B.A. History

First Year:

As a full-time student: You may up take up to six modules of History in your first year (You may take two from another subject chosen from the wide range available in the Arts Combined programme, and therefore, take three History modules of your choice and the compulsory module). The first year history modules in the newly revalidated degree (approval pending) will include:

YEAR 1

Semester 1

Semester 2

Historical Skills: Themes in the History of the Modern World, 1789-1989 (Compulsory for all HIS students)

Europe and the Wider World 1492-1789

The United States Since 1776

Britain, 1750-1945

Early Modern Britain and Ireland, 1500-1800

Modern Ireland, 1801-1998

These will provide a building block from which students can pursue more specialist study in Second Year and Third Year. In second year, first term, you will take three modules of History which will examine major themes in the history of nation states, or discrete topics such as gender history, early modern History and societies. Examples include 20th Century Russia, the West and Middle East, Northern Ireland and its troubles, Modern Japan and China. In your second semester, second year you will take a major survey course on Historiogrpahy. You will also have the opportunity to take at least one (a maximum of three) career focussed Practical History modules, which may include a work placement element. You will also take at least one (a maximum of three) Focal points, which will be fine grained examinations of key historical events involving details readings key historical events and their historical contexts. An example of the Structure of Second Year is outlined below: Module titles may of course change.

YEAR 2

Semester 1

Semester 2

Options: Thematic or Geographical; maximum chronology one ‘long century’

Choose 1-3

(These are all examples for illustrative purposes)

Practical Histories with skills employability dimension

Chose a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3.

(These are all examples for illustrative purposes)

Option (20)

Example: Post: War Britain

HIS2xx Practical Histories 1: Public History (10)

Option (20)

Example The Cold War

HIS2xx Practical History 3: History and Computing (10)

HIS2xx Practical History 4: History and Public Policy (10)

HIS2xx Practical Histories 2: Work Placement (10)

Runs Week 1-6 and Week 7-12 (Each being worth 10 credits though a student who chooses placement obviously only does 1 session)

Option (20) The West and the Middle East.

Focal Points: Fine-grained examinations of turning points and key issues in context. Some will run week 1-6 and some will run week 7-12. Weeks 1-6 will be assessed by Essay and Weeks 7-12 by a two hour class test. There will be room for a presentation or seminar element)

Chose a minimum of one and a maximum of 3.

(These examples are for illustrative purposes)

Option (20) The Rise of Modern China and Japan since 1867.

HIS2xx Focal Point: Chartism in Britain (10)

HIS2xx Focal Point: The Suez Crisis (10)

Option (20) 3 Irish themed modules

e.g the Northern Irish Troubles

HIS2xx Focal Point: The Gordon Riots (10)

HIS2xx Focal Point: The Spanish Armada (10)

Late Imperial Russia (20)

HIS2xx Focal Point: The Debate about the Easter Rising. (10)

HIS2xx Focal Point: The Salem Witch Trials (10)

Option (20)

HIS2xx Problems and Perspectives on the Past (20) (C) (Historiography and problems in History)

Final Year: Third Year or Fourth Year (if you study abroad).

You may also take an optional third year of study abroad (see international study below).

Your final year in such case will be fourth year. For those who do not take a year abroad, Third Year will be your final and graduating year.

In your final year you must undertake a dissertation on a subject of your own choice (with help from a supervisor) and four other modules from a wide choice which will include the end of the European Empires, a number of Irish history module choices, the Irish Diaspora, the late Soviet Union.

YEAR 3

Semester 1

Semester 2

Dissertation (40) 12000 word project based on detailed secondary reading and a substantial body of primary sources

5-6 Optional 20 credit modules of which 2 will be Irish themed.

5-6 Optional 20 credit modules of which 2 will be Irish themed

Teaching Methods and Assessment

The modules for this course are delivered by lectures, small group seminar, individual supervisions and the universities e-learning system Web Blackboard.

Assessment: All modules are examined by exam and coursework in first year, coursework (essay and class test or exam) in second year and exam and coursework in final year. The main coursework assessment is the history essay. In final year, one third of the assessment is based on the dissertation – an extended 12,000 word piece on an historical subject of the student’s choice which demonstrates the skills that they have learnt in their previous two years of study.