Public History (MA)

Course content

Our MA offers an excellent grounding in the principles and practices of public history, combined with the flexibility to explore the subjects that you are most passionate about. Alongside a core module and your placement, you'll have the choice of a range of option modules in History, from the early medieval to the contemporary world.

You'll decide your own topics for all assessments and your dissertation, with the support of your supervisors, discovering and refining your own research interests. Through critical reflection, you will grow into a public historian in your own right.

Modules Dissertation Placements Modules Core modules Concepts and Approaches in Public History Research Training Public History Placement Option modules: You will also study two option modules. Examples can be found below. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. Smell and the Past Creating the American Empire Trans-Asian Trade along the Silk Roads De/colonising Memory: Public Histories of Empire, Colonialism and Postcolonialism Fiction, Archives and Histories from Below The Department of Archaeology also offer a variety of option modules which may be available to Public History students, subject to availability. Examples of recent modules offered include: Contemporary Issues in Museums Museums, Audiences and Interpretation Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Dissertation Research Dissertation You will write a dissertation of between 14,000 - 16,000 words on a topic of your choice. Using source materials and analysis techniques, you will draft up the findings into an independently researched dissertation. You will receive support, advice and guidance from your dissertation adviser throughout your project. The range of expertise of our staff and of our source materials means we can provide you with guidance on a wide range of topics. You will have five one-to-one meetings with your dissertation adviser across Semester 2 and the summer period (June/July). In these meetings, you will discuss the feasibility of your project and receive feedback on two draft chapters of your dissertation. Placements Placement Public History Placement The placement is a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience working in the field and will help put what you've learned into practice. It takes place during Semester 2, when you will work closely with an external organisation to delivery a public history project. Host organisations include museums, archives, production companies, historic houses, historical consultants and community organisations. Projects you might work on range from exhibitions to education packs, podcasts to walking trails, social media campaigns to funding bids. This experience will help you to think critically and evaluate your public history practice, while gaining highly valuable experience and skills for your future. Placements are organised on your behalf and change from year to year. Recent placement hosts include: National Railway Museum British Library Black Cultural Archives Borthwick Institute for Archives History Wardrobe The National Trust York Museums Trust York Archaeological Trust Yorkshire Air Museum Wessex Museums Wakefield Museums and Castles Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.