The Taught MLitt in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
The one-year taught MLitt in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies consists of a combination of taught courses, training courses, and a dissertation and is taken over one year (or two as a part-time degree), starting in September. The courses — with a choice across the disciplines of literature, history, art history, music and philosophy— enable students to attain a broad grasp of early modern culture, and provide a valuable blend of cross-disciplinary options and specialist training. The MLitt reflects the diverse yet complementary research interests and energies that converge in the Centre. Students can, for example, study the growth of national consciousness and imperial identity in Britain, as reflected both in its literature, its art and its history, or compare the culture of Britain and northern Europe (‘The Idea of North’). They may look at the upheavals in religious faith of the period and its radical changes in political philosophy. We cultivate a particular interest in the History of the Scottish and Irish Enlightenment and its comparison and contextualisation with the continental Enlightenment. Social and anthropological aspects of historical research are represented in courses on witchcraft and confessional processes in early modern European societies, and a focus on early modern history and philosophy of science. Students may also study the impact of the period on the arts: the British and European context of early modern drama, the emergence of professional woman writers in Britain, the European Renaissance in the visual arts and architecture, and the influence of Baroque in Europe and around the world. Another important specialisation is the history of early modern Central and North-eastern Europe. Courses from the early modern programme may also be taken in conjunction with other courses from the participating schools.
The programme offers training and thematic courses as well as specialist supervision for a 15,000 word dissertation of the students’ own choice. It is suited for students seeking to continue with (funded) postgraduate study as well as those simply interested in the early modern era.
Students need to acquire 180 credits over the course of the year: 60 in the first semester; 60 in the second semester; and 60 over the summer (the dissertation).
We also invite students to apply for the PhD programme via the graduate school, which also offers studentships and bursaries. Information is available at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/search.php and on http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/graduate/funding/
Funding sources are:
- Scottish Overseas Research Students Award Scheme (SORSAS)
- AHRC Studentship
- Research Project Award Scheme
- College of Arts and Social Sciences Open Funding
As an old campus university, our postgraduate students are closely integrated into the scholarly community and our research culture via seminar and workshop programmes and our regular postgraduate student conferences. CEMS's membership in the Consortium of the Newberry Library's Centre for Renaissance Studies (as one of only two British universities) means that our postgraduate students regularly participate in Newberry's annual postgraduate conference in Chicago.
Contact Information
For further information contact:
Dr Karin Friedrich
CEMS
Department of History
University of Aberdeen
AB24 3FX
Email: k.friedrich@abdn.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1224 272451Dr Andrew Gordon
CEMS
Dept of English
School of Language & Literature
Taylor Building
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen AB24 3UB
Email: a.gordon@abdn.ac.uk
tel 01224 272626