Contemporary History and Politics

This fascinating modern history and politics degree explores the events that changed the world from the 19th to the 21st century – and the politics surrounding them.

Throughout your course, you’ll examine history and politics in a range of contexts, including international history, intelligence and security and the policy decisions that impact our lives. The diversity of modules on offer will enable you to align your studies with the subject area that interests you most, taught by academic staff who are recognised as being internationally excellent in the field of politics and contemporary history.

As you move into the second and third years of your degree, you’ll have the opportunity to study abroad for some, or all, of the year. Students who spend the full year studying at a European university may also qualify for a tuition fee waiver. Would you prefer to gain hands-on experience in the UK? You can also choose from a number of placement opportunities to give your CV the edge, including our politics placement scheme.

You will:

• Develop a thorough understanding of the most important historical and political events of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries

• Choose from a diverse range of optional modules designed to explore the topics that interest you most

• Be given the opportunity to apply your newly acquired skills in a variety of real-world settings

Visit our Politics and Contemporary History degree CourseFinder webpage https://bit.ly/3oaLLrb
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Year one

• International History I
• International History II
• International Politics II
• Introduction to Comparative Politics
• The Cold War
• Making Public History

Year two

• Theories of Power and Domination
• Age of Revolution: International History 1775 - 1914
  You also choose one of the following:
• Researching in Politics
• Researching in History
  You then choose the rest of your modules from the below options:
• Political Communication: Media and Democracy
• Regimes and Dictatorships from 1918
• University Wide Language Programme
• US Foreign Policy Since 1945
• Intelligence, Security and Politics in Britain 1909-94
• Commemoration and Memorialisation from the Twentieth Century to the Present
• Contemporary Information Warfare
• US Political History
• Terrorism and Irregular Conflict

Year three

• Dissertation
  You also study four modules from a range of options. Typically, they include:
• The First World War
• Corruption in Contemporary Politics
• Social media and politics: digital democracy
• Britain and the European Resistance 1939-45
• Chinese Foreign Policy Since 1949
• British Counter-Insurgency Since 1945
• Global Environmental Politics
• Photography and Conflict in the 20th and 21st Centuries
• Threats to Democracy
• Politics Placement
• International Political Economy
• US Conflict in History and Memory
• University Wide Language Programme

Visit our Politics and Contemporary History degree Course Finder webpage https://bit.ly/3oaLLrb

Assessments will be an important part of your academic journey. They will help you to refine crucial skills that you can transfer into your career, as well as give you an indication of which areas you need to improve on. You will be assessed through a variety of methods, such as essays, presentations, podcasts and portfolios. Your module assessments will allow you to take on board any feedback prior to taking your final exam.