What our students say about History at Queen Mary
Naomi Kerr
V130 Medieval History
"When I went for my interview and Open Day at Queen Mary, I was thoroughly impressed by the efforts that were taken to make us feel at ease throughout the day. The main factor that swayed my decision was that the atmosphere was relaxed and all the students and staff I met were incredibly welcoming. I particularly enjoyed being able to specialise in areas that most interested me during the course of the three year. By the time I reached my final year I had developed an interest in the history of the crusades and took the Special Subject 'Crusader States in the Twelfth Century'. Queen Mary more than fulfilled my expectations -; I made so many fantastic friends and all of my first impressions turned out to be spot on! I now work in Media Sales on a leading magazine for a large publishing house."
BA Medieval History
UCAS Code V130
The BA in Medieval History at Queen Mary offers a unique course on the history and culture of Britain, Europe and Islam during the Middle Ages, taught by a team of scholars of international reputation. We offer a broad perspective on the medieval world of Europe and the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on medieval religious cultures, the place of women and minorities in medieval society, and the history of the Crusades.
For us, the history of the Middle Ages is not only a history of kings and battles, but also of religion and culture, of daily life activities such as cooking and time-keeping, as well as of creatures of the medieval imagination such as unicorns and monsters.
Your first-year courses will guide you through the political and cultural history of Europe in the Middle Ages, with a distinctive course exploring the structures and mentalities of medieval life. We also offer a complementary optional course on the history of medieval Islam. At this stage we also introduce you to the exciting ways historians use the surviving remains of medieval life. Case studies will be drawn from English medieval history and from the surviving monuments of medieval London.
In your second year you will able to choose from a wide range of specialised topics in medieval history, as well as from other periods and other disciplines. Within medieval history you will be able to focus, for example, on women and gender in medieval Europe and compare it with the status of women in medieval Islam; take a course on the history of the Crusades and the Spanish Reconquista; or enjoy a seminar on the marginal groups of medieval European society, ‘Outsiders in the Middle Ages’.
In your final year, you will already be able to work directly on primary source material relating to medieval Britain, Europe or the Islamic world. You will do this either through a document-based special subject, such as the First Crusade, or through original research on medieval subject of your own choice, leading to a 15,000-word research dissertation.