The study of international and world history – as opposed to the study of the exclusive histories and historiographies of individual countries – is an emerging field of research that is slowly changing our perspectives on the development of politics and societies. These developments are seen as inseparably linked to the movement of people and ideas back and forth across oceans and territories.

The internationalisation of the study of history has also led to a renewed interest in what larger regions of the world have in common – and in what separates them from each other – in terms of political concepts and cultural values. As a result, the study of encounters between states or societies has gone through several new phases, which together have revolutionised our understanding of cultural and economic dissemination as well as of war, diplomacy, empires and transnational institutions. Finally, efforts are being made to integrate the histories of ethnicity and gender into this internationalising framework and to study the influence of these aspects of human history upon both peaceful cooperation and exchange and upon forms of violent conflict.

The further development of the study of international history in this broad sense depends on the internationalisation of the training and skills of the next generation of experts. The Columbia-LSE Double MA Degree in International and World History draws on the faculties of two of the world's leading centres of international affairs, which have the expertise and commitment to provide the training and skills needed. It offers close contact in seminars and colloquia with mentors in different intellectual and cultural settings in two global cities.

The two-year programme will be taught both in London and in New York, and will lead to successful students receiving a degree from both universities at the end of their period of study. While the majority will be expected to go on to do a PhD in History or related fields, some may choose to apply the insights gained to a career outside the academy, including journalism, public policy, non-profits, or the private sector.

Studying at LSE and Columbia

In London, the Columbia-LSE Double MA in International and World History is run by LSE's International History Department in association with IDEAS: the LSE Centre for Diplomacy and Strategy. In New York, the degree is run by the Columbia History Department. It provides the chance to study international and world history from the early modern era up to today in an environment that emphasises broad study, global perspectives, and intellectual debate.

The programme offers numerous benefits:

A two-year MA in two of the top universities for history and the social sciences. At Columbia and LSE, students will have the opportunity to take courses in several subject areas as well as in other world-class departments, while at the same time engaging in rigorous language training.
A research oriented programme which goes far beyond classroom study. Students will design original projects while working closely with staff who together offer expertise in an immense variety of geographical regions and research methodologies.
Engagement with vibrant intellectual communities, including the opportunity to participate in seminars, debates, and public lectures offered by IDEAS at LSE and the Center for International History at Columbia.
Flexibility to tailor programmes to diverse interests and divergent career paths. Those with a history background can focus on cutting-edge fields of research and prepare themselves for PhD study. Others can develop historical expertise, writing skills, and language training as part of a career in international affairs. The programme is designed to attract a diverse student body with complementary interests, including teaching, journalism, public or private administration.
The opportunity to develop life-long contacts on both sides of the Atlantic, using LSE and Columbia as launching pads for careers combining intellectual and professional development.

This double degree programme allows students to be taught for a year in two very prestigious universities. Primarily but not exclusively intended for those considering further research in history – whether in the US, in Europe, or elsewhere – this double degree is intended to provide students with an opportunity to choose from a very wide array of courses in two internationally renowned history departments. It will also involve the production of a substantial piece of independent research, with staff at both departments providing appropriate support and guidance in the course of this exercise. Graduates will thus emerge with an excellent grounding in the study of history at master's level and a proven research record.

The heart of the MA programme is a two-year sequence of courses taken at Columbia and LSE that will result in the production of a master's dissertation by the end of the second year. Note that not all the courses listed will necessarily be available in any one year.

Year 1 – in New York

The requirement for the first year at Columbia is completion of 30 points, including the first two semesters of the two-year sequence of core courses. At least 22 of these points must be history courses taken for letter grade credit, including the two required courses. Most students will also elect to take a course (or courses) to meet their language requirement.

Semester 1: Approaches to International and Global History. 4 pts.

An introduction to both classic and cutting-edge work. Topics include approaches to comparative history and transnational processes, the relationship of local, regional, national, and global scales of analysis, and the problem of periodisation when considered on a world scale.

Semester 2: Theory and Practice of International and World History. 4 pts.

A hands-on introduction to historical research and writing that will culminate with a research prospectus for an MA thesis.

Department electives. These may be chosen among the following (this list is illustrative rather than exhaustive; each course mentioned runs for a semester only, and some require the permission of the instructor):

Merchants, Pirates, and Slaves in the making of Atlantic Capitalism: 1600-1800. 3pts.
Colonial Encounters: Europe and the Culture of Empire. 3 pts.
International and Global History since WWII. 3 pts.
US Foreign Relations. 3pts.
20th Century Urbanisation in Comparative Perspective. 3 pts.
Main Currents of Islamo-Christian Civilisation. 3 pts.
Gender and Empire. 3 pts.
The Asia-Pacific Wars, 1931-1975. 3 pts.
Domestic Animals and Human History. 3 pts.
Historical Origins of Human Rights. 3pts.
Globalisation in History. 3pts.
History of World Migration. 3 pts.
Globalising American Consumer Culture. 4 pts.
Jewish Migration to the Americas: Eastern European Jews in the US and Latin America, 1881 – 1939. 4 pts.
Jews and the City. 4 pts.
Jewish Tales from Four Cities. 4 pts.
Modern Crime and Punishment in Historical Perspective. 4 pts.
History of the Family in Global Perspective, 1500 to Present. 4 pts.
Orientalism and Historiography of the Other. 4 pts.
Islam in Africa. 4 pts.
History and Human Rights: Capitalism, Colonialism, and Culture. 4 pts.
International Law and East Asia. 4 pts.
The Vietnam War as International History. 4 pts.
Fashion. 4 pts.
World War II. 4 pts.
Capitalism, Colonialism and Culture: A Global History. 4 pts.
Edible Conflicts: A History of Food. 4 pts.
History of Environmental Thinking. 4 pts.
Technology and History. 4 pts.
Smuggling, Drugs, States. 4 pts.
Projects and Practices of Colonial Rule in the 20th Century. 4 pts.
Cold War in Latin America. 4 pts.
Modern Crime and Punishment in Historical Perspective. 4 pts.
Political Islam. 4 pts.
Africa, Europe and New Colonial History. 4 pts.
Native Bodies and Colonial Discipline. 4 pts.
Imperialism. 4 pts.
Colloquium on World History. 4 pts.
Disease, Public Health and Empire: Comparative Perspectives. 4 pts.
Telling the Twentieth Century. 4 pts.
Colloquium on Technology and History. 4 pts.
Problematics of History and International Relations. 4 pts.
International Orders 1600-1920. 4 pts.
Knowledge in Transit in the Early Modern World. 4 pts.
Population Control: Eugenics, Malthusianism, and Migration in the 20th Century. 4 pts.
Atlantic World, c1600-1850. 4 pts.
Gender and Empire. 4 pts.
Captivity. 4 pts.
Gender and Migration in a Global Perspective. 4 pts.

Procedures for a student getting approval for an elective that is not on this list: the JTC (Joint Teaching Committee) will decide on the basis of the student's application and the strength of the case made.

Year 2 – in London

Core course

The dissertation will be supervised and assessed at LSE in accordance with its MSc regulations. It will be in the form of a thesis of no more than 15,000 words.
During their first year at Columbia University (CU), students will submit a historiographical essay, and an annotated bibliography, related to the topic of dissertation/ thesis chosen for the second year. In November of their year in CU, students identify a topic of their dissertation/thesis. CU faculty contact and consult LSE colleagues who will supervise the dissertation/thesis in the second year. The length of the historiographical essay and annotated bibliography will be determined by Columbia University.

Options

(* half unit)

Choose a total of three full units from the following list:

Crisis Decision-Making in War and Peace, 1914-1991
Origins and Conduct of the Second World War, 1935-1945
European Integration in the 20th Century
Spain and the Great Powers, 1936-1953
Presidents, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy: From Roosevelt to Reagan, 1933-1989
Empire, Colonialism and Globalisation
The Napoleonic Empire: The Making of Modern Europe?
Anglo-American Relations from World War to Cold War, 1939-91
From Cold Warriors to Peacemakers: The End of the Cold War Era, 1979-1997
Cultural Encounters From the Renaissance to the Modern World
The Rise and Fall of Communism in Europe, 1917-1990
Political Islam: From Ibn Taymiyya to Osama Bin Laden
Race, Violence and Colonial Rule in Africa
Persecution in Europe: From Witch-hunts to Ethnic Cleansing
Sex, Race and Slavery: The Western Experience
East Asia in the Age of Imperialism, 1839-1945
From Nationalism to Fascism: Europe, 1890-1939
The Origins of the Cold War, 1917-1962
Crises and Détente in the Cold War, 1962-1979
International History Since 1900
India and the World Economy+
International Migration, 1500-2000: from Slavery to Asylum+
Epidemics and Economic and Social Change, from the Black Death to the Present+
African Economic Development in Historical Perspective+
History of Economics: from Moral Philosophy to Social Science+
Scientific, Technical and Useful Knowledge from Song China to the Industrial Revolution+
Shipping and Sea Power in Asian Waters, c1600-1860+

+ Regarding Economic History (EH) courses only: it may be possible to take further options among EH courses with the agreement of the course teacher responsible and the programme director of the Double Degree. Students should note that some core courses in EH degree programmes are closed to students on other programmes.

One of the above may be replaced by a further course from other LSE departments (subject to agreement with the programme director and teacher responsible for the course).

Compulsory language requirement

Those who are unable to pass a translation exam in a language other than English upon arrival at Columbia will need to commit to taking two years of language training at Columbia and at the LSE Language Centre.

Those able to pass one translation exam in a language other than English upon arrival at Columbia can complete the requirement in either of two ways:

By taking one year of language training at Columbia or at the LSE Language Centre. These can either be more advanced courses in the same language or a second language appropriate to their research interests.
Passing a second translation exam during the first year at Columbia.

Students who are able to pass two translation exams in languages other than English by the end of their first year at Columbia will be exempt from having to take language courses at either Columbia or LSE.

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