Student spotlights - Local history

MSc in Local History spotlight: Caroline Withall

Caroline Withall studied history at university, but later trained as a litigator, eventually becoming Director of Legal for a regulatory body. But the law didn't hold her interest as much as her first love - history. She returned to education on our MSc in English Local History and now researches child labour in Atlantic port towns, an area about which little is known.

'Although enjoying a successful career, I did not really enjoy law as an occupation and was interested in changing to an academic career. However, to leave a good job was a hard step, therefore the part time MSc course was an excellent way to test the water and see if it would be something I would want to pursue in the long term.'

'I enjoy local history because it offers a chance to really explore different communities and places, and also to compare and contrast with the national picture and use the locality as a testbed for theories and premises."

'When I embarked upon the course I was not sure where it would take me, but it reignited my interest in studying, leading me to conclude a career change to academia was both possible and desirable; I decided to pursue a DPhil extending the research I had already done for my MSc dissertation, and was lucky enough to receive full ESRC funding.'

'For my DPhil I am researching child labour in the industrial revolution. This may seem a well-worn path; everybody knows about children toiling in mines and mills. However, much less is known about children who worked in port towns, and I am researching the Atlantic towns of Liverpool, Bristol & Southampton. I came to this subject area through the Advanced paper I took in my first year of the MSc. I enjoyed the course so much I wanted to investigate matters for myself further. The support and encouragement of the tutor allowed me to do so.'

'I hope to be able to pursue some sort of academic/research career. Opportunities are not necessarily limited to education; I have already developed links with some local museums who are interested in the work I am doing, and I may like to follow a path into museum work/educational resources for schools.'

'I think any preconception that a part time course may somehow be easier was quickly disspelled. There is no 'dumbing down' and you have to be organised and disciplined. But the rewards for the hard work pay off. With such a diverse age range in our group, I was not sure intitially how active the seminars would be, but in fact the wide cross section of people contributed to a warm and supportive environment with lively debate flourishing.'

'To anyone considering studying local history with the Department I'd say 'take the plunge'. Although hard work it is an extremely rewarding course, with supportive tutors who will encourage you to explore your own personal interests further.'