Below Pauline Standley describes the experience of studying for a master’s degree in history (MRes) at Portsmouth. She looked at the role of Nina Simone as a civil rights activist, a feminist, and someone who reflected the broader socio-political shifts of her time. Pauline’s supervisor was Dr Lee Sartain.
Nina Simone. For many, her name immediately brings to mind her iconic, richly textured voice, often accompanied by signature sounds of the trumpets and piano in timeless classics like “I Put a Spell on You” or “Feeling Good”. While these songs undoubtedly capture her unshakeable legacy, Nina Simone is also a reservoir of intersectional experiences that reveal much about the socio-political dynamics of 20th-century America. In examining the personal evolution of Nina Simone and the broader societal changes, my research brings together cultural, political and intellectual histories, which illustrates how figures like Nina were pivotal in shaping resistance movements for African Americans. Using her a case study in my research project has been incredibly fruitful, allowing me to engage with the themes I’m deeply passionate about – gender and race within the American context – and understanding their impacts on an incredibly personal level. It also highlighted just how overlooked Nina Simone is; though celebrated as a musical icon, her contribution to the civil rights and feminist movements remain significantly understudied. Certainly, this makes for exciting research: digging through archives, furiously highlighting her autobiography, dissecting her thoughts and reflections, and then juxtaposing these findings with the ideas of key intellectuals and leaders of her time to discover how they connected – or contrasted! This is often followed by overly excited, far-too-long email to my supervisor (apologies, Lee) where I gush about my latest discoveries and how incredible she is. The brilliant part of having a supervisor, though, is they usually match your enthusiasm, and suddenly a “look what I found!” turns into a whole chapter of analysis.
Musical Division, “Singing in a small group with Lorraine Hansberry and Nina Simone” The New York Public Library Collections, 1963. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/5d9a7e60-2cf4-0135-0613-0fc77b59adf9
Though the scope initially felt overwhelming, it proved to be a perfect size – big enough to cover the nuances of the topic, yet focused enough to stop the research from running away with itself. For an entire year, I was immersed in discovering and researching Nina Simone and 20th-century America. Skeletal ideas that I had been tossing around gradually blossomed into well-structured project. There is an unmatched sense of satisfaction in witnessing an academic piece you’ve designed and nurtured evolve into a comprehensive body of work. The MRes course is perfectly tailored for those who like to have creative control and the space to freedom to focus on their own specialist content, which is an added bonus if you are looking to further your academic studies but there are no available MAs which aligns to your topic area. Whilst the main body of the MRes is occupied in undertaking the dissertation, there are other assignments due such as a Literature Review, Research Proposal and Poster Presentation. Each of these assignments are extremely helpful in laying out the bare bones of your project, your key arguments and the existent body of research you will refer to. It will not only help you feel more confident in your project, as it will force you to critically examine your own work, but it will help you develop key skills such as critical thinking, research methodology and effective articulation of complex ideas – all highly attractive skills for employability.
So, readers of the History Blog Site! Heed my call – don’t overlook the Masters of Research (MRes) Course. If you enjoyed, are currently enjoying or enjoy the idea of undertaking your dissertation, designing and leading a project tailored to themes that fascinate you, and you’re curious about deepening your academic studies, I urge you to consider the MRes. For me, it built on the skills I developed during my undergraduate years and become of the most transformative and rewarding period of my academic journey. And if you’re thinking of pursuing a PhD in the future, the MRes is the perfect stepping stone, helping you develop fundamental individual research skills that will prepare you to undertake rigours of doctoral research, including independent study, critical analysis and project management.
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