The MA in Migration History at Buckingham offers an exciting and unique opportunity to study the history of human movement at a postgraduate level. The MA investigates the theme of migration across several centuries and in vastly different parts of the world. In doing so, it employs a wide range of disciplinary approaches, giving students a rich and varied grounding in migration history. The comparative and international nature of the MA is underlined by the week-long study trip to Paris taken in the spring term. Taught in the heart of a major metropolis with ready access to many relevant archives and cultural institutions, students will be ideally placed to pursue original research of their own in this dynamic and rapidly growing field of historical study.

This programme aims to give students an advanced understanding of major themes in the history of migration. Drawing on the expertise of Buckingham staff, the subject of migration history will be approached from several distinct thematic and disciplinary angles. In doing so, this MA will provide a unique and distinctive contribution to UK higher education provision, where the subject of migration is pursued more often in the fields of public policy and contemporary politics rather than through systematic and multi-sub-disciplinary historical enquiry.

Students will receive a comprehensive grounding in methodological questions in the field of migration history in their first term. From then and through the spring, they will take several taught modules, based on staff research and teaching expertise. In the first instance, subjects will include: the political, socioeconomic, cultural, and public history of emigration and immigration in the modern British Isles, with this material later systematically compared to parallels developments in France; the intellectual, legal, diplomatic, and demographic development of regimes and practices of asylum since the early modern era; the interaction of global empire and movements of people, commerce, culture, and flora and fauna; the movement of objects and cultures through international networks.



By familiarising students with key themes in these subjects, imparting essential skills, and closely reviewing the relevant historical literature, the programme will prepare students to undertake original primary research in the broad field of migration history. Based in London and therefore with access to key repositories of resources, students will produce research dissertations worth roughly 40% of their overall marks and making a distinct contribution to this rapidly growing and intensely relevant field of historical study.

Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each course unit/module can be found in the departmental or programme handbook. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed annually by the University of Buckingham and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency.