BA (Hons) History & Journalism

What you'll study

You will take core modules in historical concepts and methods, journalism skills and long-form historical journalism with a final project devoted to a piece of extended journalistic research in a historical context. All practical journalism modules are taught by practising journalists from our School of Journalism, who have experience at the highest levels of the national media.

You will also choose option modules from both departments, with the opportunity to work creatively and undertake innovative assessments such as blogs and YouTube videos.

In addition to the modules you study during your degree, we encourage you to make the most of the exciting calendar of activities that both departments organise throughout the year, including a range of guest speakers and lecturers.

Year 1 (credit level 4)

You take the following compulsory modules:

Module title Credits. Concepts and Methods in History Concepts and Methods in History 30 credits

This core module introduces you to theories of history, methodologies and conceptual problems of advanced historical work from the ancient to the contemporary world. The module will help you acquire some of the fundamental skills involved in historical study – including writing at university level – as well as help you with online research, footnoting and compiling a bibliography. It consists of one lecture and seminar per week.

30 credits. Media History and Politics Media History and Politics 15 credits

In this module you will study the historical development of the British media, and their role in the development of modern Britain. You will focus on the way in which power is concentrated and organised around media ownership and production.

15 credits. Introduction to Power, Politics and Public Affairs Introduction to Power, Politics and Public Affairs 15 credits

A practical introduction for journalism students to the British political system and key aspects of the private sector, during this course you will learn how Government and corporations operate in the public realm, how public relations and press offices work and where journalists can find information.

15 credits. Introduction to News and Features Introduction to News and Features 30 credits

The course will introduce you to the practical aspects of researching, reporting, writing and editing for online platforms using a multi-media approach. There are no lectures. Students will learn by doing, and by the end of the course will have produced three pieces of journalism.

30 credits.

You will also take one of the following 30 credit options:

Module title Credits. Religion, Peace and Conflict Religion, Peace and Conflict 30 credits

This module explores the historical and contemporary role of religion in promoting peace and conflict through a series of case studies. The contexts chosen for study may vary from year to year but will normally include examples drawn from the West, the Middle East, and Asia. The module is divided into four blocks of five weeks each. By taking this module you will gain an introductory, but insightful, comprehension of religious belief and its role in promoting peace and conflict.

30 credits. Dictators, War and Revolution Dictators, War and Revolution 30 credits

This module introduces you to the discipline of political history, by analysing, from a comparative perspective, key modern political ideologies, developments and political leaders from a comparative perspective. In addition to a theoretical foundation, it provides a basic understanding of how the modern world has been shaped by dictators, wars and revolutions. The module is divided into four thematic blocks of five weeks each. The order of the blocks and the particular lecture topics may vary from year to year, but the four-part structure ensures that you are exposed to a wide array of methodological and empirical issues critical for the study of political history.

Assessment by: a combination of coursework and a two-hour unseen written paper. There is also a range of coursework on which feedback is given.

30 credits. Self, Citizen and Nation Self, Citizen and Nation 30 credits

Self, Citizen and Nation introduces the importance of intellectual and cultural history as a way of understanding yourself and the world around you. It contributes to the department’s core strengths in the history of ideas, philosophy, ethics and culture.

The course consists of four themes, each focusing on the relationship between human beings and their surroundings:

• the Medieval Self (the discovery of the individual, gender, childhood, the visual dimension, citizenship and ethnicity)
• Humans and the natural world (the human body, human mind, animals and birds, the rural and urban environments)
• Early modern identities (emotions and the soul, the self, religion and identity, ethnicity and nationality, gender and sexuality)
• Political systems in theory and practice (monarchies, republics, democracies, utopias and dystopias)

Throughout the module you will engage with a wide variety of primary source material, including images, philosophical and literary texts, letters and works of self-reflection.

30 credits. Year 2 (credit level 5)

You study the following compulsory modules:

Module title Credits. Extended Feature Research and Writing Extended Feature Research and Writing 15 credits

This module will provide the pedagogic bridge between the MC52019A Feature Writing module taken in the Autumn term of level 5 and the Interdisciplinary Final Project module to be taken in the final year. All three are compulsory modules.

In Feature Writing, students learn the basic skills, conventions and requirements of feature writing for journalistic purposes. In this module, students will learn how to use and enhance those skills for more in-depth research and long-form writing with a historical focus. They will learn how to use a blend of historical sources such as public and private archives and online historical databases as well as more contemporary sources to investigate and analyse subjects, themes and ideas from both the past and present for journalistic purposes. This might include researching recently released PRO files for ideas for journalistic work, which could then be explained, analysed and amplified using both alternative historical as well as contemporary sources. Students would be encouraged to use images and other digital material as primary sources as well as for illustration and added value. The module will be delivered through a series of weekly presentations and workshops that will demonstrate different sources of information and their use in a variety of different journalistic work with a historical theme and published in different formats. Special personal skills for extended research work such as in-depth interviewing of sources and recording and the organisation of research material will also be addressed.

Students will be set assignments to test their knowledge of historical themes, subjects and sources and their ability to use that information to create journalistic work. Feedback will be given in class, in writing and in person. Students will be encouraged to examine and critique each other’s work. Individual tutorial support will be given as required. Assessment will be by a portfolio of work aimed at journalistic platforms, which will include one substantial piece of writing. The techniques, skills and methods that students acquire during this module will prepare them for the Interdisciplinary Final Project, which will focus on a major piece of research and the creation of a journalistic product with a historical theme.

15 credits. Media Law and Ethics Media Law and Ethics 15 credits

This module involves a series of lectures on history and contemporary developments of international media law and ethics.

Specific topics include the legal problematising of journalism, defamation law and contempt issues, debates in media ethics, state security and secrecy, professional codes and practices, privacy, human rights and international law, and international comparisons.

15 credits. Feature Writing Feature Writing 15 credits

You will learn how to produce longer pieces of in-depth journalism – known as features – on this module. Skills taught include interviewing, colour writing and how to structure longer pieces.

15 credits.

Option modules

You will study 30 credits of modules that fuse History and Journalism, 30 credits of History modules and a 15 credit Media option.

Examples of History and Journalism modules include:

Module title Credits. Modern Revolutions in Comparative Perspective Modern Revolutions in Comparative Perspective 30 credits

In this module we will explore the history of modern revolutions. Examples will include the American, French, Russian, and Chinese Revolutions, but also mid-20th century anti-colonial revolutions and history still in the making—the ‘Arab Spring’. We will scrutinise various definitions of revolutions, compare their course and causes, examine revolutionary symbols and rituals, identify winners and losers, analyse the ideas underpinning revolutions and try to grapple with the disturbing phenomenon of extreme violence in the name of extremely good causes.

30 credits. Minorities in East-Central Europe: Coexistence, Integration and Annihilation, c.1870-1950 Minorities in East-Central Europe: Coexistence, Integration and Annihilation, c.1870-1950 30 credits

This module explores the tragic history of East-Central Europe’s minorities from the late nineteenth century to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. It examines how the multi-ethnic empires and national or nationalising successor states which covered the area between Berlin, Kiev, Bucharest and the Baltic not only sought to rule but also reshape their highly diverse populations.

The module considers how the concept of ‘minority peoples’ developed: who was categorised as a ‘minority’, what criteria were used and why was the existence of minorities considered to be such a ‘problem’? It studies the diverse and increasingly radical solutions that states pursued; Habsburg Austria’s attempts to arbitrate between peoples, German, Hungarian and Russian efforts to assimilate minorities and, in the aftermath of the First World War, widespread programmes of exclusion, expulsion or even ultimately annihilation.

The module focuses not only on state plans but also on minorities’ actions, aspirations and relations with their neighbours of different language, culture, religion or ethnicity. It explores, for example, Czech activists’ plans for autonomy and independence, Polish nationalists’ rival schemes for a resurrected Poland and the spread of a Ukrainian national-identity. It examines how, as state borders shifted, majorities like Germans or Hungarians might suddenly find themselves as minorities, and how they and the nation-states from which they were separated reacted. It considers how Jews responded to the intensifying anti-Semitism characterising the period. Finally, it investigates how individuals marked as members of minorities experienced state action, from discrimination to deportation and extermination.

30 credits. Nationalism, Democracy and Dictatorship in 20th-Century Eastern Europe Nationalism, Democracy and Dictatorship in 20th-Century Eastern Europe 30 credits

Eastern Europe has been at the centre of some of the main developments in modern history, yet the region is still largely unknown and remains Western Europe’s ‘other’. This is essentially a political history module, with elements of cultural and social history, and non-history disciplines such as sociology and politics.

Students will be introduced to some main debates about the origins of nations and nationalism in the 19th century (in respect of Eastern Europe). They will discuss the meanings and definitions of Eastern Europe and other, related, geographic-symbolic concepts, such as Central Europe and the Balkans.

They will then study the main developments in the 20th century:

• the First World War and the postwar settlements
• the emergence of ‘New Europe’ in the 1920s
• the failure of democracy and rise of dictatorships in the interwar period
• occupation, resistance and collaboration in the Second World War
• the Holocaust
• Communist takeovers in the aftermath of the war
• the Tito-Soviet split of 1948
• the Hungarian revolution of 1956
• the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968
• the rise of the Solidarity movement in Poland in the 1970 and 1980s
• the Perestroika and Glasnost of the 1980s
• the revolutions of 1989 and the fall of communist regimes
• disintegration and war in Yugoslavia
• political, economic and social transition of the region
• EU enlargement
30 credits. The Age of News 1850-1990 The Age of News 1850-1990 30 credits

This module surveys the history of journalism from the mid 19th century to the end of the 20th century through three interlocking themes: the political and commercial power of the press; the centrality of journalism in mass culture; and its role during moments of major historical upheaval such as war and revolution.

While focusing on Britain and the United States, the module will examine how journalism became a force throughout the world and a key mode of expression for nationalists, anti-colonialists and champions of human rights.

Each week we will use pieces of journalism to explore the lecture topics which include: Press Tycoons, Spain in the 1930s, the Vietnam War, the Irish Revolution, Civil Rights in the United States, the Sandinista Revolution, Apartheid in South Africa.

30 credits. Introduction to the History of the Modern Middle East Introduction to the History of the Modern Middle East 30 credits

This course offers a general overview to the history of the Middle East from the decline of Ottoman rule in the area in the late 19th century until the present. The course focuses on political, social, and cultural trends that shaped the history of the region vis-à-vis the intervention of foreign colonial powers, the rise of nationalistic and Islamic movements and the place of the region as a geo-economic strategic place in the 20th century.


The module is divided in two parts. During the first ten weeks, we will look at the history of the Middle East from an overarching perspective, discussing key elements and concepts that will helps us convey a holistic picture of the region. The second part will be dedicated to the study of specific case-studies that will inform a more nuanced understanding of the different areas. The goal of the course is to go beyond stereotypes that overburden our understanding of the region and its peoples.

30 credits. History at Work History at Work 15 credits

This half unit will be based on work experience, to take place in a cultural institution. You will spend one day per week (day to be negotiated with the individual institution) over one term working with the chosen institution on a relevant project, which might involve archiving, conservation, building an exhibition, responding to public enquiries, developing a public engagement project, etc.

You will conduct individual research in support of this project and keep a regular online journal of your activities and reflections during this period.

You will be jointly supervised during the module of the placement by a member of departmental staff at Goldsmiths, who will help you to develop the research element of the project in a meaningful way, and by a member of staff at the partner institution. While taking this module you will have regular meetings with your Goldsmiths supervising tutor.

15 credits. London's Burning: Social Movement and Public Protest in the Capital, 1830-2003 London's Burning: Social Movement and Public Protest in the Capital, 1830-2003 15 credits

Public protest can take many different forms and be a manifestation of a wide and diverse range of ideologies; from a lone individual scaling a building to protest about family access rights to a march of millions voicing their opposition to their country’s involvement in an overseas war. Furthermore, public protest has a profound impact on the physical space in which it takes place and raises questions about who controls public spaces and the right to voice opinions or take action. It also raises debates about the legitimacy of direct action or violence in the pursuit or defence of ideologies versus personal or national security and the preservation of public order. Who protests, what motivates them to do so, why do they choose the methods that they do and what are the ideologies that fundamentally underpin their actions? What have been the major currents of popular public protest in Britain in the last two-hundred years? Are protesters criminals or freedom fighters, reformists or revolutionaries, ringleaders or pawns, thugs or victims? When does a protest become a riot and what are the pressures or motivations that lead to violence or escalation? All of these stimulating debates, and more, will be explored in depth during this stimulating and provocative investigation of the topic.

This module will take both a theoretical and case-study based approach to engaging with the subjects of social movements and public protest. The period covered will range from the April 1834 demonstration in support of the Tolpuddle Martyrs at Copenhagen Fields near Kings Cross, right up to the 2003 anti-war march to Hyde Park, often