History and Politics

This module introduces students to the core skills required to study history successfully at degree level. History makes sense of the past by analysing surviving evidence. Such evidence is either secondary, which requires in-depth critical reading, or primary or original, which demands critical contextualisation and analysis. All such evidence has uses to the historian, not necessarily obvious, and all contains partiality, which historians are trained to overcome. Working in small groups with one staff member per group each semester, there will be a balance between developing awareness of these overarching core skills (such as conducting research and mastering referencing conventions) and a case study in which students work on academic reading connected to a particular topic. This intensive small group environment will help students adjust to degree-level historical study in the university environment and provide a venue for delivering other transitional and transferable skills. 

Study the foundations of the world we live in through an exploration of key developments in modern politics, governance, national identities, culture, society and the environment, from the 18th century to the present day. Among the topics covered are the forces unleashed by the Age of Revolutions, the struggle over slavery, the creation of new nation-states, the Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic empires, the emergence of cultural movements (e.g. Enlightenment, Romanticism, Modernism) and of political ideologies (e.g. liberalism, socialism, anarchism, fascism), the democratization of education, the progress of science and technology alongside secularism, religious intolerance and revivals, racial prejudice, including towards Native Americans and other indigenous peoples. Students are also encouraged to question the advantages of industrialization and to explore the trauma created by global conflicts, including WW1, WW2 and the Cold War, the impact of mass migration, decolonization, the struggle for gender rights, the rise of youth cultures and of environmentalism. 

This module introduces significant themes, theoretical perspectives and concepts in Political Studies, and aims to develop an initial understanding of the methodologies and practices of the discipline where it comes into contact with related subject areas such as international relations, economics, the environment, race and religion. This module covers the theory and practice of politics in terms of examining different political systems such as representative, parliamentary democracy, authoritarianism, etc. and global governance, the role of interest groups, public policy, human rights, security studies, international economic relations, geopolitics, and global challenges to give a grounding in how political processes work. The course then goes on to examine the philosophical underpinnings of differing systems of government by turning to the question of the kind of society that allows one to live ‘the good life’ and how it ought to be ordered, that is, to the question of politics. 

The first part of this module introduces the discipline of International Relations (IR) - concepts, theory and practice. The focus is on a number of historical and contemporary case studies as well as the core IR theories of realism and liberalism that help illumine those consistent themes of conflict, cooperation and competition that characterize politics on the international stage. The second part of this module considers security –a core concern in IR - with a focus on terrorism. The discussion begins with 9/11 and the subsequent ‘War on Terror’, and includes detailed consideration of definitions of terrorism, types of terrorism, reactions to terrorism in a variety of countries and regions, strategies in fighting and preventing terror (counterterrorism), as well as the impact of terror on communities and the wider international system.

History in Practice invites you to explore the diverse ways historians think, research, and write about the past. In the first semester, through lectures and seminars, you will be introduced to various approaches, ideas, and worldviews that have shaped the production, writing, and interpretation of history. You will examine how different methodologies — such as post-modernity, gender history, postcolonial history, and environmental history — have challenged our understanding of the medieval, early modern, and modern periods.  In the second semester, through lectures and workshops, you will delve into the methods and skills historians use to study the past. This may include utilizing local and national archives, databases, online sources, media, visual images, material culture, public history, and oral sources. By exploring these approaches and sources, the module encourages you to reflect on your identity as a historian and determine which methods best align with your interests, ultimately leading to the writing of your dissertation proposal. 

The study of history demands the rigorous consideration of change over time or the continuity of key factors and forces. Understanding and analysing the social, cultural, economic, and political causes of transformation within and across periods is a vital historical skill and is fundamentally important across the study of the subject. This module provides an opportunity to examine changes to societies across a historical time. This may include medieval themes such as the Viking Age, Anglo-French warfare, the crusades, post-Carolingian rulership, feuds and justice, or food and drink. Early modern themes may incorporate the Renaissance court, English culture and society, or food and drink. Modern themes could include American slavery, high speed society, feminism in Britain, political violence in Europe, post-War Japan and America, British relations with Europe, the Soviet Union, and photography and society.

The first part of this module introduces the core philosophies, theories and concepts surrounding political leadership and political communication. Contemporary leaders are used as case studies to draw out both the challenges of leadership and the strategies used to gain and sustain power. This module examines current debates, such as the growing trend of media control in democratic and autocratic systems, the problems of gender and leadership, the presidentialization of European politics, the rise of far-right populism, the fragility of personalistic leadership and state leadership on the global stage. The second part of this module applies these concepts through an examination of the American Presidency since 1945, providing analysis of the development of the office through the various Presidencies to the present day. The includes issues such as presidential personality, campaigning, public opinion, relations with Congress, recurrent domestic issues, national security and war, and other wider socio-cultural-political affairs. 

In Semester 1, students can choose ONE of the following options:

• Middle Eastern and North African Politics
  • This module introduces students to a number of the most significant issues in the political and religious agendas of the contemporary Near and Middle East. Utilising a variety of material, this course provides a solid grounding in the more conspicuous concerns that affect the region at the start of the Twenty-First Century. Critical interpretation of the issues under consideration is encouraged through the close reading of primary sources
• Work Placement
  • This module allows students to take up a placement in a NGO, trade union, think-tank or similar organisation, or to work on a campaign with a political party, where they are involved in the creation or assessment of policy or some other related activity. Students might engage in a campaign, research, lobbying or the development or analysis of a policy. Engaging in the placement will form the primary focus of the module, which is assessed through the production of a portfolio recording and analysing the specific activity the student has been practically involved in. If the student is unable to take up a placement in a suitable organisation, they will choose another option. 

In Semester 2, students can choose ONE of the following options:

• Liberty and Extremism
  • This module examines the meaning of liberty, paying particular attention to issues posed by historic tensions between the individual (or small groups that represent such rights) and the larger collective, both social and political.  Case studies will examine recent issues, which may include: gun control, abortion, voting rights, prison system, “hate” groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan; and the War on Terror and issues of liberty during wartime. 
• Gender, Sexual Violence and Politics
  • This module investigates a wide range of approaches to gender and sexuality studies such as within a theoretical, social, cultural, political and historical field.  Within this remit the module challenges current understandings of gender and sexuality by interrogating cultural identities of gender and the production of power systems and gender hierarchy. This module will also involve a cross-cultural comparison of these understandings and power systems on an international scale. 

This is a dissertation of between 8,000 and 10,000 words on a subject of the students’ choice (subject to approval). Study is primarily student-directed, with regular supervision supplied by tutors. This is an Extended Independent Study module. 

Depth Study is the most detailed and exacting part of the taught programme where students are given the opportunity to work in depth with one tutor on a single specialist topic. Exploring the rich primary and secondary source material of a specialist area consolidates the skills and competencies of a historian developed throughout the duration of the degree. A variety of topic areas are offered for study each year, examples of which include: Pax Romana; modern reception of the classical world; the Wars of the Roses; civil war, revolution and republic in the British Isles; the United States and the Cold War; Japan at war and under occupation; the Italian Wars 1494-1516 and 1521-1559; genocide in history and memory; ruling England in the second Viking Age; the age of Napoleon; the post-war teenager in Britain; colonialism and its aftermath in north Africa and France; and the Anglo-Norman Civil War 1135-1154. 

This module identifies, analyses and challenges key concepts, themes and theories relating to resource competition and development in the Global South. The first part of this module introduces the Global South from a geographical and human security perspective, considering pressing issues relating to poverty, hunger, health and climate change. The focus is on the nature of development problems, policy solutions but also the effectiveness of policy. The second part of this module focuses on the nexus between political power and natural resource competition in a number of regional settings, including Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The primary focus is on food, water and oil scarcity as well as the impact of resource politics on foreign policy, regional dynamics and wider international relations. 

In Semester 1, students can choose ONE of the following options:

• History and Heritage
  • Societies and communities inherit ideas, beliefs, material, traditions, (their culture) from the past to preserve and put to work in the present. This is our heritage. Some of it is tangible, such as historic monuments and houses, the Colosseum in Rome, or former sites of conflict, death or disaster (sometimes referred to as ‘dark heritage’. Some is intangible, such as customs, crafts, and folklore. We also have natural phenomena, such as the Great Barrier Reef, that are recognised by international organisations as ‘world heritage’. This module introduces students to key aspects and issues of heritage and encourages critical engagement with the forces and processes that shape our physical and cultural heritage. Ultimately, this module confronts questions around what determines ‘our heritage’ and if there really is such a thing as ‘heritage’ at all.
• Histories on Screen
  • This module allows students to explore the complex and controversial representation of the past on  screen, including cinema and television. Working with different members of the History team,  students will be introduced to the emergence of film as a medium as well as the theory behind the  representation of the past on screen. Students will then critically assess a variety of different  historical themes as these have been represented on screen. Finally, students will curate their own historical film festival, either focused on a particular theme (for example, queens on screen; imperialism and colonialism; the Holocaust; Japanese cinema), or investigating the past through a broader lens. 

In Semester 2, students can choose ONE of the following options:

• Russian Foreign Policy
  • This module examines the nature of Russian foreign and security policy by considering a range of factors that, to varying extents, determine Russia’s relations with the rest of the world. These influences include historical legacies from the Soviet and pre-Soviet periods, cultural influences, ideological influences and the role of both geo-politics and geo-economics in shaping relations with other actors in the international system. This module provides students with the tools to critically assess Russia’s (often) competing foreign and security policies with a range of actors, including the ‘West’ (the EU and US), rising powers (in particular China, Brazil, India), traditional partners (Cuba, North Korea and Syria) and states in Russia’s so-called ‘near abroad’ (former Soviet states). This module also explores Russia’s own perception of its place in a fast-changing international system, where traditional foreign and security policy concerns compete with new priorities. 

• US Foreign Policy
  • United States’ foreign policy has far-reaching impact and global ramifications. The contemporary position of the US as the “world’s only superpower”, and her dominance in terms of world trade, military capacity, and cultural output, means that the foreign policy decisions of the US government are hugely consequential and worthy of study. This module will seek to explain how and why these decisions are made by introducing the key foreign policy concepts and ideological positions present in the US polity, as well as charting the institutions and offices under whose authority it falls to make them. Expanding on this, an analysis will be made of extra-governmental institutions, such as the media and its impact on policy. Students will gain an understanding of the processes involved in formulating America’s foreign policy, the extent of its impact in the arena of international relations, and the objectives and motivations that drive it.