MA Medical History and Humanities

The MA in Medical History and Humanities is an interdisciplinary course jointly run by the History and English departments. It is open to people with backgrounds in other humanities disciplines, as well as those from social science, science and public health. 

The course is shaped by international research in medical history, literary study, sociology, philosophy, health sciences and policy. Students explore historical, literary, social and cultural perspectives on illness and health, well-being, public health and the history of medicine. They also examine the links between history, the humanities and policy.

Students take a core module which introduces key concepts, methods and debates in medical history and humanities. Option modules can be chosen from a range of topics in medical history, the humanities and beyond. Research training provides essential grounding in research skills, such as selecting research topics, large-scale project management, locating secondary and primary materials, storing and ordering findings and presentation techniques.