Florence Swan
Awarded Department Prize for the Best Historiography Exam
I am delighted to have received the Historiography Exam Prize, a paper I thoroughly enjoyed producing.
Being part of the department
The past three years studying at Royal Holloway have been both challenging and enlightening. I started my degree adamant I was a modernist, yet finished a medievalist, a change made possible by the keenness of the professors to expose students to new areas of history, or even revise preconceived understandings of historical events and figures. With help from encouraging staff I was able to curate my research interest through my independent essay and dissertation, however was simultaneously able to take modules from an array of periods and methodologies, something I think encourages a perfect balance of specialism and general knowledge. When I chose to study at Royal Holloway three years ago it was because of the friendliness of the department, and the variety of options – in both cases the department has exceeded expectations!
A bit about Florence
I will be commencing with a MSt in Medieval Studies at Wolfson College, Oxford, where I hope to explore medieval food culture through a collaboration of disciplines. Embarking on this multi-disciplinary degree is an exciting albeit daunting opportunity, and will draw on a great number of skills learnt during my undergraduate. I am thankful to the staff at Royal Holloway who showed kindness, support and encouragement throughout my three years, and who have instilled confidence in myself as both a scholar and an individual.
