History with Politics

Why study BA History with Politics at Goldsmiths

This programme is an innovative and interdisciplinary exploration into how social, cultural, and political institutions, decisions, and events have shaped societies and nations around the world.

• Rather than focusing on chronology or strictly demarcated historical periods, combining history and politics encourages and facilitates explorations and analyses of key issues, controversies, themes, and debates.

• The study, analysis and understanding of the past is as important today as it has ever been.

• Understanding past societies fosters emotional intelligence and allows us to appreciate the diversity and adaptability of human life.

• Understanding our pasts can help us to shape our futures and, crucially, help us shape those futures intelligently, insightfully, fairly, and with compassion, contributing towards equality, diversity and social justice.

• Our innovative approaches to the study of politics, peel back the formal veneer of political parties and institutions to reveal the major ideological, economic, social, and cultural conflicts

• By exploring politics in this in-depth manner, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of our world.

• We cross boundaries between the traditional and the more radical understandings of political phenomena.

• Politics is much more than simply what happens in parliaments, it pervades the whole of society, domestically and internationally.

Year 1
In your first year, you'll take the following compulsory modules:
Global Connections
Reading and Writing History
Historical Controversies
Power, Emotions and Environment
Identity, Agency & Environment 1 & 2

Year 2
Your second year will give you the chance to broaden your intellectual horizons, and have more freedom over what you study.

You will take these compulsory modules:
The Goldsmiths Elective
The Goldsmiths Project

You'll also choose 60 credits from the list offered by the History department, up to 30 credits of which can be a University of London intercollegiate group II module and another 30 can be in another Goldsmiths discipline.

An additional 30 credits will be from a list provided annually by the Department of Politics and International Relations.

Year 3
In your final year, you will develop your specialist interests and knowledge.

You will take the following compulsory module:
Special subject module from a list of University of London intercollegiate Group III module

You will also complete a dissertation worth 30 credits relating to your special subject.

You will also choose 45 credits of optional modules offered by the Department of Politics and 15 credits offered by the Department of History.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of the modules may be available every year.