History and Politics (BA) (Full-Time, 2021 Entry)
This course is closed
for Clearing 2023
This course is closed for Clearing 2022
If you would like to study at Warwick, there are other courses available for 2024 entry.
UCAS Code
VL12
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Duration
3 years full-time (4 years full-time with study abroad)
Start Date
27 September 2021
Department of Study
Department of History
Location of Study
University of Warwick
Our History and Politics (BA) degree examines the political and social dimensions of history, and how historical events have influenced the world we live in today. You’ll explore the theory and the reality of why people and states interact in the ways they do.
Course overview
This course examines the political and social dimensions of history, and how historical events have influenced the world we live in today. You’ll explore the theory and the reality of why people and states interact in the ways they do. The two subjects complement each other – one aiming to understand how the world works and the other to understand why it works that way. The two departments in which you will learn approach shared research areas such as globalisation, democracy and human rights from different perspectives. You’ll explore both familiar and unfamiliar themes in political, religious, cultural or social history, and will be able to select optional modules to explore specialist themes in more detail.
Students will be offered the opportunity at the start of their second year to apply for an optional Year Abroad. Following the application process, those students who are offered and take up a Year Abroad place transfer to the four-year History and Politics (with a Year Abroad) course, with the Year Abroad as the third of the four years.
Course structure
First-year core modules Making of the Modern World, Making History, Introduction to Politics, and World Politics provide a thorough grounding in the methods and approaches of the two disciplines. In your second and third years you can choose from optional modules covering areas such as British imperialism, slavery, the significance of gender, crime, religious conflict or health in history, political theory, philosophy and individual states. In your final year you can either maintain a balance between the two subjects or specialise in either History or Politics. You can also complete an optional dissertation on a topic of your choice related to either subject.
How will I learn?
Teaching is delivered through lectures, seminars and tutorials, web forums, podcasts, workshops, presentations, film analysis, group work and field trips. Our use of surprising and inspiring sources is a feature of all our teaching. For core modules there are usually two lectures and one hour-long seminar per week, and for optional modules one lecture per week plus weekly seminars. Seminar groups are small (normally under 16), providing a valuable opportunity for you to work closely with your lecturers and to learn from other students. Modules focus on important themes in political, religious, cultural or social history and many explore topics far removed from the usual A level syllabus.
You’ll be taught in a variety of ways, through a combination of lectures, seminars, and tutorials alongside assigned reading. Our tutors also use film, visits to archives, libraries and museums, and other types of field trips to bring modules to life. This is best exemplified by our tutors in Venice, who use the city, its geography, and its art and architecture in their teaching.
Contact hours
For core modules in first year there are usually two lectures and an hour-long seminar per week, and for optional modules one lecture per week plus weekly or fortnightly seminars.
How will I be assessed?
You will receive regular feedback throughout your course on developmental assignments and assessed essays, and will sit end-of-year exams. During your third year study is heavily weighted towards seminar teaching and includes an individually supervised 9,000-word dissertation. We consider feedback on written work to be an essential part of our teaching. Throughout the year you will have the opportunity to attend feedback tutorials following the submission of your essays.
Study abroad
History and Politics students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year at one of the partner universities offered by either the History Department or the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS). The Student Mobility Team based in the Office for Student Opportunity offers support for these activities, and the History Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator and the PAIS Director of External Affairs can provide more specific information and assistance.
Work experience
Our Careers and Skills department offer a wide range of workshops, from developing confidence and interview techniques to learning how to articulate what you have to offer in order to impress potential employers. Online resources are also available, including training in drafting CVs and covering letters, practice aptitude and psychometric tests, practice online interviews, and other resources to help you research job opportunities. You will also be able to book an appointment at any point during your degree with a careers advisor for your specific degree. Whether you have no idea what you want to do, or a clear direction in mind, you can take advantage of this focused advice and guidance.
General entry requirements
A level:
- AAA to include History
IB:
- 38 with at least a 6 in Higher Level History
BTEC:
We welcome applications from students taking BTECs alongside one or two A levels, including A level History. Our typical BTEC offers are as follows:
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate plus 2 A levels: D* plus AA including History
- BTEC Level 3 National Diploma plus 1 A level: D*D* plus A in History
Additional requirements:
You will also need to meet our English Language requirements.
International Students
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
Find out more about international entry requirements.
Contextual data and differential offers
There are a number of circumstances in which Warwick may make differential offers. These include students participating in the Realising Opportunities programme, or who meet two of the contextual data criteria. Differential offers are one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer (to a minimum of BBB).
Warwick International Foundation Programme (IFP)
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only).
Find out more about standard offers and conditions for the IFP.
Taking a gap year
Applications for deferred entry welcomed.
Interviews
We do not typically interview applicants. Offers are made based on your UCAS form which includes predicted and actual grades, your personal statement and school reference.
Year One
Making of the Modern World
We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.
Introduction to Politics
Introduction to Politics gives you a broad overview of the main issues and theoretical perspectives within Politics. You'll learn first to understand and then apply the core concepts of comparative political science and theory to processes, institutions, ideologies and practical policy-making. You'll conduct a comparative study of different political systems and political change, both in writing and in open debate.
World Politics
In this module, you'll be introduced to world politics and the role that international relations plays in the interactions between nations. You'll gain a solid understanding of the historical underpinnings of the structure and systems of states, and become familiar with major theories of international relations post-1945. You'll analyse contemporary writings on world politics and engage critically, both orally and in writing, with key concepts and theoretical debates on the nature of international political systems.
Year Two
Political Theory from Hobbes: Seeking Freedom and Equality
How should human beings be governed? The thinkers you'll study – from Hobbes to Marx – had very different answers to this question. Building on your understanding of political philosophy, you'll read significant primary and secondary texts to develop your understanding of how political convictions are shaped by the context and history of individual thought and social interaction. You'll confront and assess complex ideas in political theory, and present and defend your point of view, both orally and in writing.
Early Modern History module
Year Three
- Pathway 1 (25% History, 75% Politics)
- Pathway 2 (75% History, 25% Politics)
- Pathway 3 (50% History, 50% Politics)
Examples of optional modules/options for current students:
- Empire and Aftermath
- Latin America: Themes and Problems
- Mind, Body and Society
- A History of Africa, 1830-1980
- A History of the Middle East
- The Enlightenment
- The History of Modern China
- A Social History of Cricket
- Nation and Memory in Russia, Poland and Ukraine, 1800 to the Present
- Slavery and Slave Life in the American South, 1619-1865
- From the Blues to Hip Hop
- The Drug Trade in the Americas
- The Elizabethan Reformation
- Conquest, Conflict and Co-Existence: Crusading and the Crusader Kingdoms
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods
- Politics of Globalisation
- Britain and the War on Terror
- United States Foreign Policy
- State, Power, Freedom: European Political Theory
- The Political Economy of Money
- Latin America: Democratisation and Development
Tuition fees
Find out more about fees and funding.
Additional course costs
There may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement or study abroad will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.
Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship 2021
We believe there should be no barrier to talent. That's why we are committed to offering a scholarship that makes it easier for gifted, ambitious international learners to pursue their academic interests at one of the UK's most prestigious universities. This new scheme will offer international fee-paying students 250 tuition fee discounts ranging from full fees to awards of £13,000 to £2,000 for the full duration of your Undergraduate degree course.
Find out more about the Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship 2021
Your career
Graduates from these courses have gone on to work for employers including:
- Admiral Group
- Advent
- Amnesty International
- BBC
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Civil Service
- Deloitte
- ESI Media
- Ipsos Mori
- KPMG
- Lloyds Banking Group
- M&S
- Ministry of Defence
- Penguin Random House
- Sky
- Teach First
- UBS
They have pursued roles such as:
- Archivists and curators
- Arts officers
- Producers and directors
- Actuaries, economists and statisticians
- Barristers and judges
- Business sales executives
- Chartered and certified accountants
- Conservation professionals
- Financial account managers
- Historians
- Journalists, newspaper and periodical editors
- Public relations professionals
- Researchers
- Solicitors
Helping you find the right career
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you. They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- A Career to suit you
- Discovering Careers in the Creative Industries
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
- The Historian’s Toolkit – Career planning for first years
- History – CV review session
"So many different areas of study"
"There's so many different areas of study on offer in the modules that I'm able to expand my interests beyond anything I was taught at school, meaning that my interest in history will hopefully keep growing throughout the three years of the course."
Kiera
BA History
"The cutting edge of research"
“The Warwick history staff are academically brilliant and absolutely lovely. Teaching wise, it is not uncommon to be reading a book and seeing your lecturer’s name as a reference. You can really tell you are learning from top academics in their field and that what you are learning is the cutting edge of research.”
George
BA History graduate
About the information on this page
This information is applicable for 2021 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.