History

History

Delve into history and discover the impact of political, social and cultural change on class, gender, race, injustice and power throughout hundreds of years of history across the globe, and how this has shaped our world today. Find your own critical voice and make it heard. A history degree from Kent is the first step to wherever you want to go.

As a Kent student, you will benefit from living and learning in the ancient city of Canterbury. You meet history face-to-face from day one while learning from world-leading academics who help to sharpen your skills of analysis, argument and communication.

If you want to explore History through the lens of warfare, we also offer a Military History BA, alternatively, if you are more interested in exploring the secrets of the ancient world, you could study on our Ancient History BA.

Your future

As a Kent graduate, you will be ready to construct and lead engaging arguments, be quick to recognise context and skilled to propose alternative solutions. And your wide-ranging work with historical sources will improve your ability to think critically, take part in debate and make informed decisions, allowing you to effect change in the places you want to see it.

Career prospects for history graduates are wide ranging, with our students launching careers in everything from teaching to business, research to politics.

The creative problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills you develop at Kent can prepare you for a career in any field. The study of History at Kent equips you with the adaptability to thrive in an exciting career in whatever area you are passionate about. This means Kent’s History graduates are ready to step into a career of limitless opportunities, from education to business, charity to government; you’ll have the talent and insight to build the career you want.

Location

Our city, your time.
It has never been a better time to study in Canterbury. Our high student population creates a vibrant, diverse and student-friendly atmosphere.
We are a hub of exciting new ideas emerging from a stunning historic city - join us and get involved!

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Stage 1

You take the compulsory modules then choose one of three module pairings: 'Early Medieval History, (c. 400 - c. 1050)' and 'Late Medieval History (c. 1050 -b c. 1450)', 'The Rise of the United States Pt. 1' and 'The Rise of the United States Pt. 2' or 'The Making of Modern Europe' and 'The Making of Modern Britain'. Then you choose 2 more optional modules from the remaining list.

Compulsory modules currently include the following

Controversial Histories
History Makers

Optional modules:

Early Medieval History, (c. 400 - c. 1050)
Late Medieval History, (c. 1050 - c. 1450)
The Rise of the United States Pt. 1
The Rise of the United States Pt. 2
The Making of Modern Europe
A Global History of Empire
Histories of Health and Medicine since 1800
Renaissance to the Enlightenment
The Making of Modern Britain
War and Society in Europe, c. 1789 - 1945

Stage 2

Compulsory modules currently include the following

The Medieval World: Power and Faith
The Modern World: Revolution and Crisis
Undergraduate Dissertation: Design and Planning

Optional modules:

A History of Eastern Europe in 10 Objects
Armies at War, 1792-1815
Blitzkrieg to Baghdad: Armoured Warfare in the Theory, Practice and Imagery, 1916-2003
Cholera to Climate Change: Environment and Society in Modern Britain
Churchill's Armies: The Armies of the British Empire and the Second World War
Civil War America, 1848-1877
Conquest and Resistance in Southern Africa, 1750-1918
Europe in Extremes: Communism, Fascism and Nazism, 1917-1939
From Crisis to Revolution: France 1774-1799
How The West was Won (or Lost): The American West in the 19th Century
Marvels, Monsters and Freaks 1780-1920
Modern German History since 1918
Surgery, Science and Society since 1750
Telegraph to Television: War and the British Media, 1853-1945
The Art of Death: Representations, Rituals and Records in Medieval Europe
The Cold War
The Crusades
The German Wars of Unification, c. 1813-1871
The Imperial Presidency: U.S. Foreign Policy from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama
'The Jewel in the Crown': India and the Making of Imperial Britain
Vikings: A Global Saga
Violence and Justice in Medieval Europe (c. 500 - c. 1400)
War and Modern Medicine 1850-1950

Stage 3

Compulsory modules:

Dissertation

Optional modules:

Fight The Power: African American History from Jim Crow to Black Lives Matter
From Buffalo Bill to Bison Burgers: The American West in the 20th Century
Global Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in the Modern Era
Gothic Art: Image and Imagination in Europe
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes: A History of the Modern Body (1800-1950)
To Do No Harm: Medical Ethics and Patient Rights in the Modern World, 1800-2000
From 'Madness' to Mindfulness: Mental Health since 1850
Terror, Murder and Bloodshed: The Renaissance in Italy and beyond, c. 1400- c. 1550
The American Revolution
Cultural History of the Great War: Britain, France and Germany in Comparison
The Hundred Years' War, c. 1337-1453
The Nature of Command
Capitalism, Classes, Cultures & Conflicts
Conquests, Cultures and Identities: England AD 800-1100
From Mercenaries to Freedom Fighters: Transnational Soldiering, c. 1700-2020
Ireland: A Military History since 1689
Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa
Loyalists: The Wrong Side of the American Independence
Making Room for Medicine: Medical Space, Environment and Health
Napoleon and the World, 1799-1815
Saints, Relics & Churches in Medieval Europe, C. 500-1500
Sex, Health and Deviance in Britain since 1800
The Carolingians and the Invention of Order
The Eternal Nazi: Global Legacies of the Third Reich
The International History of the Vietnam Wars
The Legacy of the Second World War
The Renaissance: Nature, Magic and Knowledge
The Spanish Second Republic and Civil War, 1931-1939
War, Peace and Diplomacy in the Late Middle Ages, c. 1200 - c. 1450