Master of Arts - War, Culture and Society

Looking beyond the dates and battlefield details of typical military history, this University of Essex MA raises urgent questions about why societies go to war. Students will engage with diverse perspectives on violence and conflict in the modern period, and examine case studies from all over the world.

Drawing on Essex's expertise across a variety of disciplines, including history, literature, law, sociology and psychoanalytic studies, students will consider the effects of war on different scales, from the individual to the global, and on different groups. Some of the key questions considered include: What did it mean to be a woman in the First World War – as a worker, grieving mother, or a combatant? How does psychological trauma and physical disability impact on veterans today? How is wartime service remembered and commemorated, privately and politically?

This unique course looks at the impact of war on humanity – and draws on a variety of disciplines of study to give a rounded view. The MA has real-world value: begin training in conflict resolution and develop psychoanalytical skills, while developing academic abilities.

In Essex's Department of History students are taught by award-winning academics from all over the world: their corridors are truly cosmopolitan. Essex also provides students with opportunities to explore local history and have close ties with the Essex Record Office, one of the best county record offices in the UK.

Essex has excellent links with the research community, both in the UK and worldwide, so many of their students have gone on to teach in higher education institutions. Others have found employment in archives, research, managing research funds, other forms of educational provision, the Civil Service, the National Health Service, and management.