in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century 10
The Great Struggle in the East: Total war, revolution and the making of modern Russia 1914-1922 10
Imagining the Spanish Empire in Spain and the Americas 10
Dynasties in the Medieval and Early Modern World 10

More info

Objectives

The programme has the following objectives:

  1. To enable students to acquire academic knowledge, understanding and skills, and train them in the use of scientific methods in the field of history;
    1. To enable students to develop the following academic and professional skill:
      -Independent academic reasoning and conduct,
      -The ability to analyse complex problems,
      -Academic reporting;
    2. To prepare students for an academic career and further education;
    3. To prepare students for a career outside academia.

Programme

The Master programme in History (60 EC) offers you the chance to determine a study based on your own particular interests and ambitions. With several specialisations on offer – each containing a number of specific subjects – you will pay specific attention to the development of theories on historical processes, historiography and methodology of historical research.

Structure

  • Literature Seminar 10 EC

  • Research Seminar 10 EC

  • Optional Course 10 EC

  • Thesis, Thesis Seminar and Exam 30 EC

Specialisations

The Master History programme has the following specialisations:

Ancient History
Archival Studies
Europe 1000-1800
Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence (with subtrack Economic History)
Colonial and Global History (with subtrack Maritime History)
Political Culture and National Identities (with subtrack Political Debate)
Europaeum programme European History and Civilisation: Leiden-Oxford-Paris Programme

Requirements for graduation in the specialisation

Masterlanguage

The language of instruction and examination of the programme is English and Dutch. Students are expected to have an adequate command of the language of instruction of the programme.

Coordinator of studies

Esther Buizer