Curriculum

The mentor:

- introduces students to their academic network: this may include personal introductions, or may occur by alerting students to courses, workshops, conferences, or by regular meetings to talk about the state of the specific academic field in which the mentor is active
- may offer internships, study abroad, internship abroad or careers advice
- sets up an initial meeting within the first two weeks of the start of the academic year
- meets with the student at least 4 times a year, unless otherwise agreed with the student
- provides an atmosphere in which the student feels comfortable approaching them and asking for advice or a meeting

The mentee:

- may take the initiative in approaching the mentor after initial contact has been established
- may offer suggestions on how they would like to be included in their mentor’s research and/or research network
- ensures that they have communicated their specific academic needs/desires to the mentor and discussed with them whether these can be reasonably met via the mentorship and/or other routes

Click on the course name for more information about the course contents, course coordinator, enrolment, exams, etcetera.

• Fundamentals of Historical Research (5 EC)
• Research Seminar (15 EC)
• Research Competencies (5 EC)
• Methods of Historical Research (10 EC)
• Research Design (5 EC)

In this phase you can follow your own interests and develop expertise in specific topics. The RMA programme offers room for four electives (20 EC) within your first year of study. Half of this elective space is normally filled with two tutorials within our department. You are strongly encouraged to take at least one tutorial. The other half is normally filled with two Research School courses. However, pending approval from the programme coordinator and the Exam Committee, you may choose to take up to 10 EC of electives from MA courses at an appropriate level offered by other MA programmes in the History department, in other departments or at other universities:

Research tutorial options 2023-24 (5 EC each)
Tutorials offer you insight in a specific area of history by studying, under the supervision of a senior staff member, a substantial amount of literature. You will read 1,000 to 2,000 pages of books and articles, discuss the literature in 3-6 sessions, and write reports to digest the readings and to explore possible research questions. Our department has specialists in many different fields within history who can be asked to give a research tutorial on a wide range of topics. This academic year, the following tutorials are on offer:

Period/block 2:

1. Repair and Rebuild: New perspective(s) on the History of International Politics (dr. Lorena de Vita)
2. (Post)colonial roots of contemporary cultural diversity (dr. Philip Post)

Period/block 3:

1. Capitalism: blessing or curse? (prof. dr. Bas van Bavel)
2. Extraction: environmental histories of empire (dr. Flora Roberts)

Period/block 4: 

1. The roots of democracy in the early modern era (dr. Lars Behrisch)
2. The Long Shadow of Empire: decolonization and development 1945-1980 (dr. Britta Schilling)

Electives of the National Research Schools (minimum of 10 EC total)
Being part of the RMA community, you are normally affiliated to one of the three following national research schools, each of which offers a range of courses throughout the year. Please consult the individual websites to see what is on offer:

1. Research School Political History
2. Huizinga Research Institute and Graduate School for Cultural History
3. N.W. Posthumus Institute, Research School for Economic and Social History

Electives from other programmes
Please see the list below, and please note that these require previous approval from the programme coordinator and Examination Committee. (5 EC each)

To further develop your historical expertise the programme encourages you to spend a semester at a research university abroad. Here you can enrol in MA courses or take individual tutorials with specialists in your chosen field of historical enquiry. Alternatively you can opt for a research internship. In a research internship, you are involved in intellectually independent research that is relevant to the organisation’s activities and/or policies. The aim of this internship is to learn how to apply research skills in practice, to develop organisational and communication skills, and to get to know organisations like research institutes, museums or governmental agencies.

• Staying abroad (30 EC). For more information on studying abroad during your RMA, please see here. 
  or
• Research internship (15-30 EC). Students may do one research internship of 30 EC (840 hours) or two smaller ones (of 15 EC each or of 10 EC + 20 EC.

We train you to become independent researchers who are able to do high quality research and develop your own scholarly views in a chosen field of expertise. The Research MA Thesis is proof of this ability.

RMA Thesis (30 EC)
Please make sure your register for the thesis course in Osiris in Year 2. For more information on registration, supervision and grading, please see here. 

Thesis Lab (mandatory, no credits)
Professional scholars will always seek the advice and support of their colleagues, asking them to read drafts, suggest further readings, or simply to bounce off ideas. We want you to experience this crucial interaction in the Thesis lab, a series of seminar-style meetings with a small group of 4 to 6 fellow students. You read each other’s work, discuss your progress, and share your excitement or concerns.

» Research master elective site

The following selection of courses in our department’s one-year Master’s programmes are also open for RMA students and may be of particular interest:

• MA History of Politics and Society
  For applying to participate in courses of the MA programme History of Politics and Society, please contact the programme coordinator
  • GKMV17017: Growth and Inequality, 1000-2000 (block 1)
  • GKMV17019: Democracy and Democratization (block 2)
• MA Cultural History of modern Europe
  For applying to participate in courses of the MA programme Cultural History, please contact the programme coordinator
  • GKMV17001: Understanding Culture in the Modern World: theoretical perspectives (block 1)
  • GKMV17002: Public History: toward a participatory historical culture (block 1)
• MA International Relations in Historical Perspective
  For applying to participate in courses of the MA programme International Relations in Historical Perspective, please contact the programme coordinator
  • ​GKMV16010: The Modern World and States System: Comparing Historical and IR Theories (block 1)
  • GKMV16011: International Relations in Practice (block 1)

If you wish to deviate from the curriculum, you must first ask your programme’s Board of Examiners for approval or exemption. In case your request is granted, the changes will be processed in OSIRIS and integrated into your exam programme and Study Progress Review.

In order to graduate, you will need to meet your programme's exam requirements as described in the Education and Examination Regulations. Based on these criteria and your Study Progress Review, the Board of Examiners determines whether you have graduated. The courses that are listed on your Study Progress Review will appear on the International Diploma Supplement (IDS), the attachment that you receive with your diploma. Note that courses listed under the heading ‘Results-Other’ are not part of the examination syllabus and do not appear on the IDS.

If you have questions about your Study Progress Review or find errors in it, contact the Student Desk Humanities.