BA History and Politics

at University of Leicester

Year 1
The first year introduces you to major developments in medieval, early modern and modern history, European and global politics, and political ideas. You will also have the opportunity to choose modules exploring the histories and politics of different parts of the world.

 

Core modules

• Barbarism and Civilisation: Medieval and Early Modern Europe
• The Shock of the Modern
• Politics, Power and Ethics (double module)
• Comparative European Politics

Option modules
Choose one option module from:

• Political Concepts
• Order and Disorder: International Relations from 1989 to the Present

Then choose two option modules from:

• Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present
• Great Britain: The State We're In
• Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation
• US History since 1877

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Year 2 (History dissertation)
Core modules will deepen your understanding of the disciplines of history and politics, enhancing your skills in critical thinking, independent research, and intellectual creativity. You’ll put these advanced skills into practice and shape your degree around your own interests in choosing the rest of your second year programme from a wide range of history, politics and international relations options.

 

If you plan to take the History History dissertation in your Final Year, you should take these modules:

 

Core modules

• Perceiving the Past
• Becoming the Historical Researcher

Option modules
You will then choose five option modules. You can choose:

• Either one History module from List 1A/1B plus two Politics modules from List 2 plus two Politics modules from List 4.
• Or three Politics modules from List 2 plus one History module from List 3A/B plus one Politics module from List 4.

List 1A: History modules
Religious History
Histories of Violence

List 1B: History modules

• Blood, Position and Power: The Nobility of Later Medieval England, 1066-1485
• Madness, Monarchy and Politics in Georgian Britain
• Jack-the-Ripper: Crime, Popular Culture and Policing in Victorian Times
• Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

List 2: Politics modules

• Political Ideas
• Political Parties in Contemporary Britain
• Sex and Gender in Global Politics
• International Theory

List 3A: History modules

• Gender History
• Race and Ethnicity
• All Bourgeois Now? Class in History

List 3B: History modules

• The Latin World: Ancient, Medieval and Modern
• Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
• From Beer to Fraternity: Alcohol, Society, and Culture in North America
• History in the Classroom
• Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
• Heritage Field Project

List 4: Politics modules

• European Union Politics
• International Security Studies
• The Making of Contemporary US Foreign Policy

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Year 2 (Politics dissertation)
Core modules will deepen your understanding of the disciplines of history and politics, enhancing your skills in critical thinking, independent research, and intellectual creativity. You';ll put these advanced skills into practice and shape your degree around your own interests in choosing the rest of your second year programme from a wide range of history, politics and international relations options.

 

If you plan to take the Politics Dissertation in your Final Year, you should take these modules:

 

Core modules

• Perceiving the Past
• Political Analysis 1: Understanding Political Science Research
• Political Analysis 2: Preparing for your Dissertation

Option modules
Choose one History option module from:

• Religious History
• Histories of Violence

Then choose one Politics option module from:

• Political Ideas
• Political Parties in Contemporary Britain
• Sex and Gender in Global Politics
• International Theory

Then choose one History option module from:

• Gender History
• Race and Ethnicity
• All Bourgeois Now? Class in History

Then choose one History option module from:

• The Latin World: Ancient, Medieval and Modern
• Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
• From Beer to Fraternity: Alcohol, Society, and Culture in North America
• History in the Classroom
• Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
• Heritage Field Project

Finally choose one Politics option module from:

• European Union Politics
• International Security Studies
• The Making of Contemporary US Foreign Policy

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Year Abroad (optional)
We’ll make sure you have everything you need for your future career: not just by awarding you a high quality degree, but also by helping you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your mark in the world as a Citizen of Change. One way you can do this is by opting to take a Year Abroad between Years 2 and 3 of your degree.

 

Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to a career in the private, public or third sector - or plough your own furrow as an entrepreneur – you will find the experience invaluable.

 

Final Year (History dissertation)
Your final year is shaped entirely by your preferred areas of interest and specialisation. You will research and write an original dissertation – an independent research project of your own design – with the support of an expert supervisor. You will also choose from a wide range of optional modules that reflect the cutting-edge research expertise of your tutors.

 

Core modules

• History dissertation

Option modules
You will choose five option modules. You can choose:

• One History modules from List 1 plus two Politics modules from List 2 plus two Politics modules from List 4, or
• One History module from List 1 plus two Politics modules from List 2 plus one History module from List 3 plus two Politics modules from List 4, or
• Two History modules from List 1 plus one Politics module from List 2 plus two Politics modules from List 4, or
• Three Politics modules from List 2 plus one History module from List 3 plus one Politics module from List 4, or
• Three Politics modules from List 2 plus two History modules from List 3

List 1 (History modules)

• The USA and the Vietnam War
• Crime and Punishment in African American History
• The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
• Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
• From Empire to Nation: Modern South Asia, c. 1857-1947
• Gender, Crime and Deviance in Eighteenth Century Britain

List 2 (Politics modules)

• Feminism
• The American Presidency
• The Politics of War and Peace: Northern Ireland After 1972
• Parliamentary Studies
• Brexit and British Politics
• The Politics of Intelligence
• The Politics of Counter-Terrorism
• The Politics of Nuclear Weapons
• The Politics of Contemporary British Foreign Policy
• Climate Change: Ethics, Issues, Justice
• Politics of the International Drug Trade
• International Migration in the Age of Securitisation

List 3 (History modules)

• The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
• What Difference Did the War Make? British Society and the Great War, 1900-1939
• When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century
• Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, c1350-1650
• The Medieval Natural World
• Women in American Society from the Civil War to First World War

List 4 (Politics modules)

• Politics and the Environment
• The Conservatives: Crisis and Recovery
• American Political Development
• The Changing Character of War
• Global Justice and Human Rights
• The Politics of Slavery
• Political Legacies of Conflict in Northern Ireland
• Political Participation in Britain
• Democracy and EU Membership in Post-Communist Europe

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Final Year (Politics dissertation)
Your final year is shaped entirely by your preferred areas of interest and specialisation. You will research and write an original dissertation – an independent research project of your own design – with the support of an expert supervisor. You will also choose from a wide range of optional modules that reflect the cutting-edge research expertise of your tutors.

 

Core module

• Dissertation

Option modules
You will choose five option modules. You can choose

 

• One History module from List 1 plus two Politics modules from List 2 plus two History modules from List 3, or
• Two History modules from List 1 plus one Politics modules from List 2 plus two History modules from List 3, or
• Two History modules from List 1 plus one Politics module from List 2 plus one History module from List 3 plus one Politics module from List 4, or
• Three History modules from List 1 plus one History module from List 3 plus one Politics module from List 4, or
• Three History modules from List 1 plus two Politics modules from List 4

Alternatively you can choose a History Special Subject from List 5 plus:

• Either one History module from List 1 plus one Politics module from List 2
• Or two Politics modules from List 2

List 1 (History modules)

• The USA and the Vietnam War
• Crime and Punishment in African American History
• The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
• Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
• From Empire to Nation: Modern South Asia, c. 1857-1947
• Gender, Crime and Deviance in Eighteenth Century Britain

List 2 (Politics modules)

• Feminism
• The American Presidency
• The Politics of War and Peace: Northern Ireland After 1972
• Parliamentary Studies
• Brexit and British Politics
• The Politics of Intelligence
• The Politics of Counter-Terrorism
• The Politics of Nuclear Weapons
• The Politics of Contemporary British Foreign Policy
• Climate Change: Ethics, Issues, Justice
• Politics of the International Drug Trade
• International Migration in the Age of Securitisation

List 3 (History modules)

• The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
• What Difference Did the War Make? British Society and the Great War, 1900-1939
• When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century
• Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, c1350-1650
• The Medieval Natural World
• Abolitionists: Antislavery Activism in Britain and America, 1787-1865

List 4 (Politics modules)

• Politics and the Environment
• The Conservatives: Crisis and Recovery
• American Political Development
• The Changing Character of War
• Global Justice and Human Rights
• The Politics of Slavery
• Political Legacies of Conflict in Northern Ireland
• Political Participation in Britain
• Democracy and EU Membership in Post-Communist Europe

List 5 (History Special Subjects)

• Ideals of Womanhood in 19th Century America
• The Holocaust: Genocide in Europe
• After Hitler: Society, Culture and The Politics of The Nazi Past in The Two Germanies, 1945-1990
• Beauty, Sex & Science: Whose Body is it Anyway c.1550-2015?
• A Sea of Conflict? Christian Muslim Encounters c.1100-c.1300
• The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

• A/AS-levels: AAB-ABB at A-Level. We prefer A-Level History, though this is not essential. Two AS-Levels considered in place of one A-Level. General Studies is accepted
• EPQ with A-levels: ABB-BBB at A-Level + EPQ at grade B. We prefer A-Level History, though this is not essential
• Access to HE Diploma: Pass relevant Diploma with 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at distinction
• International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 30 points including 6 in one Higher Level subject
• BTEC Nationals: Pass Diploma with D*DD

 

Selection Process
When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including previous exam results.

 

Applicants are not normally interviewed. If you receive an offer you will be invited to visit the School of History.

 

English Language Requirements
IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.

 

International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.

UK Students

Starting in 2022

• £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years
• Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,250 for that year
• Year in Industry: your fee will be 15% of the full-time tuition fee that applies in that year

 

If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.

 

International Students

Starting in 2022

• £17,500 per year
• Year Abroad: £4,375, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee
• Year in Industry: £2,625, which is 15% of the full-time tuition fee

You will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.

 

From 2022 onwards, EU nationals will pay the International fee. If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).

We offer several practical or placement modules so that you can gain hands-on experience in your chosen career path. For instance, our 'History in the Classroom' module includes practical teaching experience by incorporating a placement in a local school and our 'Heritage Field Project' will give you hands on experience working in the heritage industry, offering you invaluable experience for the future.

 

The final year 'Parliamentary Studies' module is approved and co-taught by staff at the Houses of Parliament. You will have an opportunity to visit Parliament as part of this module.

 

We routinely develop paid internship opportunities for our students to gain additional, relevant work experience during their degrees. Roles such as research assistance, conference organiser, and editorial assistant have been offered in recent years.