Historians have long been fascinated by modernity and the societies to which it gave rise. From the French Revolution, human history has been marked by state-sponsored attempts to transform social and cultural life, from the dechristianisation campaigns of the Terror to the recreation of non-Euorpean societies by imperialism and the mass mobilisations of state socialism and the two world wars. Many of these attempts at transformation have given rise to episodes of appalling violence and genocide. Yet modernity has also brought undoubted benefits, not least the extraordinary human and scientific progress experienced first in the West. Representative government, the growth of the press and mass media, the rise of consumer culture and, in the twentieth century, the experience of sustained affluence made a real difference to the length and quality of ordinary people's lives and fostered new forms of participatory politics and social movements.

The MA in Modern History examines these changes, allowing you to explore the political cleavages and cultural uncertainty unleashed by the great revolutions. the mobilisations and resistance of the two world wars, and the transnational forces of empire, and globalisation. A focus on contemporary history introduces you to the political and strategic imperatives of the Cold War as well as the new sense of the individual fostered by the counter-culture of the 1960s, shown in both the West's burgeoning interest in sexuality, subjectivity and the politics of protest, and the internationalist agenda set by the liberation struggles of the developing and decolonising world.

You will explore this historical trajectory through a team-taught core module that looks at questions of power, examining the making of the modern state and how it holds and exerts power in terms of its own citizens. 'Ordinary' people are thus a key focus of the module, which also introduces you to some key concepts and thinkers. Alognside this core module, you will choose a range of optional modules. Some of these examine particular periods, such as the Voices of the Great War or The United States in Vietnam, while others look at themes such as the making of the British landscape or focus on sources by, for example, examining personal testimony from Soviet Russia or the lives of women in war and revolution.

The range of dissertation topics we are able to supervise is very wide, spanning political, cultural and social themes in British, European and international history. The dissertation is written towards the end of your year of study and allows you to demonstrate the analytical and research skills you will have acquired during the MA.

This MA serves as a firm foundation for further research in this area but is also appropriate for those with a more general enthusiasm for modern history. The analytical skills you acquire together with an advanced knowledge of this period will equip you for careers in business, government, the civil service and public administration as well as for further study in your chosen field.

If you are planning to pursue doctoral study after your MA, an optional module, PhD proposal, allows you to devise and refine a research proposal, following the guidelines and advice set out by the funding councils, particularly the AHRC. Another distinctive module on this programme is the Work Placement scheme.

Work Placement Scheme

This opportunity to acquire vocational experience is a unique feature of the Sheffield MA. A taught module entitled Work Placement provides an opportunity to develop history-specific vocational skills in a working environment. Examples of recent placements include archive work for a local archaeological consultancy company, exhibition research and design for English Heritage, working with teachers in Sheffield schools, cataloguing small collections in the Sheffield Archives, working in the Humanities Research Institute on Old Bailey criminal records, devising a publicity strategy, analysing digitised material, and designing online learning environments for school children studying history.