Course description

History is a subject for anyone with a sense of curiosity and a desire for a deeper understanding of the world around them.

• 100% of students said they were satisfied with the teaching and academic support on this course in the National Student Survey 2023
• Ranked 1st in the UK for academic support in the National Student Survey 2023
• Ranked 2nd in the UK for learning opportunities in the National Student Survey 2023
• Explore the broad sweep of British, European and global history from the Renaissance to the twenty-first century
• Undertake fieldwork at historical locations ranging from country houses to industrial cities
• Share your passion for the past by organising and marketing a high-profile public conference where you present your research
• Benefit from the support of a dedicated and enthusiastic teaching team who are published experts in their field
• Develop an impressive set of critical, theoretical and transferable skills which will give you a real advantage in securing a graduate career.

Real World Learning

You will use your research and creative skills to interpret the past for the benefit of the wider community. We provide exciting opportunities for projects involving international arts and heritage organisations. Among recent initiatives, our students have worked with Derby Museums in thinking about the communication of the past to a wider public.

You will also inspire others by organising and marketing a public conference and presenting your research to a wider audience. Topics explored at previous conferences have included the experience of British prisoners-of-war during the First World War, the misreporting of the death of Karl Marx, and the emergence of a new French national identity following the revolution.

Explore history outside the classroom

As Derbyshire is the ideal location to study history - with its rich industrial past and thriving heritage industry, including a UNESCO World Heritage site, we offer study visits and fieldtrips to bring your learning to life. You will explore the practical and intellectual applications of history in museums, art galleries, country houses, parks and heritage sites.

We also work with external partners so you can put your knowledge to practical use by undertaking research projects that will be used by history and heritage organisations.

How you will learn

Teaching and learning

You will learn through lectures, seminars, self-directed study, tutorials, study visits, workshops, and work-related learning.  We also use digital learning materials to support you in your studies. We encourage discussion and debate through all our modules, and in individual research projects and student-led presentations, you will have the opportunity to shape your own learning.

Assessment

You are assessed on 100% coursework: there are no exams. Assessment incorporates different formats including essays, document analysis, the examination of material culture and the built environment, book reviews, projects, website design, posters and exhibitions, oral presentations and debating skills.

Supporting you all the way

In the National Student Survey, our students have been particularly positive not only about the quality of teaching on offer but also about the academic support they receive. You will have a personal tutor to help and advise you throughout your degree, and our lecturers are there to provide you with academic guidance.

A vibrant community

There is a friendly, sociable, and approachable atmosphere on campus, with a real sense of community for History students. We have an active History Society which organises popular extra-curricular events from fieldtrips to ghost walks, pub quizzes to theatre visits. We also run activities so that students from across the different cohorts can meet one another and support each other throughout their studies.

Who you will meet

You will be taught by our team of engaging, passionate and inspiring subject experts. They include:

• Prof Paul Elliott- Paul is an expert in eighteenth and nineteenth-century British history and has published several books on the history of science and medicine, as well as on environmental and landscape history.
• Dr Cath Feely- Cath is an expert in the social, cultural and intellectual history of nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.
• Dr Oliver Godsmark – Oliver’s expertise is in late colonial and early postcolonial India, and the histories of the British South Asian diaspora
• Dr Ruth Larsen- Ruth is an expert on British social and cultural history, focusing in particular on gender history and the country house.
• Dr Kathleen McIlvenna – Kathleen teaches British History and heritage studies, and has special interests in nineteenth-century British social and economic history
• Prof Keith McLay – Keith is the PVC/Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Education and is a historian with particular interest in early modern military history
• Dr Tom Neuhaus- Tom teaches international history, focusing on relations between Europe and Asia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Prof Ian Whitehead- Ian is an expert on twentieth-century British history, with a particular focus on the First World War