BA History

UCAS Code: V100
Length: 3 years

Summary of course aims

This course provides a thorough degree-level education in History which will build on your knowledge of events, structures, and historical agents or actors. You will develop a sophisticated and sensitive understanding of the complex interplay between cause and effect in the historical process, as well as a critical awareness of the variety of ways in which the past has been interpreted in historical writing.

Throughout this process of discovery, you will encounter a wide range of subjects and approaches, and be able to pursue your own enthusiasms as well as benefit from the research expertise and activities of staff. You will become familiar with a broad chronological range, and have the opportunity to specialise in particular periods and topics of British, European and American history. You can also pursue your own interests through independent study and a dissertation.

You will obtain knowledge and understanding of:

• the broad sweep of post-classical history and its principal divisions
• a range of eras and cultures within a degree structure flexible enough to allow breadth or specialisation
• the contextualisation of forces, events, and individual experiences in the historical process
• the nature and variety of historical sources as defined by period and culture
• the nature of debate and dispute in historical writing.

Course content

The course is divided into 3 Parts (years). You must take 120 credits in each Part.

Part 1 introduces you to the discipline through the study of historical causation, contextualisation and the utilisation of both primary and secondary sources in History.

Part 2 will allow you to engage with a broad span of historical periods which develop both your range of knowledge and your analytical/critical skills, and to carry out independent work in historiography and applied historical skills. In addition in Part 2, 5 are taken up by Career Management Skills.

Part 3 involves the study in depth of Topics and a Special Subject which require that students apply their analytical skills in focussed areas and undertake independent research, especially in the Dissertation.

For a full description of this degree course with the required compulsory and optional modules, please download the programme specification. Please note that you are advised to check that this course is running for the next academic year.

http://www.info.reading.ac.uk/progspecs/prog-index.asp

Career prospects

History graduates are trained in clear thinking, research skills, diligence, independence, adaptability and the ability to understand people and situations in the world at large. As such, they are eagerly sought after by employers. In addition they are given specific vocational training and orientation through a second year Career Management Scheme run by the School in conjunction with the Careers Advisory Service. Past graduates have used their degree as a springboard for various areas of employment such as accountancy, banking and commerce, law, publishing, information science, museum work, teaching and social work. Many also enter the business world through management training schemes operated by national companies in retailing, marketing, sales, computing, while others go into the civil service and local government. Several graduates also go on to postgraduate study in History, both at MA and PhD level, at Reading and elsewhere.

Opportunities for study abroad

Students in the School of Humanities have the opportunity to spend a period of study abroad (normally in Part 2) as part of the Socrates scheme, or in conjunction with the American Studies course exchange.