The programme runs from October to September with thirteen research seminars – three on research techniques and ten by guest lecturers. Please click on “Teaching and Assessment” for the list of seminars.
The introductory classes are for students taking the full MA. If any Associate Students would like to attend, could they let Professor David know in advance.
Location: University of Buckingham in London, 51 Gower Street, Fitzrovia, London WC1E 6HJ.
All students are invited to attend the guest seminars and dinners that follow. The cost of the post-seminar dinners is included in the tuition fees.
Location: The Caledonian Club, 9 Halkin St, London, SW1X 7DR.
Speakers and subjects: full details to be confirmed, but the speakers will include Sir Antony Beevor, Prof. NAM Rodger, Prof. Richard Overy, Prof. Sir Hew Strachan, Prof. Sir Richard Evans, Prof. David Reynolds, Prof. Saul David, Prof. Gary Sheffield and Dr Matthias Strohn.
Monday 14 October 2019, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 28 October 2019, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 11 November 2019, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 25 November 2019, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 09 December 2019, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 20 January 2020, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 3 February 2020, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 2 March 2020, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
Monday 16 March 2020, 18:30-20:00. Followed by dinner at 20:15.
“I completed the one-year Research MA in Military History in 2012 and subsequently went on to complete a DPhil also at the University of Buckingham.
Like most students, I embarked on the MA course with a longstanding interest in military history but little understanding of the skills and disciplines involved in academic research. The unique and exciting quality of the Buckingham programme is that it enables an interested amateur as I certainly was then to tackle a historical question that is entirely new and to produce a work that can withstand rigorous professional scrutiny within an incredibly short timescale.
If the opportunity provided by the Buckingham course is exciting, its strength lies in the way it combines three elements which support and guide the student. The first is a well-crafted introduction to research techniques backed by exercises to develop research and writing skills. This element is relevant and practical and it is adjusted to the needs of the individual. The second is the series of general interest lectures over the first half of the year all provided by first rank historians. These expose students to new historical problems and the latest research and the format over dinner allows genuinely stimulating debate. They provide invaluable context for the student’s individual work. However, the critical element that stands out at Buckingham is the quality of the individual guidance and supervision in selecting a research topic and then executing successive stages. I cannot rate too highly the individual supervision that I and my fellow students received. I think DPhil students at the best universities would count themselves fortunate to receive the tailored support of this quality and care and not least time from some of the best historians in the United Kingdom.
This is a London-based course. The seminars in 2016-17 will be held at Caledonian Club, 9 Halkin Street, London SW1X 7DR (www.caledonianclub.com). The nearest London Underground stations are Hyde Park (Piccadilly Line) or Victoria (Victoria, District and Circle Lines). The introductory classes will be at the University’s London headquarters in Gower Street (details below).
Each seminar (approximately 90 minutes, 18:30-20:00) is followed by a post-seminar dinner, at the Caledonian Club, where there will be an opportunity to continue the seminar discussion in an informal environment. The cost of the dinners is included in the tuition fee.