Race and Resistance MA

This unique interdisciplinary course will allow you to study race and strategies of resistance from a variety of historical and theoretical approaches.

A broad syllabus allows you to combine African, United States, South American, Caribbean, British, South Asian and Southeast Asian history under the guidance of leading academics from a range of subject areas including English, History, Gender Studies, Social Sciences and Latin American studies. You’ll be trained in historical research methods and use varied materials such as novels, films, speeches, newspapers and organisational records to explore the issues of race and resistance across a variety of different periods and cultures. You could study the slave trade, Mexican-American identity, race and feminism in the United States, political violence in India or apartheid in South Africa, among many others.

It’s a fascinating and vital opportunity to gain an understanding of the roles that race and resistance have played in shaping the modern world – and how this complex relationship is evolving.

Watch the Race and Resistance Annual Lecture, "The Story of an Atlantic War"

Specialist resources

We have a wide range of resources to help you explore the topics that interest you. Among our library resources are microfilm collections of American, Indian and South African newspapers as well as journals and records documenting the black freedom struggle in the United States. British and U.S government papers are also on microfilm, and an extensive set of British documents on end of empire and foreign affairs.

The Church Missionary Society Archives, the Black Power Movement archive, the Papers of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, and the Curzon papers are all available, and we have access to extensive online resources to access original material for your independent research.

With the chance to participate in our active research groups – such as Identity, Power and Protest; Women, Gender and Sexuality; and Health, Medicine and Society – and benefit from an impressive range of expertise among our tutors, you’ll find that the University of Leeds is a fantastic place to gain the knowledge and skills you need.

This degree is also available to study part-time over 24 months.

The first semester will lay the foundations of your studies, introducing you to historical research methods and approaches to the study of race and resistance. You’ll explore issues such as diasporas and migration, the legacy of non-violence and sexuality and race.

In Semester Two, you’ll build on this knowledge with your choice from a wide range of optional modules across different subject areas, on issues such as the Black Atlantic, postcolonial literature, British settler colonies in Africa and more.

Throughout the course, you’ll develop your knowledge across a variety of areas as well as key skills in research and critical analysis. You’ll showcase these when you complete your dissertation, which will be independently researched on a topic of your choice and submitted by the end of the course in September.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with partner organisations, such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, by studying the ‘Making History: Archive Collaborations’ optional module.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Race and Resistance MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Race and Resistance MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Independent study is an important part of this degree, allowing you to develop your own ideas and improve your skills in research and analysis. You’ll then come together with tutors and other students for weekly seminars where you’ll discuss issues and themes in each of your modules.

Listen to the School of History podcast – a series of interviews with our academic staff about their latest groundbreaking publications, their research interests and how they bring them into the classroom, and what inspired them to become historians in the first place.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

All of the modules on this programme are assessed by coursework. This can take a range of forms, including essays, discursive writing, bibliographies, reviews and presentations among others. Optional modules are usually assessed by one or two pieces of coursework including an essay.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (Hons) in history, or a degree scheme that includes a significant proportion of history, or a related subject such as literature or politics.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. You could study a part-time online course starting in January, or a full-time course in summer. Find out more about online pre-sessionals.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Documents and information you need:

You’ll need to upload the following documents when completing the online application form:

• A transcript of your completed BA degree or grades to date

• A personal statement of around 500 words in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form

• If English is not your first language, you’ll need to submit proof of your English language results (eg IELTS).

We do not generally request references, unless further information is required to support the assessment of your application.
Where further information to support the assessment of your application is needed, we may ask for a recent sample of written work.

Deadlines:

We usually aim to process your application within 2-4 weeks. However, during the busy April-June period this can take up to six weeks.

We recommend that you apply as early as possible so you can leave enough time to make any arrangements before starting the programme, such as moving to Leeds or visa applications. Application deadlines for scholarships are likely to close much sooner.

Occasionally we may invite applicants to interview before deciding whether to offer them a place.

Apply (Full time)

Apply (Part time)

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023

Fees

• UK: £10,750 (total)
• International: £22,250 (total)

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

This MA will give you a deeper understanding of how conceptions of race have shaped and been shaped by the world we live in, as well as the ways in which individuals and communities have employed different strategies of resistance. Crucially, it will equip you with sound intercultural awareness and allow you to look at situations from different points of view, as well as advanced skills in research, analysis, interpretation and written and oral communication.

Graduates have found success in a wide range of careers where they have been able to use their knowledge. These have included teaching and education, research and policy work for NGOs, think tanks and the charity sector. Many others have pursued PhD level study in related fields.

We offer different forms of support to help you reach your career goals. You’ll have the chance to attend our career groups, meeting students with similar plans, or you could become a paid academic mentor to an undergraduate completing their final-year dissertation. You could also apply for one of the internships we offer each year.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.