BA (Honours) History
UCAS code
V100Attendance
Full-time
Three years full-timeAt a glance
Study history on a course taught by historians whose research has been rated as ‘world class’ (RAE 2008). You focus on modern history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and choose from optional modules to tailor your studies. You also have the opportunity to get a head start in your chosen career with work placements in settings such as museums and schools.
Key points
• Study the making of the modern world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Tailor your studies to suit your interests by choosing optional modules in British, European, extra-European and global history.
• Learn from renowned historians who publish ‘world class’ research.
• Gain experience with work-based projects in settings such as museums or a schools.
What is history?
History is not just about the past. It is a dialogue between the present and the past. Historians ask important questions about the evidence we select, the analyses we use and the stories we tell about the past and its relationship to our lives in the present.
Historical enquiry is often shaped by contemporary concerns. Studying history gives you insights into the modern world and how it came into being. It enables you to make sense of the profound and sometimes bewildering pace of change in the past two centuries.
About this course
This course is for people interested in studying the making of the modern world in a lively intellectual framework of controversy and debate. You study the social, cultural, economic, political, imperial and global history of Britain, Europe, America, Australia, India and the Middle East in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. You can tailor your studies to suit your academic interests through our wide range of optional modules.
Your studies are led by a 16 strong lecturing team made up of full-time historians who are committed and enthusiastic teachers, researchers and writers. The courses that you study are shaped by our research expertise, which was described as ‘world class’ in the last independent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
We place a strong emphasis on developing your employability and career management skills, and are pioneering in developing work-related learning in history. As part of your degree, you can choose to complete a project with a museum or a school or for a local community history organisation. You also have the opportunity to study abroad during the second year.
The skills of the historian are highly valued by employers and include • gathering, assessing and interpreting evidence • evaluating arguments • presenting your findings in written and oral forms • digital fluency.
You develop your own research skills throughout the course. This leads to a dissertation or research essay on a topic of your choice in your final year.
Key areas of study
Key areas include • the making of the modern world • Britain, Europe and the world since 1789 • social and political movements • imperialism and resistance • migration and globalisation • the cold war era • digital history.
Associated careers
Our graduates have gained history-related careers in teaching and the heritage industry. Due to the highly transferable skills that this course offers, our graduates have also developed careers in diverse fields, including • local government • personnel • advertising • financial services • journalism • librarianship.
Course content
Year one modules
• class, gender and nation: Britain 1780–1914 • nationalism, democracy and socialism in modern Europe • Britain in the global economy 1700–1929 • enlightenment and after: ideas in global history • making history 1: the sixties • making history 2
Year two core module
• the historian and research
Year two options
Five from • cold war: from ‘hot war’ to thaw • London: literary and historical perspectives 1760–1900 • Germany 1914–1933, from Reich to republic • the imperial economy: Britain in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries • Eastern Europe 1945–1989 • Western imperialism and the non-Western world 1650–1990 • colonial warfare from India to Iraq • inventing British democracy 1832–1885 • applied history: work and community • poverty in Britain: from the poor laws to the welfare state • nation and empire: aspects of German history in the long nineteenth century • war and the making of modern Europe from the Napoleonic wars to the Kosovo • American crises: from revolution to the 1960s
You can substitute one of the above with a foreign language, a work-related project or a module from another degree.
Year three core module
• dissertation or research essay
Year three options
If you choose the dissertation, you take four option modules. If you choose the research essay, you take five option modules.
Choose from modules including • rise and decline of Soviet communism • Australia: from penal settlement to nation 1788–2001 • American politics and society since 1968 • community history • minorities in British society 1880–1990 • Nazi Germany: state and society 1933–1939 • Britain and the Great War 1914–1918 • India and the British Raj • the Chartist experience • worlds of work: labour and globalisation since 1945 • twentieth century women: life histories and social change • roaring twenties, hungry thirties: Britain between the two world wars • citizenship, violence and race: Germans and Africans in colonial and post-colonial encounters • European orientalism, from colonisation to decolonisation • economic disasters since 1900 • the press and American society, 1836-1922 • modern Armenia: genocide, nation, diaspora • cold war Germany, 1945-1968 • Iran since 1800: revolutions, nationalism and the quest for modernity • community engagement and civic activism • northern soul: constructing regional identities in the north of England: 1800 to the present
You can substitute one of the above with a foreign language, a work-related project or a module from another degree.
Assessment
• examinations • coursework • dissertation • presentations
Entry requirements
2014 entry requirements
GCSE English language at grade C or above. We do not accept GCSE equivalents. Plus one of the following
• 280 points from at least two GCE/VCE A levels or BTEC National qualifications, including at least 80 points from A2 in history. We accept AS levels and general studies, and consider Key Skills.
• Access - at least 45 credits at level 3 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course.
If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS average score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 5.5 in all skills.
We also consider other qualifications from the UCAS tariff. Applicants with alternative qualifications or a combination of qualifications and work experience will also be considered. We welcome applications from people of any age. Please contact us for further advice.
Meeting the qualifications on the entry criteria does not guarantee you a place. You should ensure that you submit a personal statement and reference as these will also be considered as part of the selection process. Guidelines on personal statements and references can be found on the UCAS website.
2013 entry requirements
GCSE English language at grade C or above. We do not accept GCSE equivalents. Plus one of the following
• 280 points from at least two GCE/VCE A levels or BTEC National qualifications, including at least 80 points from A2 in history. We accept AS levels and general studies, and consider Key Skills.
Fees
International students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,680 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 a year
How to apply
You apply for this course through UCAS.
Contact details
For more information or to check the progress of your application phone +44 (0)114 225 5555, fax +44 (0)114 225 2167, e-mail admissions@shu.ac.uk