Overview

This integrated degree brings together the two complementary disciplines of politics and history. We combine the teaching of comparative 20th century politics and political ideas with modern global, political and social history, with a focus on Britain, Europe and America.

The development of academic and professional skills is embedded into the course. We provide you with opportunities that will  improve your powers of reason, judgment, critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving.

Course information

Combining the study of history and politics, you will be taught how power, authority, dissent and violence influence governance and impact society and compare historical events to understand how and why things change.

In the second and third year, you can tailor your course by choosing from a wide range of optional modules, studying specific periods and places in history or political movements.

You can choose to explore the developing area of environmental history, which examines the impact of humans on the natural world over time. We will consider a broad range of issues, including the birth and impact of environmental groups and Green parties, together with the debates surrounding climate change and humanity’s ethical relationship with the natural world.

Alternatively, you may wish to examine in more detail the major political ideologies of the 20th century in Britain, Europe, North America and the Third World. You will have the opportunity to consider the political effect of 10 influential ideological currents on political parties, movements, policies and legislation of governments – conservatism, Christian Democracy, far right populism/neo-fascism, liberalism, socialism, the New Left, feminism, ecologism, political Islam and anti-colonialism.