Course Overview

Our MA History of Ideas is concerned with excavating and understanding the lived reality of ideas. We consider how the study of the history of ideas can help us to interpret individual thinkers and their ideas and how these have shaped past societies. The history of ideas is a dynamic and expanding field and this program enables you to pursue an exciting program of study, exploring ideas comparatively and in their geographical, social, and historical contexts. If you want to understand and investigate the relationship between ideas and actions across a wide variety of historical periods, geographical places, and theoretical and methodological perspectives, then this is the degree for you. The introductory compulsory module explores key topics and questions within the history of ideas and will introduce you to the conceptual background needed for the historical study of ideas at the postgraduate level. We offer a wide range of option modules, covering topics in periods from classical antiquity to the present day, including ancient philosophy, politics and ethics, Judaism and antisemitism, early modern politics, Darwinism and race in the nineteenth century, psychoanalysis, modernity, and technology, and Islam and the politics of fundamentalism. You will also receive training in research skills to enable you to undertake the research and writing of a dissertation on the topic of most interest to you.

General Eligibility

At least a second-class honors degree, with good supporting references. We offer a one-year Graduate Certificate in History, which can be used as a conversion course if you want to study history at the postgraduate level but have a degree in a significantly different discipline.

Part Time Work Details

Language Requirement

• If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each of the sub-tests and at least 7.0 in writing.