Courses and structure

Credits and levels of learning

An undergraduate honours degree is made up of 360 credits – 120 at Level 4, 120 at Level 5 and 120 at Level 6. If you are a full-time student, you will usually take Level 4 courses in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 courses in your final year. A standard course is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half courses or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project.

Level 4

All students take the following four courses:

Dictators, War and Revolution (30 credits)

This course 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 course 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.

Religion, Peace and Conflict (30 credits)

This course 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 course is divided into four blocks of five weeks each. By taking this course you will gain an introductory, but insightful, comprehension of religious belief and its role in promoting peace and conflict.

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.

Ideas and Identities (30 credits)

This course introduces you to the disciplines of intellectual and cultural history as a way of understanding yourself, other people and the world around us. The course is divided into four thematic blocks of five weeks each. While the order of the blocks and particular lecture topics may vary from year to year, the broad focus is on identities and the relationships between human beings and their surroundings will remain the same.

You may find yourself studying self-representation and portraiture; the creation of the individual across various historical periods; emotions and bonds; humans and the natural world; political systems in theory and practice; public history and national identities.

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.

Concepts and Methods in History (30 credits)

This core course introduces you to theories of history, methodologies and conceptual problems of advanced historical work from the ancient to the contemporary world.

The course 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.

Assessment by: one 2,000-word essay (25%) and one 4,000-word essay (75%).

There is also a range of coursework on which feedback is given.

Level 5

You take courses to the value of 120 credits from an approved list, one of which may be a Group 2 course. See the full list of Level 5 courses here.

Level 6

You take courses to the value of 120 credits: 60 credits from the approved list, and one History Special Subject worth 60 credits. See the list of Level 6 courses and information on Special Subjects here.

Skills and careers

Degrees in history and combined subjects develop your critical and analytical skills, your ability to express ideas clearly and your expertise in gathering insights from a range of subjects. Historical research enables you to gather and select from a range of materials – literary and visual. It teaches you to write with imagination and clarity.

Former students have forged careers in journalism and the media, museums and galleries, the Civil Service, teaching and research, law and the commercial world, but the skills learned are also applicable to many more industries and roles.

According to data collated by Unistats, the definitive UK university guide and part of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Goldsmiths is in the top three higher education institutions for highest-paid jobs for History undergraduates.

• Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
• Our alumni

About the department

About the Department of History

The Department of History provides a distinctive and intellectually challenging environment for undergraduate study with internationally renowned scholars and a flourishing research culture. We foster enthusiasm for the study of history by focusing on encounters and exploration, ideas and identities.

Our emphasis on encounters addresses the interplay of religious, political and cultural differences across time and place. We use innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to encourage the exploration of issues, controversies, and themes, rather than chronological periods. By examining the development of ideas and identities, we draw upon the past to illuminate the conflicts and challenges of modern life.

History at Goldsmiths nurtures intellectual curiosity and independent critical thinking. We offer flexible and challenging programmes of study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, featuring carefully developed teaching informed by cutting- edge research. The geographical range of our courses includes Asia, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe.

Our graduates have gone on to pursue careers in commerce and industry, central and local government, research and teaching, museums and galleries, law, journalism and the media.

Different areas of specialisation at teaching and research levels include:

• Modern Italian labour history and politics
• Early modern Germany, especially urban and religious history
• Modern history of the Balkans
• 20th century British and Irish history
• Early modern religion, ideas, politics, and popular culture
• Medieval history, gender power politics, crusades and ethnicity
• Social and cultural history of contemporary southern Africa
• Nineteenth century British dress, death, poverty, gender, philanthropy
• Cultural history of the early modern Mediterranean, Venice and its empire, early modern visual culture
• Various aspects of the history of Asian medicine and interactions between medicine and religion

Topics studied include:

• Medieval Monsters: Foreigners and Other Oddities in the Medieval Imagination
• The Crusades
• Heresy, the Occult and the Millennium in early modern Europe
• Early modern European philosophy
• Visual and material culture in early modern Europe
• London’s history through literature
• Gender in text and history
• Lived histories: Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries
• Italy since 1870
• France since 1870: fascism, communism and democracy
• Germany since 1870: nationalism versus democracy
• Nationalism, democracy and dictatorship in 20th century Eastern Europe
• Yugoslavia: history and disintegration
• Health, healing and illness in Africa
• The British military in the First World War

Why study History at Goldsmiths?

• You will be part of a friendly, supportive department, with a flourishing research culture and internationally renowned staff to support you throughout your studies;
• We offer a wide range of interesting, flexible courses and programmes, and take an innovative approach to the study of history;
• Departmental links, including those with Anthropology, English, and Politics, reflect our commitment to a strong interdisciplinary approach that enriches our teaching and research;
• As an undergraduate at the University of London you will have access to other University of London facilities and college libraries, including the Senate House Library, one of the best university libraries in the country;
• You have the option to take one Group 2 course (second year) and your Special Subject (third year) at another institution within the University of London, giving you the maximum scope to pursue your historical interests as well as the opportunity to widen your experience of London;
• You will have access to an extensive programme of departmental seminars, which include guest speakers from the wider academic community;
• Goldsmiths’ campus is situated in a vibrant area of London with great transport links – only 15 minutes from the city centre, with all the facilities and attractions London is famous for.

Teaching

Courses are delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. Our staff are drawn from a wide range of professional and educational backgrounds, which provides a diverse and rewarding educational experience and creates a broad research profile. Further information on staff is available on page 26.

Open days

We welcome prospective students, and their families and supporters, to our Open Days, which showcase all the university departments and the programmes they offer, as well as general information on student life and learning at Goldsmiths.

These are held three times a year in the spring, summer and autumn and also enable visitors to tour Goldsmiths’ campus and its extensive facilities. Find out dates and book your place online.

Applicant days

The department also holds applicant days in early December, mid-February and late March. These are for prospective students holding an offer to study either single honours in history or one of our joint degree programmes.

Applicant days give you the chance to see Goldsmiths and the department, meet staff and students, and hear and participate in sample lectures, as well as to ask questions about the degree programmes and courses, student accommodation and finance. Please contact history@gold.ac.uk for more information.

Peter Galloway Prize for History

Two £500 prizes are donated each year by Dr Peter Galloway, a graduate of the Department. The prizes are awarded to the first and second year History or joint degree students who achieve the highest overall average grade in their respective year. Find out more about the Peter Galloway Prize and other awards.

Student profiles

“I chose to come to Goldsmiths because of the variety of modules available and the less traditional approach to the study of history. I like the fact that the History Department at Goldsmiths is fairly small, which makes the study experience feel more friendly and personal.

The extra-curricular seminars hosted by the department have been especially useful to my study and a great opportunity to listen to some renowned academics based elsewhere.”

Marie, BA History