MA in History

The MA in History provides a unique range of options in the history of Central and Eastern Europe from the early modern period to the present. The SSEES area covers lands where mighty empires and many nations and peoples have interacted and competed over the centuries: the Russian Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Ottoman Empire, the German Empire, and their successor states.

The MA programme is especially rich in courses exploring the relationship between power and culture, offers a wide range of thematic and chronological courses on historical topics and related subjects, as well as the optional study of a language of the region. Students are encouraged to choose a range of courses that is as diverse in geography as it is varied in approach.

Students who have successfully completed this programme have moved into further academic research and doctoral studies, careers in teaching and careers in government, NGOs or the European Parliament.

Entry Requirements

The programme has the following entry requirements:

• Normally an upper second-class honours degree or equivalent is required (although applicants with high lower second-class honours degrees or equivalent will be considered)
• Non-native English speakers should achieve a score of 7.0 overall and at least 6.0 in each element of the IELTS test.
• For papers in certain course options, appropriate background knowledge in the relevant subject is expected and there are special language requirements for certain papers.

To make an application to this programme, please download application form.

Contact:
Admissions queries or questions can be emailed to: maadmissions@ssees.ucl.ac.uk

Curriculum

Students must take 180 credits in total: 120 credits of which are taught courses. The taught courses comprise a total of 30 credits for the core Historical Methods and Approaches course, and 90 credits from a list of available papers (at least 45 credits must be from history courses). In addition, all students must undertake a free-standing dissertation worth 60 credits.

Compulsory Courses

Students undertaking the programme are required to take the following courses (90 credits):

• SEESGS40 Dissertation Preparation Programme (0 credits)
• SEESGX99 Dissertation (60 credits)
• SEESGH07 Historical Methods and Approaches (30 Credits)

Elective Courses

Students must select at least 45 credits of the following history courses:

• SEESGH01 Fashion, Folly and the Fatherland in Polish Culture, 1764-1834 (15 credits)
• SEESGH05 The Self and the World: Theoretical Approaches to Travel Writing (15 credits)
• SEESGH06 Little Hitlers? Right Radicalism in Central and Eastern Europe, 1900-1945 (15 credits)
• SEESGH12 Religion in South-East Europe: From the Age of Empires to Post-Communism (15 credits)
• SEESGH13 The Soviet Cultural Experiment I, 1917-1945 (15 credits)
• SEESGH14 The Soviet Cultural Experiment II, 1945-1991 (15 credits)
• SEESGH16 The Crisis Zone: Central Europe 1900-1990 (15 credits)
• SEESGH71 Transnational Cultural Exchange (15 credits)
• SEESGH72 Russian Monarchy: Court Ritual and Political Ideas, 1498-1917 (15 credits)
• SEESGH73 The Culture of Russian Revolutionary Terrorism 1866-1914 (15 credits)

Students must then select up to 45 credits of the following:

• SEESGE18 All Quiet on the Eastern Front: Culture, Politics and Everday Life in Central and Eastern Europe (15 credits)
• SEESGE07 Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read/Interpret Texts (15 credits)
• SEESGE08 Walter Benjamin: Philosophy, Aesthetics, History, Politics (15 credits)
• SEESGE09 Bakhtin and Others: Alterity, Identity and Dialogue (15 credits)
• SEESGE18 Culture, Politics and Everyday Life in Central and Eastern Europe from Stalin to the Present: All Quiet on the Eastern Front (15 credits)
• SEESGE95 Literary and Cultural Theory (15 credits)
• SEESGR09 Russian Thought (30 credits)
• SEESGR17 Contemporary Cultural Studies: Between Post-Communism and Post-Modernism (15 credits)
• SEESGR19 Soviet Cinema and Society from the Khrushchev 'Thaw' to the Collapse of the Soviet Union: The End of the Radiant Future (15 credits)
• SEESGR23 Ire, Irony, Ideology: Satire and Humour in Russian Culture (15 credits)
• SEESGS07 The Making of Modern Ukraine (30 credits)
• SEESGS18 Russian Foreign Policy Since 1917 (30 credits)
• SEESGS32 Security, Identity, Polarity: The Contemporary Debates (15 credits)
• SEESGS34 Nation, Identity and Power in Central and Eastern Europe (15 credits)
• SEESGS36 Cultural Anthropology of South-Eastern Europe (15 credits)
• SEESGS37 Cities in Eastern Europe (15 credits)
• SEESGS53 The Politics of Change in the Baltic States (15 credits)
• SEESGS61 Politics of Southeast Europe Since 1990 (15 credits)

On approval of the Programme Coordinator, further courses may be selected from the list of language courses (up to 30 credits) or courses offered by other SSEES programmes (see SSEES Course Outline Guide for details of other modules), or from the list of courses offered by other departments at UCL (History, European Studies, Politics), up to 30 credits.

UCL SSEES is committed to providing our students with stimulating, high quality, research-led courses, however please be aware that we are not always able to guarantee that all courses will be available every year.

If you have queries about the programme or its courses please contact the Programmes Administrator for further information.

SSEES MA Course Outline Guide 2012-13

Scheme of Award for Students commencing the MA in History Programme in September 2012

This page last modified Wednesday 3 October 2012.