Category Dissertation Topics

This section is to help students come up with ideas for their dissertation.

Coming up with an idea for a dissertation can be a long, frustrating and arduous process.

One way this can be made easier is by seeing what other students have, thought about or are doing. Therefore, we encourage anyone and everyone to add details of dissertation ideas that they have done so that future students can have a useful resource.

Furthermore, if you want to post your dissertation on to the blog then we will aim to do this as well (so long as they are of a reasonable standard!)

May 24 2012

Dissertation by Tom Pert – ‘Colonel John Hutchinson and the Committee of Nottingham: Civil-Military discord amongst Parliamentarians in the First English Civil War, 1642-46’

We have a new dissertation piece today from Tom Pert. Some useful notes on sources for any one interested in the English Civil War, so have a read.

As any student of a history-related topic knows, absolutes are non-existent and whereas theories of earlier scholars differentiate quite clearly into black and white, the reality is a mass spectrum of grey. Such is the case with the English Civil War as although the generalisations made by earlier scholars such as Christopher Hill, Alfred Wood and Lawrence Stone have been reviewed in more recent years by subsequent generations of historians, they still hold considerable sway in the study of the topic.

This dissertation, therefore, intends to examine the divisions that emerged within the Parliamentarian ranks during the First English Civil War and, using the example of the internal conflict between Colonel John Hutchinson, governor of Nottingham Castle and other members of the parliamentarian Committee of Nottingham, examine the claims made by earlier historians that divisions within the parliamentarian ranks were between ‘Locally-minded moderates’ with civic roles and ‘Nationally-minded radicals’ emerging from the military.

The project also seeks to evaluate the seriousness of such divisions and whether they hindered the ability of the Parliamentarians (in the case of the town of Nottingham) to successfully defend their areas from Royalist attacks. In doing so, the dissertation shall draw on the evidence from contemporary sources, primarily ‘Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson’ by his wife, Lucy, as well as other primary materials such as newsbooks detailing any such military action, entries in the journals of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and also the correspondence of any key figures such as Hutchinson’s arguably staunchest opponent  Dr. Huntington Plumptre (member of the Committee of Nottingham) as well as that of Colonel Hutchinson himself.

May 6 2012

Caitriona McCartney’s dissertation topic

Childrens’ Literature in the First World War

I have chosen to focus my dissertation on childrens’ literature during the First World War. The research will primarily focus on what form propaganda took within these texts and ask how far they achieved their objectives.

I choose to research this topic as I love studying the First World War. This is important, as the research will last more than a year!

You have research something that you love as it will take over your life! My research topic came by a chance find of a history of the war for children, after close examination it became clear that this work was full of propaganda. After further research I found there was little official government effort into propaganda, therefore writers took it upon themselves.

I hope to find out why authors may have written such blatant propaganda by examining their histories. For example I will focus on

A typical book that children would have read.

, Rudyard Kipling and Captain Brereton examining their personal correspondence as well as the content of their works to investigate why the felt the need to take the propaganda effort upon themselves.

The biggest challenge is establishing cause and effect; just because a child read a book does not mean it influenced them. This can only be established by examining correspondence of children and adults to examine works that they feel have influenced them.

I do not know where my research will take me but I hope that I can contribute to this new field of history.

May 4 2012

My Dissertation

Hopefully more people will be adding their dissertation ideas as our profile begins to rise!

For my dissertations I am doing ‘The Long Range Desert Group and the British Way in Warfare’

It focuses on how the LRDG have influenced British strategic culture, particularly the special forces. One type of source that I am using are 1950’s war films to see how these impacted upon British strategic culture.

I will post updates once I have a better idea… in the mean time please post your own topics and ideas!