Module manager: Samuel Gartland
Email: s.d.gartland@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module forms the core research training for the MA in Classics and Ancient History. Through a programme of weekly seminars combining research methods, skills development, and structured engagement with the School’s research seminar series, students develop the practices required for independent postgraduate research. Across the year, students complete staged written assessments that build progressively from methodological and historiographical foundations to research development and project design, alongside preparation of an oral research presentation. The module supports students in learning how to locate and evaluate scholarship, work critically with primary sources, engage with live research culture, and articulate viable independent research projects. It provides an essential foundation for dissertation research and for participation in postgraduate scholarly communities.
This module introduces students to key principles and practices of research in Classics and Ancient History and supports the progressive development of the skills required for independent postgraduate study. Teaching is delivered through weekly two-hour seminars that integrate research methods workshops, guided skills training, and compulsory participation in the School’s research seminar programme. Across the year, students engage in structured research tasks that develop advanced competencies in locating, evaluating, and synthesising scholarship; analysing and interpreting primary sources; critically applying appropriate methodologies; and situating research within relevant historiographical debates. Learning activities are designed to scaffold students’ transition from foundational research training to the design and articulation of an independent research project, and to support professional academic practice, including written research communication, oral presentation, and reflective engagement with feedback.
Subject Specific Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate key methodological approaches and interpretative problems.
2. Analyse and interpret primary sources within historiographical debates.
3. Critically assess major works of modern scholarship.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
4. Identify, evaluate, and synthesise scholarly resources and research tools.
5. Communicate critical engagement with research clearly and effectively.
6. Reflect critically on their development as researchers.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Seminar | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Private study hours | 558 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 42 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 600 | ||
Students will receive formative feedback through seminar discussion and seminar-linked research activities. These provide structured opportunities to develop and test elements of the written submissions and to receive guidance on research methods and scholarly conventions. Dedicated sessions will support preparation of the oral research presentation, and students will receive feedback on a draft version presented at the research symposium prior to final submission of a recorded version.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Foundations of Research | 50 |
| Portfolio | Research Development | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 05/05/2026
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