Medieval History (MA) - 2013/2014 entry

The period commonly known as the ‘Middle Ages’ stretches from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. This programme introduces you to a variety of topics within this broad span of time, and allows you to pursue independent research in areas of particular personal interest. A choice of options will then allow further exploration of the period, and the dissertation provides an arena for you to address a particular topic in depth.

Find out more about studying in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

• Develop your research skills and follow your own interests, with a choice of option modules and dissertation topic.
• Conveniently located for the British Museum, the British Library and a range of specialist research centres.
• Watch our video: Professor Catharine Edwards talks about studying in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

The introductory core module aims to equip you with the conceptual background necessary for historical study at postgraduate level. It includes 10 broad lectures and 10 weekly seminars dedicated to exploring specific topics and questions on medieval history.

You will also study option modules, which include:

• Ancient Political Thought and its Medieval Legacy
• Heresy in the Middle Ages, c.1000–c.1330
• Language and Power in Late Antiquity
• Later Medieval London, 1450–1560 – Community, Politics and Religion
• Practitioners and Patients in Renaissance Europe
• Religion and the State – Traditions and Innovations 200–600 AD
• Renaissance Florence
• Ricardian England (1380–1399)
• The City of Rome.

Please note: not all options are offered every year. You should confirm module availability before enrolling.

Supplementary courses – including in Latin and palaeography – will also be available.

You will then write a dissertation.

You will find the British Museum and the British Library just a few minutes' walk from Birkbeck. Other nearby specialist centres of research include the Institute of Archaeology, the Insitute of Classical Studies and the Institute of Historical Research, all of which offer regular seminars on research areas covered by the department. 

Birkbeck also has active history and archaeology societies.

If you are interested in further research, we offer a PhD/MPhil in History.

Graduates go on to careers as researchers, as archivists, in museums and galleries, in education, and as journalists.

Credit transfer

Students may transfer credits from the various options to other MA programmes offered within the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, and to the MA Medieval Literature and Culture offered by the Department of English and Humanities.

Teaching staff

Course director: Professor John Arnold

Staff involved in teaching the MA include:

• Dr Caroline Humfress
• Professor Vanessa Harding
• Professor Matthew Innes
• Dr Caroline Goodson
• Professor John Henderson.

Other medievalists at Birkbeck include:

• Dr Alison Finlay, who is a lecturer in English, specialising in Old Icelandic sagas and heroic poetry, and Old English.
• Dr Anthony Bale, a Reader in English who works on late medieval texts and culture
• Dr Isabel Davis, a lecturer in English who works on late medieval texts and culture
• Dr Zoe Opacic, a lecturer in Art History, who works on late medieval art and architecture
• Dr Robert Maniura, a lecturer in Art History who works on late medieval art and architecture.

Programme handbook

Download the programme handbook.

• You should apply as early as possible.
• Interviews from January.