MA Garden and Landscape History

A new course offered by the Institute of Historical Research

*subject to final approval

NEW from 2014*

MA Garden and Landscape History

The study of garden and landscape history was introduced into academic courses in the 1990s; its shape and content connecting with landscape and architectural history, social, cultural and economic history, archaeology, horticultural sciences and landscape architecture. It has its own historiographies, theories and methodologies.
Subof header 7pt a range academic research and writing skills. Students will learn how to acquire knowledge from a range of sources and develop an understanding of gardens and landscapes in Britain and in a variety of different countries.

Student A5 Headline This degree will provide an academically rigorous environment in which students will learn

This course will have a broad level of interest from graduates who have already completed a first degree in a related subject; to archaeologists, architects and landscape gardeners to interested members of the public. Teaching will be undertaken at the Institute of Historical Research, but with practical sessions at museums and libraries, as well as visits to gardens in London. There will be an optional overseas visit to Italy for those that wish to take it. There will be a strong emphasis on tutor/student interaction in class.

Why study at the Institute of Historical Research?

The Institute provides an excellent space for teaching and research. Students study alongside two resident research centres the Centre for Metropolitan History and the Victoria County History. It has a growing range of dedicated historical research training courses ranging from Oral History, Introductory Latin to Historical Mapping and Material Culture. It runs the largest programme of history seminars in the UK, houses an outstanding open access library of primary printed sources, hosts conferences and workshops, and maintains a wide range of digital history resources. The Institute also runs a fortnightly History of Gardens and Landscapes seminar, attendance at which is integrated into the course. The IHR library collections focus on published primary sources, and guides aimed at finding and using the sources. We have a range of material covering garden history, which complement the specialist archives and libraries visited during the course.

Course structure
The course will be run on a full-time basis only over one year. From the second year onwards, the course will also be run on a part-time basis (2 years). Teaching will take place one full day a week. Teaching on the course will be divided between two terms with the third term dedicated to dissertation preparation and writing. Students must complete core module 1, core module 2 (selecting three options from the seven provided), and module 3 - a 15,000 word dissertation.

Term 1 Module 1: Researching Garden History (60 credits)

The first term will showcase the huge variety of resources available to study garden and landscape history from archaeology, architecture, cartography, horticulture, manuscripts, paintings and other works of art, from the sixteenth century to the present day.

Student A5include: Headline Sessions Early maps of gardens (British library); Garden Archaeology (Hampton

Court) ; Gardens and Architecture referencing Drawings Collection at the RIBA and V&A; Sub header 7pt The Italian Renaissance and English Gardens; The eighteenth century garden and a visit to Chiswick House; Gardening and Photographic images, among others.

Assessment

A 5,000 word essay to assess the students writing ability and application of research skills. Assessed presentation at Gardens and Landscapes seminar.

Term 2 Module 2: Culture and Politics of Gardens (60 credits)

This module consists of seven options of which students must complete three units. These sessions aim to: develop students knowledge and understanding of gardens and landscapes in different countries; develop students critical analysis and judgement; demonstrate the importance of context and the relationship of garden and landscape history to other disciplines such as literature, social history, film and visual media and the history of ideas Sessions include: French gardens of the seventeenth century; Travel and the English Garden 1600-1700; The evolution of the English garden in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; The eighteenth-century garden;The Suburban Garden in England between the wars; The American garden; and the twentieth-and twenty-first century gardens among others. Assessment Two 5,000 word assessed essays on two of the three options taken, and an assessed student presentation on the outline of the intended dissertation.

Term 3 Module 3: Dissertation (60 credits), 15,000 words

Module one will be offered as a stand-alone short Certificate course, as well as the opening core unit for the MA. Students gaining the Certificate level can bank the credit and use it towards the full MA at a later date within a prescribed timescale. Mode of Study: 12 months full-time, or 24 months part time (from 2015). Fees 13-14 (subject to annual uplift in 2014-15): Home and EU students: 5,250 full-time or 2,625 part-time; overseas students: 12,000

Student A5 Headline
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If you are interested in applying for this course please contact : School of Advanced Study Registry University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU Phone: +44 (0)20 7862 8661 Fax: +44 (0)20 7862 8725 Email: sas.registry@sas.ac.uk Or, visit the IHR website at:

www.history.ac.uk/study