BA (Hons) History

You will study the changes affecting the lives of individuals and communities, and in particular how change affected working people, migrants and women. The overarching themes help us to reflect on how change, whether it was deliberately sought or suffered, affects us all, and how the actors of earlier times have drawn on resilience, adaptability and creativity, often in the face of adversity. It is therefore an important lens through which historians can train their cultural and social awareness. The time frame is a loose one, to allow scope for exploring a range of topics such as the British working class and trade union movements, labour party politics, poverty, philanthropy and the rise of the welfare state, while on the other hand viewing the upheavals of modern history through the eyes of some of those who were most profoundly affected: itinerants, migrants and refugees

The module takes you on a journey to the place where culture, taste and economic development meet: the world of goods. You will study pre-industrial to 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 first half, and the extent to which modern consumer attitudes developed in the latter half of the period. Topics and themes introduced by this module will include the relevant theories of consumption, looking at advertising, shopping and display, exploring attitudes and behaviours to new goods and finally gendered consumption, empire and race, through the possession and ownership of goods. While the focus is primarily Britain, the focus on examining the acquisition of new goods and commodities, and how and why these were obtained and used also lends itself to examining other regional contexts, which you are invited to explore, should you wish.

This module draws upon the different sub-disciplines of historical research to explore the Great War from a variety of perspectives. In particular, it makes use of research from social, gender and cultural historians, all of whom have provided valuable insights into the war-time experience of civilians and soldiers. You will study 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 you to explore the period by engaging with the written, visual and artifact materials that have survived and form the primary source base for the study of this conflict and its repercussions.

This module examines the causes, course and conduct of the Second World War. The conflict’s global nature is foregrounded with close attention paid to the Far East, the Pacific theatre and the Eastern Front, as well as Western Europe. An important consideration of this module is the military aspects of the war. Why was the German military so successful initially, but ultimately defeated? Was the Red Army’s success on the Eastern Front due to sheer weight of numbers, or were other factors at play? How effective was the British Army as a fighting force in the Second World War? What impact did strategic bombing have on Germany and Japan? This module also considers the social and cultural impact of the conflict. In so doing, students consider questions such as the following: What role did ideology play in shaping the conduct of the war? What were the origins of the Holocaust and how was it perpetrated? How did belligerents mobilise their societies and how was propaganda used to support this? What accounts for the different national memories of the conflict? As such, the module provides students with a well-rounded and comprehensive understanding of this crucial period.

This module asks you to undertake an in-depth study into a history topic of your choice. Given the diversity of the subject, there is every opportunity for you to explore your own interests, provided the topic is sufficiently historical and sufficiently well-resourced in terms of university library holdings, availability of primary sources and staff expertise to permit supervision. A traditional format for the independent study is the extended narrative analysis, but we encourage you to consider alternative formats that allow you to meet the learning outcomes while at the same time strengthening your skills and evidence portfolio for your future career, wherever that will take you. Further information, suggestions and support will be available via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas.

Changing the world, or trying to, has a long history. This module focuses on British campaigning and social action since the anti-slavery movement of the late-eighteenth century. You will explore how those campaigners faced similar challenges and adopted similar tactics to those seeking to expand democracy, liberate women, and fight racism and injustice at home and around the world.

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. Family life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries evokes images that range from tyrannical, cold fathers terrorising their dependants, to sickly, sentimental ‘angels of the house’ overseeing the domestic hearth. You will explore both the myths and the realities of family life in this period and be asked to consider the economic and social factors that shaped family structures, as well as the ideas, aspirations and moral panics that led to understandings of what acceptable family life and sexuality should be like. This module lets you focus on core institutions to the self and community, both of which continue to be central to the lived experience.

Guidance Note: this module tackles themes relating to brutality, mass murder and extermination that most historians and their audiences find deeply unsettling and disturbing. Please talk to us if you are in any doubt as to whether you should study this module. Drawing upon an extensive English-language scholarship, and through the analysis of translated contemporary sources, this module focuses on the crime against humanity which lies at the heart of the twentieth century: The Holocaust. The genesis, development and murderous outcome of the policy towards the Jews and others targeted by the Nazi regime form the core of what you will study, moving from first examining the Nazi persecution of German Jews and other groups declared racial and social enemies in the inter-war years, to charting the transition to systematic mass murder across occupied Europe during World War Two. Together we will consider the ideology which drove this, and the process of cumulative radicalization that led to their mass murder. You will study the motives and actions of the perpetrators of these crimes, and through extensive engagement with the source record work towards piecing 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 you will engage with a range of written sources along with recorded music, performance, and cinematic representations of youth culture. Imagine studying Spivs, Teddy Boys and the Age of Austerity, race, racism and the 1950s, The Beatles, Mods and Rockers and the politics of counter-culture, Punk Rock and Northern Soul!