Politics with History BA (Hons)

What you'll study

Excited to learn more? For a taster of what you can expect to study on our Politics with History BA (Hons) degree, take a sneak preview of some of the modules you may have the opportunity to study below.

The information below reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. Updates may be made on an annual basis and revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year. Please see Terms and Conditions of Study for more information.

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Final year

Year 1

Combine your study of politics with modules on key issues and major debates in modern history. The first year introduces you to the key concepts, ideas and institutions which dominate contemporary politics at a domestic and international level. It also introduces you to the fundamentals of historical analysis, and explores the many ways in which historical events can shape, and have shaped, contemporary social, political and cultural life.

Examples of core modules are listed below. In Year 1, you will also be able to choose from a range of optional modules in either Business, Criminology, Geography, International Relations, Media Studies, Sociology, Economics or Language.

Semester 1

Smart Scholarship Core

Smart Scholarship

This module introduces students to fundamental skills for successful study in Politics, International Relations, and/or History.

The Making and Unmaking of the World Order Core

The Making and Unmaking of the World Order

This module introduces students to the main currents of world history and to the shifting structure of the international order in the modern period. It aims to cover both the mainstream narratives and those critical of Eurocentrism, thereby stimulating an appreciation in cultural diversity

The Contemporary World Arena Core

The Contemporary World Arena

The aims of the module are to explore various aspects of the contemporary world arena, and to consider the importance of different actors and issues; and to identify links between theory and practice in the world arena.

Semester 2

Conceptions of Democracy Core

Conceptions of Democracy

The aim of this module is to introduce a variety of perspectives on democracy and examine some of the problems resulting from the institutionalisation of democracy in the domestic and global arenas.

International Political Theory Core

International Political Theory

This module aims to introduce students to a selection of theories, concepts and theorists of International Politics. Students will learn to critically evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and limits of each approach.

Power, Politics and Ideology in Modern Europe Core

Power, Politics and Ideology in Modern Europe

This module provides an introduction to modern European history from c.1750 to the present and to the major ideological families that have defined, and continue to shape, European political, cultural, and intellectual life.

Understanding Democratic Institutions Core

Understanding Democratic Institutions

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the main institutions, powers and dynamics of a liberal democracy.

What is History? Core

What is History?

This module establishes a foundation about the nature of History as a subject area.

Semester 1 and 2

Elective Optional

Elective

Including: Economics; English; Languages (French, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese); Geography; History; Business; Social Sciences

Year 2

Take compulsory and optional modules in a range of topics in politics, from political thought and political protest, to European politics, British politics and others while also further developing your grasp of key debates in history, including Cold War Europe, slavery, and the histories of Britain, Russia, China and the USA.

This year there will be options to study a language as part of your degree. There will also be an option to study abroad for the second semester - if you choose this route (instead of the standard route) you will undertake assessed work and complete a Distance Learning Research Design module, plus select from a range of optional modules.

Semester 1

History of Political Thought (EUB629) Core

History of Political Thought (EUB629)

The aim of this module is to examine the development of political thought by looking at key concepts, thinkers and movements in the history of ideas.

Theories and Methods in Political Research Core

Theories and Methods in Political Research

The aims of this module are to introduce students to the dominant approaches and their research methods in politics.

British Politics Optional

British Politics

The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the history, institutions, actors, processes and challenges of British Politics and Government.

Enterprise, Employability and Personal Development Optional

Enterprise, Employability and Personal Development

The key aim of this module is to influence students' awareness of and performance in key competencies which are required for personal effectiveness in employment and as a citizen in the wider community

Modern France: A History of Conflict? Optional

Modern France: A History of Conflict?

The aim of this module is to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of some of the main issues in French history since 1789, particularly through an examination of the theme of social and political conflict.

Modern Germany: Recovery from Ruin 1945 – Present Optional

Modern Germany: Recovery from Ruin 1945 – Present

Germany's total defeat in the Second World War and the exposure of the mass murder by Germans of Jews, Slavs, mentally handicapped people and other minorities made 1945 the start of a new period in Germany and European history.

Political Communication Optional

Political Communication

The key aim of this module is to introduce students to the different theoretical perspectives underpinning the study of the political communication before examining specific aspects of political communication in various democracies.

The European Union Optional

The European Union

The purpose of this course is to inform students about the European Union, including: its historical evolution, its deepening process, its enlargement process, its institutions, its member states and its policy areas.

Victorian Values Reconsidered Optional

Victorian Values Reconsidered

This module introduces students to debates in the social, political and cultural history of Victorian Britain, with emphases on histories of childhood, democratisation, poverty, sex and sexuality, crime and deviance, religion, and race.

Semester 2

Research Design Core

Research Design

The aim of this module is to develop skills in research design.

Cold War Europe Optional

Cold War Europe

The aims of the module are to discuss key selected key issues raised by the history of the Cold War. It assesses the threats, fears, ideological conflicts and competition which dominated Global politics for 50 years. It explores Cold War politics through original documents and eyewitness accounts.

Comparative European Politics Optional

Comparative European Politics

This module offers a pan-European introduction to the continent's politics and compares the institutions of, and processes within democracies across Europe.

Modern Russia from Emancipation to Revolution Optional

Modern Russia from Emancipation to Revolution

Politics of Developing Countries Optional

Politics of Developing Countries

This module aims to examine the problem of socio-economic inequality between the global North and global South and to analyse the relationship between global and local politics and socio-economic development.

The American Century: US Politics and Society in 20th Century Optional

The American Century: US Politics and Society in 20th Century

1) Introduce students to the main institutions of the US government and how they function within the US political system 2) Examine the politics and foreign policy of the United States through an analysis of its 20th century history 3) Explore how US cultural, social and intellectual history influenced US politics in the 20th century.

International Semester Optional

International Semester

Semester 1 and 2

Elective Optional

Elective

Including: Economics; English; Languages (French, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese); Geography; History; Business; Social Sciences

Final year

Specialise in the areas of politics and history that you enjoy the most. Choose from a list of optional courses offered by the Department of Politics, History and International Relations on topics such as nationalism, terrorism, political philosophy, populism, gender and many more. Also, write a dissertation on an aspect of politics or history that you would like to explore in more detail.

Semester 1

1968: World Revolution? Optional

1968: World Revolution?

This module introduces students to the events of 1968 around the world and will examine the claim that they represented a 'world revolution' in that movements of rebellion in all the major centres were united by three things: rejection of the USSR, rejection of the USA and rejection of the 'Old Left'.

Contemporary Political Philosophy Optional

Contemporary Political Philosophy

The key aim of this module is to outline and discuss important themes in contemporary political philosophy by encouraging reflection on a number of common basic assumptions and intuitions about the nature of politics, the responsibilities of social and political institutions and the principles upon which ideas about politics are founded.

Convicts and Kangaroos: Australia 1788-1868

Convicts and Kangaroos: Australia 1788-1868

This module will introduce students to the history of colonial Australia, focusing on transportation, free settlement and the interactions between Europeans, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Empire, War and Popular Culture in Britain, c.1880-1930 Optional

Empire, War and Popular Culture in Britain, c.1880-1930

The British Empire was by far the largest and most powerful, certainly of the modern period. This module will focus on the debate on the extent to which that Empire and imperial wars influenced Britons `at home'.

International Politics of the Middle East Optional

International Politics of the Middle East

This module introduces students to key political issues in Middle East politics from a local, regional, and global perspective by employing relevant conceptual tools and empirically-informed analyses.

Jim Crow, Bootleggers and Okies: American Cultural History 1890-1930 Optional

Jim Crow, Bootleggers and Okies: American Cultural History 1890-1930

This module explores the cultural history of the United States in the early 20th century.

State, Violence and Terrorism Optional