Medieval Studies

Institute for Medieval StudiesUniversity of Leeds
About the Institute

General
The Leeds MA Programme in Medieval Studies provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the advanced study of European culture. Teaching draws from a community of scholars whose range spans Europe, from Iceland to Africa and the Middle East, and from late antiquity to the Renaissance.

For PhD research, notable strengths include liturgy and music; the Mediterranean and Islam; Crusades, medieval warfare, and battlefield archaeology; cultural history of the post-Roman period; Anglo-Saxon art, architecture, and culture; mission, monasticism, ecclesiastical history, and church archaeology; cartography; European languages and their literatures; historical topography and settlement; art and architectural history and critical theory.

Leeds's University Library is one of the largest research libraries in the UK, with over 2.7 million books, a fine journal collection, and extensive holdings in all areas of medieval studies, with a rich and expanding store of manuscripts and rare books. The nearby archive and library of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society also have large medieval holdings.

The Institute is home to the International Medieval Congress, Europe's largest annual gathering of medievalists, and the International Medieval Bibliography, the world's leading interdisciplinary bibliography of the Middle Ages. Together, these unique enterprises enable you to gain practical as well as academic experience, whilst links with publishers, museums, and research projects provide opportunities for internships and work experience. Collaboration with the Royal Armouries enriches teaching and research on chivalry, arms, armour, tournaments and medieval warfare. For students and lovers of landscape and architecture, Yorkshire's matchless countryside, medieval castles, churches and abbeys are near to hand.