Overview
Taught jointly by the Departments of History and Politics and International Relations, this degree applies methods and concepts from both areas to inform your studies, and you are encouraged to examine links between the two disciplines. Our interdisciplinary approach will give you insights into the ways that social, cultural and political institutions have shaped, and continue to shape, our society.
Throughout the three years you study a range of units offered by both Departments - including a core unit for the study of History and Politics and International Relations, and a variety of complementary units - and are encouraged to examine links between the two areas.
Your study of the relationships between Historical processes and politics will be enhanced by Goldsmiths' growing reputation as a centre of excellence in cultural and social processes.
Year 1 (credit level 4)
In your first year you take:
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Module title |
Credits |
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Concepts and Methods in History
Concepts and Methods in History
30 credits
This core module introduces you to theories of history, methodologies and conceptual problems of advanced historical work from the ancient to the contemporary world. The module 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.
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30 credits |
You also take one of the following History modules:
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Module title |
Credits |
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Dictators, War and Revolution
Dictators, War and Revolution
30 credits
This module has two broad aims: a) to introduce students to the discipline of political history, by analysing, in a comparative perspective, key modern political ideologies, developments and political leaders; and b) to provide, in addition to a theoretical foundation, a basic understanding of how the modern world has been shaped by dictators (e.g. Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini), wars (e.g. First and Second World War) and revolutions (e.g. French, Russian). The module will be divided into four thematic blocks of five weeks each exploring the following main themes:
- Modern political ideologies
- Wars
- Revolutions
- Dictators
The order of the blocks and the particular lecture topics may vary from year to year, but the four-part structure will ensure that students are exposed to a wide array of methodological and empirical issues critical for the study of political history.
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30 credits |
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Religion, Peace and Conflict
Religion, Peace and Conflict
30 credits
This module explores the historical and contemporary role of religion in promoting peace and conflict through a series of case studies drawn from a global context. The approach is interdisciplinary drawing on the fields of history, religious studies, and philosophy in an attempt to address the question of whether religion has been in the past - and remains today - primarily a cause of peace or conflict in society. The regions and periods chosen for study may vary from year to year but will normally include examples drawn from the West, the Middle East, and Asia.
The module is divided into four blocks of five weeks. The first comprises an introduction to the nature of religious belief and its role as a catalyst in promoting peace and conflict, and also explores ethical teachings on pacifism and 'just war' theory. The remaining three blocks are devoted to case studies. Students taking the module should gain an introductory, but insightful, comprehension of religious belief and its role in promoting peace and conflict. They will also be exposed to methodological questions of the kind involved in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies and be equipped to take more advanced and specialised modules relating to religion in specific historical and contemporary contexts.
The module introduces students to the role played by religions in promoting peace and conflict in the past and their ongoing influence in this respect in the present. It contributes to the department's focus on cultural history in exposing students to the diversity of beliefs in different cultures and the way the interplay of religion and politics has shaped the evolution of societies in Asia and the West. It also makes a contribution to the department's work in the area of intellectual history and the history of ideas. Finally, it provides an initial trajectory for more advanced work on religious and philosophical themes in years two and three.
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30 credits |
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Self, Citizen and Nation
Self, Citizen and Nation
30 credits
Self, Citizen and Nation introduces students to the importance of intellectual and cultural history as a way of understanding themselves and the world around them. It contributes to the department’s core strengths in the history of ideas, philosophy, ethics, culture and sexuality. The course contributes to the department’s core strengths in intellectual and cultural history and provides an introduction to a number of topics that are explored in second/third-year options.
The course consists of two thematic blocks, each focusing on the relationship between human beings and their surroundings. These blocks may alter on a year-to-year basis but will generally include two of the following topics:
- Humans and the natural world (the human body, human mind, animals and birds, the rural and urban environments)
- Sex and sexualities (socio-economic, political and legal, religious and cultural, individual, and global dimensions)
- Early modern identities (emotions and the soul, the self, religion and identity, ethnicity and nationality, gender and sexuality)
Emotions and bonds (love, anger, fear and wonder). Throughout students will engage with a wide variety of primary source material, including images, philosophical and literary texts, letters and works of self-reflection.
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30 credits |
And the following two Politics modules:
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Module title |
Credits |
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Political Theory and Ideologies
Political Theory and Ideologies
30 credits
This is an introduction to political theory and an exploration of why central political ideas and concepts influence our understanding of the world around us. Assessed by: one essay and a two-hour unseen examination.
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30 credits |
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UK and European Comparative Governance and Politics
UK and European Comparative Governance and Politics
30 credits
This unit introduces students to the comparative approach to politics and government, in addition to building a understanding of the politics and governance of four key members of the European Union: the UK, Germany, Italy and France.
The first half of the unit is focused on the UK and also considers the EU as an institution, while the second half concentrates on the other three countries at the unit’s core.
Students will not only build an essential foundation for studying the politics of the UK and EU, but will also develop their skills in comparative methods.
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30 credits |
Year 2 (credit level 5)
You take the following compulsory module:
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Module title |
Credits |
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Modern Political Theory
Modern Political Theory
30 credits
In this module we examine the modern tradition of political thought. Students will be introduced to the major figures in this tradition – English thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke and Mill and continental thinkers such as Rousseau and Marx.
Through these thinkers, we will explore key themes and concepts such as sovereignty, justice, human nature, property, rights, liberty, democracy and equality.
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30 credits |
You also take politics and international relations modules of up to 30 credits, and two history options. You can also take a module in a modern foreign language or apply to take a ‘related study’ – a relevant approved module from another department.
Year 3 (credit level 6)
You undertake an interdisciplinary dissertation (30 credits) for which you are given special supervision on a subject of particular interest to you.
A range of specialist modules from the two departments are taken, and you also have the option of taking a Special Subjects module selected from the 40 or so available through the other University of London institutions.
Find out more about the History modules.
Teaching style
This programme is mainly taught through scheduled learning - a mixture of lectures and seminars. You’ll also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. This includes carrying out required and additional reading, preparing topics for discussion, and producing essays or project work.
The following information gives an indication of the typical proportions of learning and teaching for each year of this programme*:
- Year 1 - 13% scheduled learning, 87% independent learning
- Year 2 - 13% scheduled learning, 87% independent learning
- Year 3 - 11% scheduled learning, 89% independent learning
How you’ll be assessed
You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, extended essays, reports, presentations, practice-based projects or essays/logs, group projects, reflective essays, and seen and unseen written examinations.
The following information gives an indication of how you can typically expect to be assessed on each year of this programme*:
- Year 1 - 69% coursework, 31% written exam
- Year 2 - 81% coursework, 19% written exam
- Year 3 - 100% coursework
*Please note that these are averages are based on enrolments for 2018/19. Each student’s time in teaching, learning and assessment activities will differ based on individual module choices. Find out more about how this information is calculated.
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 modules in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 modules in your final year. A standard module is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half modules or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project.
Download the programme specification, for the 2019-20 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.
Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.