Early Medieval History - PhD

[mikeb32123]

Hi, all - newbie here hoping for a point in the right direction.

 

I am interested in pursuing a PhD in early medieval European history. Particular areas of interest include western and northern Europe (Britannia in particular), and the earlier the better, specifically depending on the region. I'm especially interested in the cultures and religions of the local people before Christianization.

I'm finding it very challenging to learn which schools would be a good fit for specifically what I'm looking for. Does anyone know of any resources (or have their own experience to share) which might help me here? I'm based in the US and I'm perfectly happy to move anywhere in the country for a good fit, or abroad for that matter, though English is my only fluency.

[ashiepoo72]

I'm actually an Americanist so I don't have any concrete information for you, but I would try looking through this website: http://secure.historians.org/projects/cge/PhD/StateMap.cfm

 

It lists all the schools that offer PhDs in the U.S. by state, so you can look at states you'd be okay living in (or all of them if you really aren't discriminating about location) and it lists each department's areas of specialization (so you can pick through and see which ones have medieval Europe as a strength), as well as lots of useful funding and demographic information. I used this list to find the schools I'm applying to. Whenever I saw one that looked interesting, I would jump to the department website and see if it looked like the department could support my specific project or not. It's a lot of work but hey, we are history majors so research is our thing.

 

I don't know what your language requirement would be, but you may want to take a class or two in some relevant language just to augment your application. It always looks better if you have another language under your belt or at least show signs of gaining proficiency in one.

 

Best of luck!

[CageFree]

Even though you are looking to focus on

Late Antique/Early Medieval England, Latin is likely a required language for you and French might be as well.

[dr. t]

Even though you are looking to focus on

Late Antique/Early Medieval England, Latin is likely a required language for you and French might be as well.

 

Latin, French, and German reading proficiency is required by the end of your first year at pretty much every decent program. If you can't pass the UToronto Level 1 Latin Exam pretty much right now (it's kind of the default standard, and they have samples online) and you are applying for this (or even next) fall, you are in serious trouble. Not impossible, but it's a major blow before the process even starts. Languages are (IMHO) the most vital technical skill a medievalist can possess.

 

The vast majority of people you would want to study with are in the UK, but I would look at (in no particular order) some of the works of Michael McCormick, Albrecht Diem, Peter L. Brown, Rosamund McKitterick, Thomas Noble, Christopher Loveluck, Ian Wood, and Paul Fouracre, among others. I would also read through some of the recent issues of Speculum and Viator to see who's publishing articles that interest you. Also, check out some or all of these books and see who they're citing and who interests you.

 

Davis, Jennifer R., Michael McCormick, Angeliki E. Laiou, Jan M. Ziolkowski, and Herbert L. Kessler, eds. The Long Morning of Medieval Europe: New Directions in Early Medieval Studies. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008.

 

Brown, Warren, Marios Costambeys, Matthew Innes, and Adam J. Kosto, eds. Documentary Culture and the Laity in the Early Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.

       

McKitterick, Rosamond. The Early Middle Ages: Europe 400-1000. The Short Oxford History of Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

 

Richards, Jeffrey. The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages, 476-752. London: Routledge, 1979.

 

Ward-Perkins, Bryan. The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

 

McCormick, Michael. Origins of the European Economy: Communications and Commerce A.D. 300-900. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

 

If your linguistic skills are not great, I would also look at the MA degrees being offered by Fordham, UTorronto, Oxbridge, and Western Michigan, as well as the MTS at Harvard Divinity School and the MAPSS at UChicago as ways to get up to snuff.

 

Edited July 21, 2014 by telkanuru

[L13]

The above is very good advice. I'll just caution that Peter Brown, albeit possibly one of the most distinguished historians working in any field today, is almost 80 and may be cautious about taking on new graduate students. That's one thing to ask (tactfully) if you contact him, or other academics at a similar age.

 

I myself am looking at two of the people on telkanuru's list as prospective faculty of interest, and they don't really do northern Europe. Christopher Loveluck seems like a very good fit based on the specifications in the OP, though. Albrecht Diem as well, since your interests are adjacent to his, temporally, but Syracuse admits on its website that it's quite stingy with funding--none for MA students and limited funding for PhD students--which is worth noting. I suppose that's the case at Nottingham as well, of course, since it's in the UK and as an overseas student you wouldn't qualify for AHRC funding.

 

As a fellow applicant, I don't profess to have all the answers, but I'm building my list by looking at the people whose work made me decide on my research interests in the first place. If you care about pre-Christian Northern Europe, you must have read some books or articles on the subject. Who wrote them? That's a good starting point, in my experience.

[dr. t]

The above is very good advice. I'll just caution that Peter Brown, albeit possibly one of the most distinguished historians working in any field today, is almost 80 and may be cautious about taking on new graduate students. That's one thing to ask (tactfully) if you contact him, or other academics at a similar age.

 

 

Sorry, I meant that list as a way to get a sense of the field, not necessarily as specific professors to investigate. Brown is not taking students, Noble is retiring (retired?) as well.

[L13]

Yes, that makes sense. I assumed Brown wasn't taking on new students, to be honest (and imagine what a student you'd have to be to make the cut anyway), but that's news about Noble. He's not that old in academic years.

[ForlornHope]

I will start by saying that your interests line up very well with mine! Here is some of what a professor I am consulting at my local university has advised me regarding Britain:

 

You have your work cut out for you. If you do get into a good program with a distinguished researcher, you should have a pretty good chance. However, Anglo-Saxonists (my tentative pursuit) have mostly migrated to the English PhD route. Latin, French, and perhaps a bit of Old-English are your languages of choice. German of course is useful for northern Europe and is a bit more ubiquitous than the Scandinavian languages. He recommend looking into Dr. Robin Fleming at Boston College. Search around in directories where you think you might like to end up, and see how many might be able to assist you in your desired field.

 

That being said, I am still going to be doing history, though I will migrate my field a bit south into France and make English history a side-interest. Apparently the British history field has been falling out of vogue in the past couple decades, which is a pity. Your best options may honestly be in the UK or nearby countries.

 

And be sure to drill Latin until your eyes bleed. It is your best hope in impressing the admissions folks.

[dr. t]

I would not say British history is so much falling out of vogue as it is turning more towards archaeology, particularly for late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. That said, I agree, the best professors for the subject are in the UK, which has its own benefits and drawbacks.

[ForlornHope]

Maybe I paraphrased a bit too much. I suppose it would have been better to say that I was told (by only a couple professors and a little reading, mind you) that the study of British history in America has generally lessened in the actual history departments, and has become more of an interdisciplinary field.

Edited July 21, 2014 by ForlornHope

[dr. t]

Yes, that makes sense. I assumed Brown wasn't taking on new students, to be honest (and imagine what a student you'd have to be to make the cut anyway), but that's news about Noble. He's not that old in academic years.

 

I know! I went to talk to him the summer before my last application round (so, summer 2012) and he said that he was not taking any new students because he was going to retire in 3 years (so I guess after this year?). 

[mikeb32123]

Wow, lots of responses! I love you all.

 

I should mention that I have taken enough Spanish classes that I ought to be fluent in it, I've just never needed to use it, and so it has gone rusty. I could pick it up again fairly quickly, and at this point could probably read something in Spanish, though slowly and uncomfortably. I have a decent head for languages, and I don't feel like making the leap to Latin or French from this point would be a step too far, given some time and effort. Is this something I should be concerned with at this point in the application process? Will it be held against me (or rather, to what extent will it be held against me?) if I'm functionally monolingual when submitting my applications? The impression I got from perusing the sites of various departments is that a certain amount of language skill will be necessary at some point as one proceeds through the PhD program, but they usually aren't super clear on how far such things get taken into consideration during admissions.

 

I've looked into master's options, and it might make sense as a bridge, given that I'm coming from a non-history undergrad background. But given that what I want out of the whole thing (a career poring over ancient musty tomes, one hopes!) requires a PhD in the end anyway, and considering that master's programs are typically not funded (more student loans? ohpleaseno), I'm not sure that's a route I want to pursue, unless it's definitely the best way forward.

 

Also, I don't suppose anyone here has experience with the whole applying-to-schools-in-the-UK-from-the-US bit? It's definitely an interesting option given the area I want to focus.

[L13]

It is my impression that you usually need some prior training in the relevant languages (Latin, French, German--in your case you may have to learn some form of Old English/Norse as well?) before embarking on a PhD in medieval history. You don't have to be fluent, and maybe you can get away with picking up a language or two in grad school, but language skills count for a lot in medieval history. A lot. Unfortunately, I don't think your Spanish will be a big selling point as it bears no relevance, as far as I can tell, to your intended areas of study.

 

Given that you don't have a solid history background either, I think a master's degree makes a lot of sense for you. You'll be able to work on your languages and get experience in history, thus addressing two vulnerabilities in your application.

Edited July 22, 2014 by L13

[dr. t]

I've looked into master's options, and it might make sense as a bridge, given that I'm coming from a non-history undergrad background. But given that what I want out of the whole thing (a career poring over ancient musty tomes, one hopes!) requires a PhD in the end anyway, and considering that master's programs are typically not funded (more student loans? ohpleaseno), I'm not sure that's a route I want to pursue, unless it's definitely the best way forward.

 

Not having languages will hurt your application, without a doubt.

 

All the master's programs I listed above save WMU do offer good students substantial funding packages. For example, I am currently receiving about $20k in grants from HDS to cover $25k tuition. Chicago's MAPSS program offered me half tuition. 

[mikeb32123]

Bleh. Not wanted I wanted to hear, but I appreciate the input all the same. I'll have to look more into the master's side of things. I think my hesitation, more than anything, is on the financial side of things. Having nearly dug myself out of the undergrad hole, I'm in no rush to start running up a new tab for what would not be a terminal degree for me.