History, Politics and International Relations

This joint degree offers a combination of disciplines which allows you to gain a greater understanding of both past and present.

Studying History is exciting and rewarding; it encourages you to appreciate the human experience in other places and at other times. Exploring what people have felt, thought and done in the past expands our self-awareness. It will help to satisfy your curiosity about the past, acquire understanding of specific periods and problems, and make discoveries.

Our internationally renowned academics are developing the very latest thinking on historical problems; this cutting edge knowledge informs the curriculum and will enhance your learning experience. By studying History at one of the largest and most influential departments in the country you will be able to choose from an exceptionally broad range of subjects, enabling you to spread your studies across the medieval and modern worlds, from Ancient Rome through to modern China, from Saladin through to Margaret Thatcher.

Politics and International Relations looks at political ideas and processes, as well as global issues such as war and security, diplomacy and development. You will gain a solid foundation in politics, the history of international relations and IR theory, studying subjects such as democracy, decolonisation, democratisation, international organisations, foreign-policy making, human migration and human rights. As you progress, the flexible nature of the course allows you to specialise in those aspects of domestic politics, political theory and international relations that most interest you, for example, the recent global economic crisis, changes in the European Union, human migration and the threats posed by terrorists and new communications technologies. Ours is an active and engaged student community, and there are opportunities to take part in debating, Model United Nations and party political societies on campus.

• Develop research, communication and analytical skills.

• Gain expertise in medieval and modern history.

• Study democratisation, foreign policy-making, human migration or human rights.

• Work with academics in leading research centres, such as the Centre for South Asian Studies.

• Pursue your interests with a wide choice of modules.

Course Modules

Core Modules

Year 1

• History in the Making

• Introduction to International Relations

• Introduction to Politics and Government

Year 2

• All modules are optional

Year 3

• History Dissertation

• Politics and/or International Relations Dissertation

Optional Modules: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/history/history-politics-and-international-relations/

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/history/history-politics-and-international-relations/

The course has a modular structure, whereby students take twelve course units at the rate of four per year. Some course units are compulsory while others are elective thereby offering versatility and choice.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and seminars. Outside class, teaching you will work both independently and collaboratively with other students, researching topics in the in preparation for class discussion and producing your assessed coursework. Private study and preparation are essential parts of every course, and you will have access to many online resources and the University’s comprehensive e-learning facility, Moodle.

The department has a number of special online learning resources, such as access to the full collection of the prestigious Oxford Handbooks of Political Science and the entire Communication and Mass Media Complete journals database. All our academic staff hold regular drop-in consultation sessions with students and, when you start with us, you will be assigned a Personal Tutor to support you academically and personally.

Most modules contain an element of assessed coursework, such as an essay, a report, group work, a research blog, or a presentation, which contributes to the final examination mark awarded. The results of the first year exams qualify you to progress to the second year but do not contribute to your final degree award. The second and final year results do contribute to the final degree result, with the final year work counting double that of the second year.

You will take a study skills course during your first year, designed to equip you with and enhance the writing skills you will need to be successful in your degree. This course does not count towards your final degree award but you are required to pass it to progress to your second year.