M1 & M2 in LLCER – History and civilization of the English-speaking World

English-speaking Civilizations (Research Team: LARCA – UMR 8225) 

The Master’s in History of the English-speaking World offers students the opportunity to study British and American civilizations using a multidisciplinary and comparative approach, allowing them to understand the diversity of British and American societies and thereby access other cultures in the English-speaking world. The variety of approaches used (social and political history, intellectual history, political science and sociology) demonstrates the wealth of knowledge available in civilization studies. In the first year, students will be introduced to research methodologies used in the humanities. They will also build on their historical, social, political, cultural and artistic background knowledge of the societies studied, so that they can participate in personal, original research using primary sources in the second year.

Students will select their seminars based on their choice of American or British civilization, after consulting with their thesis director.

Download the course description and syllabus

More information

PRE-REQUISITES

Compulsory pre-requisite 

A degree in Anglophone Studies (or equivalent, submitted to the agreement of the Admissions Committee).

Expectations

Excellent oral and written English (C1 minimum). If you’re not from a EU country and not from an anglophone country, you’ll need to provide an internationally recognized language test certificate (eg scores: 7 for IELTS, 100 for TOEFL, 130 for Duolingo, or the Cambridge Proficiency certificate).

Ability to argue a point in English; excellent knowledge of the histories and cultures of the anglophone world. Autonomy and self-reliance.

French Language

French proficiency is not required for the Research Programmes, but a basic command of French is recommended.

General criteria for admission

The Admissions Commission will pay particular attention to the student’s undergraduate curriculum and grades (especially third-year results), and to the cover letter, which must be written in English. Extra-curricular activities (projects, internships, volunteer work…) may also be taken into account.

Guidelines to help you write your cover letter

Don’t submit a standard, AI-generated cover letter. Avoid the clichés and instead try to give an idea of who you are and what your interests are. Our top tip for applying is, before you write, take the time to research our programme: look through the brochure and read about the research and teaching interests of our faculty members. Your letter should show that you have done this. Then, you can try answering these kinds of questions in your cover letter:

• Why do you wish to attend this programme? What aspects of the syllabus interest you most? Name the specific courses that appeal to you, and the colleagues whose work resonates with you, and explain why.
• What historical periods, countries, regions and issues are you most interested in, and why.
• Think of thesis topics you might like to explore: choose two and describe them in a few lines each (what country, what period, what corpus…), and sketch the approach you would adopt (what type of sources would be relevant, what methodologies, what theoretical works?). You do not need a fully worked-out project, your supervisor will help you find and formulate your final thesis topic across the first semester, but you should have thought about how your potential thesis topic relates to our department. The periods, regions, and approaches you propose should correspond to the history classes we offer and to what our faculty members actually research and teach.
• What are your cultural practices and activities linked to history or social sciences (which kinds of films or series, novels, essays, museums, etc.)? Choose one of these objects and explain why you found it interesting, how it has helped you reflect on certain issues and acquire a taste for these research fields.
• Are you a native English-speaker, or have you visited or lived in anglophone countries? If so, for how long?