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.