History and History and Philosophy of Science

A joint honours degree allows you to study the same core topics as students on each single honours course, but you’ll take fewer optional and discovery modules so you can fit in both subjects. You’ll also undertake a major research project in either subject in your final year.

History

In your first year you’ll study core modules that introduce you to concepts such as historiography, and develop historical skills like working with primary sources. In the following year, you’ll choose from a wide range of optional modules, keeping a balance between earlier and later periods. You could study the Crusades, Imperial Germany or Mao Zedong and China since 1949. In your final year, you’ll focus on a specific theme or topic in your special subject and develop your research and critical skills.

History and Philosophy of Science

In your first year core modules will introduce you to themes and approaches in history and philosophy of science, such as philosophy of science and the development of scientific thought. You’ll develop your knowledge in the following year by choosing optional modules in areas like epistemology and the history of ideas. You’ll continue to select optional modules in your final year, from realism and representation to philosophical questions in technology.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Historiography and Historical Skills 20 credits
• Primary Sources for the Historian: An Introduction to Documentary study 20 credits
• Magic, Science and Religion 10 credits
• Introduction to the History of Science 10 credits
• Darwin, Germs and the Bomb 10 credits
• How Science Works 10 credits
• Introduction to Academic Skills 5 credits

Optional modules

• History of Psychology 10 credits
• Living with Technology 10 credits
• History of Modern Medicine 10 credits

Year 2

Optional modules

• The Tudors: Princes, Politics, and Piety, 1485-1603 20 credits
• Britain and the Atlantic World 20 credits
• Imperial Germany 1871-1918 20 credits
• Science, Culture and Society in the Industrial Age 20 credits
• Topics in Epistemology: Theory and Evidence 20 credits

Year 3

Optional modules

• The Third Reich, 1933-1945 40 credits
• Europe in an Age of Total Warfare 40 credits
• Colonising Animals: More-than-Human Histories of Empire in Asia 40 credits
• Science Communication: History & Theory 20 credits

For more information on typical modules, read History and History and Philosophy of Science BA in the course catalogue

Broadening your academic horizons

At Leeds we want you to benefit from the depth and breadth of the University's expertise, to prepare you for success in an ever-changing and challenging world. This course gives you the opportunity to broaden your learning by studying discovery modules. Find out more on the Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching

Our tutors are experts in their fields, and their teaching is informed by their own cutting-edge research.

We use a range of teaching methods to help you benefit from their expertise, including lectures, seminars, tutorials or occasionally workshops. However, independent study is also central to this degree, since it allows you to develop your skills in research and analysis. You will be able to apply your skills and knowledge in a Final Year Research Project on a topic of your own choice.

Assessment

We also use different types of assessment. Usually we use a mixture of exams and essays, but you may also be assessed on oral presentations or group work in some modules. Support will be on hand throughout your time at Leeds – for example, you’ll be able to attend extra classes on exam technique, structuring an essay and public speaking if you need them.