Copy of Content blocks for course page

Edit the course information

#

0

History and Politics BA (VL12)

0a

Learn more about our History and Politics degree at Warwick

0-revisions

Page updates

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

2a

VL12

2b

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

2c

3 years full-time (4 years full-time with study abroad or work placement)

2d

26 September 2022

2e

Department of History

2f

University of Warwick

3a

Our History and Politics course examines the political and social dimensions of history. See how historical events, actors and institutional legacies have influenced the world we live in today.

Discover the complementary insights that can be gained from combining historical and political research. And explore the theory and the reality of why people and states interact in the ways they do.

3b

This course examines the political and social dimensions of history and international relations. We examine how historical events, actors and institutional legacies have influenced the world we live in today. And we discover complementary insights that can be gained from combining historical and political research. Together we will explore the theory and the reality of why people and states interact in the ways they do.

The two subjects complement each other - one exploring historical events and trends, and the other understanding how those legacies shape politics today. The two Departments in which you will learn (History and PAIS) approach shared research areas such as globalisation, conflict, democracy and human rights from different perspectives. You will explore themes in political, religious, cultural or social history, and will be able to select optional modules in both Departments to explore specialist themes and geographic areas in more detail.

Students will be offered the opportunity at the start of their second year to apply for an optional intercalated year of study abroad or year's work placement, or a combined year of study and work placements.

Following the application process, those students who are offered and take up a study and/or work placement place transfer to the four-year History and Politics (with a Year Abroad) course, with the Year Abroad or work placement as the third of the four years.

3c

Your 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. These include history modules on:

British imperialism
Crime
Religious conflict or health
Slavery
The significance of gender

And politics modules such as:

Comparative politics
International political economy
International relations and security in Politics
Political theory

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.

3d

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.

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.

3e

Seminar groups are small (normally under 18), 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 politics and most explore topics far removed from the usual A level syllabus.

3f

For first year History modules there are usually one or two lectures a week and hour-long seminars either weekly or fortnightly. Second year modules offer an hour lecture and an hour seminar per week or two hour workshop sessions. Final year modules are taught largely through intensive two-hour weekly seminars. In Politics modules there is usually one lecture per week plus weekly seminars.

3g

You will receive regular feedback throughout your course on formative assignments and assessed (summative) essays, and will sit end-of-year exams. We consider feedback on seminar participation and formative and assessed work to be an essential part of our teaching.

Throughout the year you will have the opportunity to attend feedback tutorials or advice and feedback hours following the submission of your essays.

During your third year, study is heavily weighted towards seminar teaching. You can choose to undertake an individually supervised dissertation of 9,000 words with the History department, or 10,000 words with Politics and International Studies.

3h

Study abroad

History and Politics students have the opportunity to join history students for a term in Venice at the start of year three. You can also 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.

3i

Placements and 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.

History and Politics students can also apply through PAIS to undertake their intercalated year on a Work Placement or split their intercalated year on Work Placement and Study Abroad.

4a

A level typical offer

AAA to include History.

A level contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is ABB including grade B in History. See if you're eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

4b

IB typical offer

38 with at least a 6 in Higher Level History.

IB contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 34 including 5 in Higher Level History. See if you're eligible.

General GCSE requirements

4c

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

5a

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.

Year Three

Pathway 1 (25% History, 75% Politics)
Pathway 2 (75% History, 25% Politics)
Pathway 3 (50% History, 50% Politics)

5b

Optional modules

At Warwick, we encourage you to go beyond simply studying history. We can guide you towards developing the worldview and analytical capabilities that mark out the most talented historians.

Our options allow you to devote attention to an area of history that really fascinates you, while providing you with demonstrable skills development. Those options can take you into unexpected and surprising areas. For example, we offer modules on ‘A Global History of Sport’ and ‘War, Sex and the US Military: from Cold War to "War on Terror"’, alongside modules on the Holocaust, the History of China, and 20th-Century Britain, and many other topics. We cover most of the globe and many, many different themes and subjects.

Your assessments will reflect the sorts of activities undertaken by professional historians in their everyday working life, as well as the many ways in which history features in the world around us. By engaging with these tasks, you’ll acquire a level of critical and imaginative thinking that’s well-suited for today’s challenging working environment.

Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:

Year One

A History of the United States
Latin America: Themes and Problems
Mind, Body and Society
A History of Africa, 1830-1980
History and Politics of the Modern Middle East
Britain in the Twentieth Century: A Social History

Year Two

History of Germany from Bismark to the Berlin Republic
America in Black and White? Contemporary US Race Relations
A Global History of Sport
Corruption in Britain and its Empire, 1600-1850
The Supernatural in Early Modern Britain
A History of Modern Mexico
Race and Science: histories and legacies
Freedom fighting: Race, slavery and war in the Revolutionary Caribbean, 1790-1812
Out of the ghetto: Jewish history and culture from 1650 to today

Year Three

From the Blues to Hip Hop
Feminism, politics and social change in modern Britain The Elizabethan Reformation
Conquest, Conflict and Co-Existence: Crusading and the Crusader Kingdoms
Britain in the 1970s
Socialist bodies: Dreams and realities of the physical in Soviet Russia
A History of Human rights in Latin America
India and the problem of postcolonial democracy
Statues must fall? Remembering and forgetting slavery in the Atlantic World

Examples of PAIS optional modules

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
Violence and Reconciliation in Eastern Africa

6

Find out more about fees and funding.

top