The Eighteenth-Century Worlds pathway will take you on an investigative journey through the history, literature and visual and material culture of Europe and its interactions with the wider world, from the Atlantic to Asia.
Introduction
This highly original interdisciplinary postgraduate course gives you the opportunity to study in one of Britain’s leading Atlantic ports; a city rich in eighteenth-century history, architecture and culture. The city is also home to more national museums and galleries than any other English city outside of London.
The expertise of our research-active tutors and the combination of modules makes this a unique course, following the trajectory to a global world during the eighteenth century.
ERASMUS Exchange with Paris Diderot
There is an opportunity for students to spend semester 2 studying at the University of Paris-Diderot, taking modules there while preparing their feasibility study. Further details are available on request. For students who do not choose to go abroad, the course is enhanced by the presence of a visiting lecturer from Paris in each academic year.
All MA students are encouraged to take part in the activities of the Centre. These include research seminars with invited speakers, workshops, and conferences, some designed specifically for postgraduates.
Please note: when applying for this programme, please choose ‘MA History’ on the online application form. You should specify the specific pathway which you wish to study in your personal statement.
Who is this course for?
This programme will appeal to a wide range of students, including those who’ve recently graduated in History or a related discipline or have decided to return to university later in life. The structure of the course provides a good grounding for those intending to proceed to doctoral research.
It will appeal particularly to those with a keen interest in history and culture of Europe and its interactions with the wider world. It will also appeal greatly to students who want to enhance their learning with cross-cultural exchanges outside the UK.
What you'll learn
Taking the Eighteenth-Century Worlds MA will:
place you in a city whose history is inextricably linked to the rich culture of the eighteenth century as one of Britain’s leading Atlantic ports.
put you in touch with the Department of History’s research-active tutors and their expertise in the global world of the eighteenth century and beyond.
give you access to unique exchange opportunities in Semester two taken in collaboration with the University of Paris-Diderot.
involve you with an active research network via the Eighteenth-Century Research Centre.
Course content
Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.
If you're able to study part-time, you'll
study the same modules as the full-time master's degree over a longer period, usually 24 months. You
can make studying work for you by arranging your personal schedule
around lectures and seminars which take place during the day. After you
complete all the taught modules, you will complete your final
dissertation or project and will celebrate your achievements
at graduation the following term.
Studying part-time means you can study alongside work or any
other life commitments. You will
study the same modules as the full-time master's degree over a longer period, usually 24 months. You
can make studying work for you by arranging your personal schedule
around lectures and seminars which take place during the day. After you
complete all the taught modules, you will complete your final
dissertation or project and will celebrate your achievements
at graduation the following term.
Semester one
As well as the compulsory modules in Semester one, students will be required to choose 15 credits of optional modules.
Optional modules are taken from an approved list of modules available from across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and can be provided on request to the pathway contact.
Compulsory modules
APPROACHES TO THE GLOBAL EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (HIST521)
Credits: 30 /
Semester: semester 1
This module introduces students to key themes and methodological approaches in studies of the eighteenth century. It offers a range of disciplinary perspectives, including social, cultural and intellectual history and literary study, and encourages students to adopt an interdisciplinary approach.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH (HIST527)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
Historians draw many of their theoretical frameworks from the social sciences, including sociology,economics, and political science, and from literary and gender studies. This module investigates the role of theory in historical inquiry, both in framing research questions and in informing historians’ approaches to primary sources. It explores some of the major theoretical influences on historical research in recent decades, including Marxism, feminism, and postmodernism, and encourages students to reflect upon the theoretical and conceptual foundations of current research relating to their potential dissertation topics.
Optional modules
SHAKESPEARE & CO (ENGL711)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
The aim of this module is to read Shakespeare’s plays and poetry in company with others’ works and writings, and thereby to consider a ‘comparative’ approach to reading and interpreting Shakespeare both within and beyond his own time, and against eighteenth-century ideas of him as the great English poet of ‘Nature’, ‘Nation’, and ‘Genius’. Particular attention will be paid to Shakespeare’s contemporaries – especially Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson – as well as to his Restoration and eighteenth-century adapters and ‘improvers’, critics and performers, such as David Garrick and Samuel Johnson. Material studied may include Shakespeare’s critics: Jonson to Johnson; Shakespeare and Marlowe; Shakespeare, Milton, and Ovid; Hamlet and its ‘ghosts’; Richard III – sources and adaptation; and collaborative dramas in which Shakespeare is a co-author, such as All is True and Sir Thomas More.
Literature and Science I: Science on Stage (ENGL720)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 1
The Renaissance and eighteenth-century heralded not only the flowering of English drama as a medium of intellectual, political, and social comment, but also ‘revolutions’ in scientific and medical knowledge that relied upon new methods of witnessing nature, and provoked radical ways of thinking about the self. Exploring science and the stage within their reciprocal cultures of spectacle and display, this module will consider the theatrical representation of various kinds of scientific knowledge and practice. Reading science as performance, and theatre as experiment, the module will locate plays such as Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist (1610) and John Gay’s Three Hours After Marriage (1717), alongside alchemical and natural philosophical ideas and writings, in order to think through the mutual issues they raise about secrecy and public demonstration, curiosity and observation, audience, and space.
Literature and Science II: Science and Imagination (ENGL710)
Credits: 10 /
Semester: semester 1
This module explores the relationship between literature and science in the Renaissance and Eighteenth Century, through the works of authors such as Spenser, Bacon, Milton, Boyle, Cavendish, Newton, Swift, Thomson and Barbauld. It will pay particular attention to how emerging ways of knowing and seeing influenced accounts of cosmology and creation, discovery and imagination, and politics and poetics. We will use electronic resources such as EEBO and ECCO, together with the University Library’s Special Collections and Archives, to examine how literary and non-literary texts of the period engaged with ideas prevalent in ‘scientific’ discourses, and how writers were inspired by or set against different narratives of nature, from simple conceits to grand visions of the cosmos.
HISTORIES OF SLAVERY (HIST581)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module familiarises students with a broad range of historical systems of slavery and forced labour, across a number of geographical and chronological settings. By considering systems comparatively, students are encouraged to think not only about differences and similarities between historical forms of slavery, but also to consider competing research questions, different methodologies and conceptual definitions.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
Semester two
As well as the compulsory modules in Semester two, students will be required to choose 15 credits of optional modules.
Optional modules are taken from an approved list of modules available from across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and can be provided on request to the pathway contact.
Compulsory modules
REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGE: POLITICS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES IN THE 18TH-CENTURY WORLD (HIST522)
Credits: 30 /
Semester: semester 2
The subject of this module is revolution and social change in British, European and colonial North American societies between 1688 and 1840, and the ways in which the processes of change were informed by and shaped relations between Western society and the wider world. The period witnessed an explosion of trade, warfare and the development of a commercial culture that had a profound impact upon both European and colonial cultures. How did all this impact upon changing lifestyles, political discourse, protest and the material world? Taking the political revolutions in America and France as its starting point, the module examines revolution as an interdiscursive event. It not only analyses the impact on British and Continental European societies of the American and French and Haitian revolutionary wars (financially, politically, socially) but also how these events were used to define competing models of statehood and society within and outside the sites of revolution, including contested notions of gender and race. The module will also analyse the ‘afterlife’ of these events and how they were used to define emerging national identities. We also examine changes in material life to which the term ‘revolution’ has been applied, and we assess and critique the ways in which those developments have been used to distinguish Western modernity from Eastern backwardness at the time and by historians.
FEASIBILITY STUDY (HIST504)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
The Feasibility Study is an extended research proposal for the subsequent MA Dissertation. The study should therefore be focused on the topic that the student proposes to address in their dissertation. The Feasibility Study is designed to ensure that students are able to undertake their dissertation project successfully. It will ensure that they are well prepared when they start writing thier dissertation over the summer.
Optional modules
WRITING TRAVEL 1: THINGS OF DARKNESS - ENCOUNTERING AFRICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (ENGL721)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 2
What did it mean to travel in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and to encounter people whose difference from the English traveller was etched into their very skin? What happened when encounter turned into domination, and the great debates about slavery began to take shape in the eighteenth-century? The story of British contact with Africa and the Caribbean forms the focus of this module, its imaginative, historical, philosophical, and economic impact decoded through our examination of maps, images, slave narratives, travel accounts, and literature. In the process, we will explore one of the key issues with which writing about travel has always struggled; the anxiety and the challenge of negotiating the difference as well as the similarity between oneself and that which is foreign, alien, and ‘other’.
WRITING TRAVEL 2: OLD WORLDS, NEW WORLDS (ENGL712)
Credits: 10 /
Semester: semester 2
This module will focus on writing about travel in Renaissance and eighteenth century England, and will explore texts of both real and imaginary travel produced in these periods. It will investigate the ways in which such texts engaged with real cultural and political changes, including England’s connections with other nations in both the Old world and the New, and the construction of concepts such as ‘Englishness’ and the ‘foreign’. By juxtaposing texts from England’s pre-colonial encounters with other nations to the records of eighteenth century Grand Tours and colonial engagements, and by looking at maps and images as well as texts, we will explore questions such as the relationship between travel writing and nationalism, the influence of travel on literary genres, as well as the involvement of such textual records in the formation of England’s imperialist ambition in these periods.
THEMES IN HISTORY (HIST590)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module provides students with an advanced understanding of a variety of approaches to history, across a number of geographical and chronological settings. With a focus on comparison, local / global perspectives and forms of circulation, students are encouraged to think not only about differences and similarities between thematic approaches to history, but also to consider competing research questions, different methodologies and conceptual definitions.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
Final project
Compulsory modules
DISSERTATION (HIST550)
Credits: 60 /
Semester: summer
Sessions on research skills and methodologies will be held as part of the core modules offered by History. MA students will discuss the feasibility of their chosen topic and the implementation of the research with a member of staff with the appropriate knowledge and understanding of the proposed topic during the period June to September. MARM students will have tutorial sessions and produce a feasibility study as part of the preparation for the dissertation before formal supervision begins in the period June to September.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
How you'll learn
Most modules, except HIST504, take the form of small seminar groups, supplemented by independent study. Most seminars are weekly two-hour sessions, and all are taught in small groups. We consider small group teaching essential to the learning and teaching experience at postgraduate level. Students lead discussions in class, and receive guidance on further reading from the module tutor.
The Feasibility Study (HIST504) and Dissertation (HIST550) demands a higher degree of independence, with guidance and advice from a dedicated supervisor through up to five 45 minute meetings.
How you're assessed
Ongoing assessment is linked to work done primarily in seminars and through individual tutorials and supervisions.
Written assessments will vary according to the nature of the modules, research project and the needs of the student, but may include source analyses, written reports, critical reviews, feasibility studies, annotated bibliographies, historiographical review essays and formal research proposals.
Liverpool Hallmarks
We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.
Course options
Studying with us means you can tailor your degree to suit you. Here's what is available on this course.
The Department of History is based in the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, an ornate Georgian property located on historic Abercromby Square. Students have access to extensive library facilities, special collections, and Liverpool’s renowned museums, libraries, and galleries, including the University’s own Special Collections and Archives.
Support for students with differing needs from the Disability advice and guidance team. They can identify and recommend appropriate support provisions for you.
Why History at University of Liverpool?
we have a breath of expertise and knowledge that spans the medieval, early modern and modern periods and research across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. We are here to support you in your specific research interests.
We have active seminar programmes, linked to our research centres and MA programmes, enabling staff and postgraduates to present their work and listen to eminent visiting speakers.
Dedicated small group teaching in seminars or workshops and through one-to-one tutorials, we believe this leads to the best collaboration between students and staff
Students have a voice here and are represented on the School Postgraduate Committee. There is also a dedicated staff – student liaison committee to oversee our MA and PhD programmes.
Our History taught programmes are designed to meet the training requirements of the AHRC and the ESRC so equip you for further study towards an MPhil/PhD.
However, our MA students go into a wide range of professions, including media, public sector management, business consultancy, the civil service, NGO and development work, as well as academia.
Career support from day one to graduation and beyond
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Tuition fees
UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)
Full-time place, per year
£10,150
Part-time place, per year
£5,075
International fees
Full-time place, per year
£21,400
Part-time place, per year
£10,700
Fees stated are for the 2023-24 academic year.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support.
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any course-related costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
To apply for one of our History MA programmes you should normally have a BA in History, Ancient History, English Literature, Modern Languages, Art History, Classics or a related discipline (UK classification 2:1 or above, or international equivalent).
A Personal Statement which clearly demonstrates an interest in the programme and an understanding of the context of the programme is also required.
Applicants may be called to interview and, if so, will be requested to submit a sample of their historical analysis (between 1500 and 2500 words) in English for discussion during the interview. Please note that being asked to interview is no guarantee of being offered a place.
International qualifications
If you hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet our entry requirements, a Pre-Master’s can help you gain a place. This specialist preparation course for postgraduate study is offered on campus at the University of Liverpool International College, in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. Although there’s no direct Pre-Master’s route to this MA, completing a Pre-Master’s pathway can guarantee you a place on many other postgraduate courses at The University of Liverpool.
Liverpool bursts with diversity and creativity which makes it ideal for you to undertake your postgraduate studies and access various opportunities for you and your family.
To fully immerse yourself in the university experience living in halls will keep you close to campus where you can always meet new people. Find your home away from home.
Discover what expenses are covered by the cost of your tuition fees and other finance-related information you may need regarding your studies at Liverpool.
Contact us
Have a question about this course or studying with us? Our dedicated enquiries team can help.
