Postgraduate Certificate in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History

The Postgraduate Certificate in Cultural Intellectual and Visual History focuses on the survival and transmission of culture across time and space, with a particular emphasis on the Renaissance but spanning the entire period from the late Middle Ages to Modernity. The Warburg Institute is a leading centre for the study of the interaction of ideas, images, and society, and provides students with access to world-leading research, teaching and expertise. This course builds upon the institute’s long and distinguished tradition of the study of history, culture, and society. It is ideal for students who have an interest in these subjects, and who are looking for an intellectual challenge, but who do not want to undertake or cannot yet commit to a full MA.

The programme combines the study of historical texts and their cultural contexts with an introduction to current academic debates. Students receive training in:

Intellectual and Cultural History of the Renaissance, dealing with such issues as the emergence of humanism; the image of Rome in early modern Italian city-states; the religious backdrop of the Renaissance, including papal politics and the Reformation; alchemy, magic, and the roots of modern science; exploration, conquest, and colonialism and their impact on views of humanity; and much else.
Methods and Techniques of Cultural and Intellectual History. The programme will increase students’ understanding of methods for analysing literary, philosophical, religious and scientific texts of the early modern period, including close readings as well as biographical, political, and cultural contextualization.
Current scholarship and professional practice in these areas as well as new and emerging areas of research and scholarship.

The normal minimum entry requirement is an upper second-class honours degree from a British university, or an equivalent qualification from a non-UK institution, in any discipline in the humanities which is related to the course.