BA (Hons) History

This module explores the history of America and the Cold War between 1947 and 1991. The module traces the course of conflict from the Truman Administration, through periods of crisis and detente, to its end during the George H.W. Bush administration in 1991. At the same time, the module explores the evolving ramifications of the Cold War upon domestic politics and society across these decades.

This module explores the history of feminism by examining some of the ways women have organised to challenge their subordination in national, imperial and international contexts. Students will study movements to promote different and evolving visions of women’s rights in the realms of politics, work, education, and the family. The module will also analyse women’s involvement in wider movements for social, economic and political change such as abolitionism, anti-colonialism, workers’ rights, and disarmament. Through a series of case studies, students will encounter women activists from Britain and their counterparts in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas to analyse narratives of internal tension and set-back alongside more positive histories of solidarity and historic achievement.

The module provides a critique of pre-industrial and early-industrial consumerism using a range of primary sources and artefacts to examine the extent to which a 'consumer revolution' in culture and society occurred during the period. It examines the acquisition of new goods and commodities and the agencies and motivations through which these were obtained and deployed. The module is concerned with the theoretical underpinnings to the development of consumerist attitudes. The focus is primarily on the lower and middling sorts of England and Wales, though comparisons with elite culture as well as contemporary non-British modes of consumption will also be considered.

This module draws upon the different sub-disciplines of historical research to explore the Great War from a variety of perspectives. It makes use of the work of traditional military historians, as well as the research of social, gender and cultural historians, all of whom have provided valuable insights into the war-time experience of civilians and soldiers. Teaching sessions explore the impact of war on British society and also trace its devastating and transformational effect on the populations of Continental Europe, examining the War’s prosecution, its social consequences, and the manner in which it has been commemorated since 1918. Along with an emphasis on the different aims and methodologies that inform historical work in this field, the module invites students to explore the period by engaging with the primary source base; the written material, visual sources and artifacts that have survived the conflict, and with which we construct its histories.

This course explores the upheavals of modern history through the eyes of some of those who were most profoundly affected: Itinerants, migrants and refugees. With a focus on the available primary sources, we will examine the different ways that historians have attempted to reconstruct the perspective and agency of the men, women and children in question, and also consider the manner in which governments have sought to control this movement of people. The course takes as its two main themes the geographical mobility that came in the wake of nineteenth century industrialisation and the displacement of populations that resulted from war and persecution in the twentieth century.

This module allows students to understand and analyse the origins, course and conduct of the Second World War, of how a major war in Asia begun in 1937 became fused with a major war in Europe begun in 1939, to expand and create the most devastating global war in history, together with its outcome.

This module provides opportunities for community-based learning through voluntary community engagement. This activity will enable you to understand the relevance of your studies within a community context, combining practical experience with academic studies. In addition, it is an opportunity to develop a critical understanding of the Third Sector, and the notion of citizenship. Both subject specific and transferable skills will be developed and utilised throughout this module, thus developing graduate employment attributes.

The module aims to provide students with an understanding of significant themes in the history of the working class in British society from the late-Victorian period to the politics of Thatcherism in the 1980s. The module explores the rise of the trade unions and the labour party, migration, race and racism, the lives of women, the changing nature of work and everyday life, popular culture, and depictions of the working class in film, television and music.

Drawing upon an extensive English-language scholarship, and through analysis of translated contemporary sources, students are invited to explore German history in what was a period of profound social and political change, but one also marked by important continuities. The topics to be addressed include: The economic growth that transformed the new state from 1871 and the high levels of geographical mobility this generated, including the mass emigration of Germans overseas. The manner in which ethnicity, gender and social class shaped the life course of German subjects throughout the period 1871-1945. The emergence of the labour movement, and the mass political participation characteristic of the peace-time Wilhelmine era (1890-1914) and of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Society in WW1 and the revolution that accompanied defeat in 1918. The political, social and economic developments in Weimar Germany which led to the rise of the NSDAP. The combination of coercion and consent which helped the Nazis secure and retain control and the possibilities that existed for opposing the regime. The continuities between colonialism and Nazi practices of warfare and occupation in WW2. The Nazi persecution of social outsiders and racial enemies, including the development of policy towards German and European Jews, the ideology which drove this, and the process of cumulative radicalization that led to their mass murder.

Changing the world, or trying to, has a long history. This module will focus on British campaigning and social action since the the anti-slavery movement of the late-eighteenth century. Students will explore how those campaigners faced similar challenges and adopted similar tactics to those seeking to expand democracy, to provide aid to those in war zones, to end poverty, racism and starvation at home and around the world. Equally, students will be introduced to ongoing debates about the contradictions and complexities of attempts to do good. In addition to learning about the history of humanitarian efforts to relieve suffering and improve society, locally and globally, students will take a deep dive into their own small-scale research project on a single case study from the modern British history of humanitarianism and protest.

The module provides you with the opportunity to explore a historical topic or a topic related to the use of the past independently and in depth. It is normally taken during the final semester of study, thereby allowing you to draw on the skills developed and honed throughout your earlier studies. The choice of research topic should be guided by your interest as well as the feasibility of undertaking the project given the availability of relevant primary and secondary sources and the expertise of potential supervisors. The findings of your Independent Study are usually presented in the form of a written dissertation. However, in the spirit of inclusivity and creativity, alternatives are possible with the approval of the supervisor and the module leader. In seeking approval, you will need to demonstrate that it would still be possible to meet the module’s Learning Outcomes. Approval for any alternative should be secured before work on the Independent Study begins. The discussion of feasible topics, possible supervisors and modes of presentation will normally have started at Level 5 in the ‘Research in Action’ module.

This module will critically analyse the political, social, economic and diplomatic changes to the United States of America and the place of the US in world affairs over the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Most people do not learn about the past in university lecture halls and seminar rooms. This module offers an introduction to the field of public history, broadly defined to cover encounters with the past outside of the academic discipline. Students will learn to be critical consumers of representations of the past in museums and at heritage sites, in fiction, on screen and online, as well as community history projects. After surveying different public history approaches to the past, students will undertake and reflect on their own small-scale original project in curating historical materials or presenting historical insights for non-academic audiences, depicting the past in creative work or on a short-term placement. In doing so, students will be encouraged to think critically about the limits and the potential of non-academic encounters with the past.

The module examines the key themes of family, gender and sexuality in Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, using a variety of online and documentary sources to examine both ‘normative’ and ‘transgressive’ behaviour within British society.

The module draws upon successive generations of English-language scholarship and a wealth of contemporary sources in translation to explore the genesis, development and murderous outcome of policy towards the Jews and others targeted by the Nazi regime. It first examines the Nazi persecution of German Jews and other racial and social enemies in Germany in the inter-war years, then charts the transition to systematic mass murder across occupied Europe during World War Two. Throughout the module students will study the motives and actions of the perpetrators of these crimes, and attempt through extensive engagement with the source record to piece together the experience of the many who suffered at their hands.

This module examines the history of youth culture and popular music in twentieth century Britain. The focus will be both chronological and thematic. Sessions will explore the emergence of youth as a social problem, examine the relationship between youth culture and popular music, analyse the relationship between history, sound and place. It also explores the ways in which youth cultures and popular music have reflected, challenged, and informed shifting notions of class, race, gender, sexuality, and regional/national identities. Throughout the module students will engage with a range of written sources along with recorded music, performance, and cinematic representations of youth culture.