COURSE CURRICULUM

The Modern History MA at Leeds equips students with the skills and knowledge to study history from the early modern period to the present across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The course is structured around core modules, including a dissertation, practising modern history, and communicating history, which together provide a strong foundation in historical research, analysis, and presentation. Students are trained to engage critically with diverse sources and methods, developing the ability to interpret and convey historical knowledge effectively. The program also offers a wide range of optional modules, allowing students to tailor their studies to specific interests, including topics such as archival collaborations, decolonising global health histories, Latin America and the global Cold War, social histories of South Africa, Stalinist terror, migration, the history of health and medicine, and explorations of Black cultural history. This flexibility ensures that students can focus on areas of personal or professional relevance while gaining a broad understanding of global historical processes. The course encourages interdisciplinary engagement, combining methodological rigor with thematic diversity, and emphasizes both independent research and practical skills in historical communication. Graduates leave with enhanced critical thinking, analytical, and research abilities, prepared for careers in academia, heritage, public history, and related fields, or for further postgraduate study.