Department of History
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History at Sheffield 1 Department Of History. Our Postgraduate Courses. 2 The University of Sheffield Contents: Why choose Sheffield? 1 First-class facilities 2 Sheffield life 3 Our research culture 4 Postgraduate community 5 What can an MA in history offer you? 6 Our MA programme 7 Part-time study 8 Core modules 9 Skills development 10 Public history experience 11 MA programmes 12 Your career 18 Our PhD programme 19 Our PhD students 21 Our staff research interests 22 Applying 34 Fees and funding 36 Visiting 36 1 Why choose Sheffield? The Department of History at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest, most active and successful centres for teaching and historical research both in the UK and internationally. We offer expert teaching and supervision in a wide range of periods stretching from the ancient world to the present day and extending geographically from Britain to the Middle East and from America to India. Our teaching has been highly rated by both students and external auditors and we combine this with consistently excellent ratings in research. In the latest Research Excellence Framework Exercise (REF) in 2014, we were ranked third in the UK for our world-leading research. Why choose Sheffield History at a glance • 92% student satisfaction rate: more than six years at over We value excellence in both teaching and research, ensuring 90% and placing us 2nd in the Russell Group we use the most up-to-date digital resources. (National Student Survey 2018) • Innovative and intellectually stimulating, research-led • 95% of our students think staff are good at explaining teaching from world-renowned academics their subjects through their teaching • Flexible degree structure (National Student Survey 2018) • Excellent range of modules covering a wide variety of • 3rd in the UK for our world-leading research periods, locations, themes and approaches (Research Excellent Framework 2014) • Career-focused modules designed to enhance your skills • 8th ranked History Department in the UK in areas like public history and historical writing (Times Subject Rankings 2018) • Our graduates are successful both in further study and • Ranked in the world’s top 100 history departments a wide range of careers from lecturing and working in (QS World University Ranking 2018) the museum, tourism or heritage industry to business management and marketing Extensive Special Collections with a wide range • • Dedicated MA for PhD preparation of research materials • Specialist supervision in a wide range of research areas • Joint top in the Russell Group for student welfare and support (Times Higher 2018) • A thriving research community. We offer our students a wide range of research activities and events. Our students • Top 5 in the UK for overall best student experience for also run a postgraduate forum and organise regular eighth year in a row (Times Higher 2018) discussion groups • Best Students’ Union in the UK for tenth consecutive year (Times Higher 2018) 2 The University of Sheffield First-class facilities Libraries Computer access Our award-winning Information Commons sets a new As well as the 1000 computers available across both standard for libraries. It combines library facilities with study Information Commons, you have access to the University’s spaces and IT resources. It’s open 24 hours a day, has full network via hundreds more computers across the campus. If wireless access, over 1300 study spaces, over 400 PCs and a you prefer to use your own laptop, there are many additional cafe. And, with over 100,000 of the most in-demand books, study spaces available to you. you won’t be short of inspiration. We have two other main library sites on campus: Western Study space for PhD students Bank Library and the Information Commons in the Diamond. The department has its own dedicated PhD student Together, it means access to over 1.5 million books and workspaces with hot desks and access to networked journals and over 3000 study spaces including space for computers or the option to use your own laptop. silent study and group work. The Western Bank Library is the main library for research students and houses a number of outstanding bodies of research materials. These include several collections on modern British History, such as the wide-ranging holdings on fascism and anti-fascism, and the National Fairground Archive covering many aspects of popular entertainment. The Professor Sir Ian Kershaw and William Carr collections provide extensive materials on German history, and the library also has substantial microfilm holdings covering areas of US and European history. The Library contains complete runs of medieval sourcebooks in nineteenth-century editions, as well as the papers of Samuel Hartlib, the seventeenth century educationalist and natural philosopher. This is just a sample so visit the Library’s Special Collections web pages for more information: www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/special Dainton Graduate Research Centre The library also runs a regular free minibus service to Boston Spa’s British Library Document Supply Centre allowing you The Graduate Research Centre offers additional dedicated easy access to their extensive collections. and bookable workspace for PhD students. Open 7 days a week 8am to midnight, the centre offers flexible work space, a bookable seminar room and social space. History at Sheffield 3 Sheffield life Sheffield is England’s fourth largest city and, with two universities, home to over 50,000 students. Come to study with us and you’re not just choosing a top Department in one of the UK’s finest Universities but a great student city with loads to do for everyone. Students’ Union A green friendly city The Students’ Union is an important part of the student Being one of the UK’s greenest cities, Sheffield has some experience no matter what level of study you are at. stunning landscapes and a warm and friendly, laid-back feel. Consistently voted the best Students’ Union in the UK If you want to walk, cycle, rock climb or just visit a country by students, it has a lot to offer including study space, pub the Peak District National Park is only a short bus ride a cinema, cafes, shops, bars, nightclubs as well as vital away. You can also make use of Sheffield’s numerous parks, support services. botanical gardens and indoor rock climbing walls. Find out more at www.sheffield.ac.uk/union Sports facilities Our top of the range sports facilities include a variety of grass and synthetic pitches, swimming pool with sauna and steam rooms, tennis and squash courts, a bouldering wall and the superbly equipped S10health Fitness Centre, including a fitness studio with regular fitness classes. Find out more at www.sport-sheffield.com Accommodation University accommodation isn’t just for undergraduates. A diverse range of students including postgraduates and A vibrant exciting city mature students live in our accommodation. There´s accommodation specifically reserved for postgraduates Being green doesn’t mean being quiet because there is in both of our student villages as well as in the City and always something going on in Sheffield. Central Campus. We have some of the best pubs in Britain and bars offering As well as all the other benefits of living in University a variety of music to suit all tastes. Sheffield also has a accommodation, there are a wide range of events legendary live music scene with famous bands at the Leadmill and activities that are organised in the residences for or Academy and a great variety of smaller and local bands postgraduates. These can be a great way to meet new performing regularly in pubs around the city. And if you want people, try new things and settle into life in Sheffield. to grab some food while you’re out and about then we have some great independent cafes and fantastic restaurants Find out more at serving food from all around the world. www.sheffield.ac.uk/accommodation Sheffield also has a thriving cultural scene with a variety of excellent museums, galleries, cinemas and theatres, including the award-winning Crucible Theatre. 4 The University of Sheffield Our research culture The Department is a thriving research community and we actively encourage our MA and PhD students to make the most of their time at Sheffield by getting involved in our research activities and events, as well as organising their own through the Postgraduate Forum. This vibrant research culture and postgraduate community helps to disseminate research-led findings and facilitate lively and exhaustive historical debate. Research areas Departmental Research Seminars Our research interests extend chronologically from the The department has its own research seminar series, which ancient world to contemporary history; geographically from runs regularly during semester-time and covers a huge range the UK to Western, Southern, Central and Eastern Europe, of topics. Seminars usually host an external guest speaker the Mediterranean, South and East Asia and the USA; and who will present a paper on their current research but can thematically to include political, economic, social, cultural also be based around a roundtable discussion. and intellectual history, with a distinct specialism in the application of digital technologies to historical research. The seminars themselves are open to students at all levels, both MA and PhD, and provide an excellent opportunity to get We have a variety of research specialisms that combine involved in the department’s research activities and find out several staff and student research interests