Program Overview

On our Medieval History programme, you study the great sweep of history in Britain and around the world, from the transformation of the Roman Empire to Renaissance court politics.

Studying how people lived in the medieval world is highly instructive. The word medieval has become synonymous with lawlessness and brutality, but this was not always the case. Some populations had the vote, trade happened over long distances, and witch hunts were restricted to certain periods. Learning more about the medieval world and why it exerts such a strong hold over our imaginations can help you to better understand the contemporary world.

In Year 1, you take core modules that explore the nature of history as a discipline. You look at the changing assumptions, methods and definitions of history and explore the current concerns of historians. You also select from a range of possible optional modules, including Early Medieval Britain 400-1066 and Europe 1300-1500.

Having acquired research skills and knowledge in Year 1, your studies in Years 2 and 3 are more specialised. You take core modules that deepen your understanding of the study of history, including Reading History and Practicing History, and optional modules focused primarily on the Medieval World. You either concentrate on how to use original sources (in translated ad printed form where appropriate) or explore, through thematic approaches, social continuity and change over long periods.

In Year 3, you produce your dissertation and take core modules in Writing History, and how History Matters. Optional modules take the form of Depth Studies, using primary and secondary sources as evidence, and Comparative Studies, where more than one country and culture is examined. Depth Studies options may include Ruling England in the Second Viking Age, The Wars of the Roses 1450-1499. Comparative Studies options include The Black Death and Popular Protest in Late Medieval Europe.

Our degrees, combined with inspiring extracurricular activities, such as field trips both in the UK and abroad, offer a wide and deep experience that opens up numerous career paths. Many Winchester graduates carry on to teaching and heritage roles but our alumni can also be found in political think-tanks, the Civil Service, the BBC, automobile and insurance companies and publishing houses, to mention just a few destinations.