Historical Studies PgCert

University of Oxford

PGCert

This one year part-time course offers an exciting opportunity for graduates of any discipline to pursue a taught graduate qualification in historical studies and to research and write a substantial dissertation. The Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Historical Studies can be studied as a stand-alone course or form the first year of the MSt in Historical Studies.

Course structure

The course consists of the following five units and additional online modules:

Unit 1: Princes, States, and Revolutions

The first unit examines the interaction between the state and the individual from medieval to modern times and focuses upon authority, resistance, revolution and the development of political institutions.

Unit 2: European Court Patronage c.1400

The second unit explores cultural patronage in late medieval Europe and examines the diverse courtly responses to shared concerns and experiences, including the promotion of power and status; the relationship between piety and power; and the impact of dominant cultures.

Unit 3: Religious Reformations and Movements

The third unit examines the role of organised religion and religious movements in the lives of people in the past.

Unit 4: Memory and Conflict

The fourth unit focuses upon a central theme in the study of twentieth-century European history: how societies have chosen to remember (and forget) violent conflicts, and the relationship between public and private memory.

Unit 5: Special Subjects

In the final unit, students study a source-based special subject and research and write a dissertation on a related topic of their own choice.

Online teaching modules

The first module provides a pre-course introduction to history and post-graduate study skills. The second focuses upon the analysis and interpretation of material sources, such as buildings and images and the third upon the analysis and interpretation of a range of documentary sources. All include a range of self-test exercises.

MSt

The MSt in Historical Studies is the second year of a two-year part-time graduate course that focuses on British, Western European and imperial history and promotes a broad approach to historical research across the historical disciplines. It provides systematic training in research methods and the opportunity to research a substantial dissertation.

The course forms part of Oxford University Department for Continuing Education's graduate programme in historical studies. Successful completion of the PGCert in Historical Studies is mandatory for admission to this master's year. The MSt course builds upon the skills and knowledge developed in the PGCert and encourages students to engage actively with theoretical and historiographical approaches underpinning modern historical research.

Course structure

There are three units:

• Unit 1: Using Archives and Analysing Sources
• Unit 2: Theoretical Approaches to History
• Unit 3: Writing History