Modern and Contemporary History BA University of Leicester Global Study Centre Home page Home Modern and Contemporary History BA University of Leicester Global Study Centre

Modern and Contemporary History BA

Run in partnership with Politics and International Relations, this course will emphasise the history of the recent past and integrate it with contemporary politics and international relations. Ideal if your main interests lie in the 20th and 21st century – you will be able to concentrate on a focused chronological period, with modules covering a broad geographical range.

Course details

Modern history, contemporary politics and international relations. How has each field shaped the other? And what can this interaction tell us about events today? We don’t have to look back too far to find the answers, and this degree can take you there.

Mode of study: 3-4 days a week
Intake: Intakes: September
Course length: 3-4 years
Course fee: 9250 per year
Location: Leicester campus

University of Leicester

Course overview

You will learn about the various factors, particularly political factors, that shape historical events and our understanding of them. An appreciation of international relations is vital for analysing the fluctuating relationships that countries share with one another, either directly or through international bodies such as the UN. The topical nature of this course will not only help you understand the past but also prepare you to construct informed arguments about events that are unfolding today.

Benefits

Active collaborative learning
Face-to-face discussion
Outstanding student support
Learn from experienced tutors
Make full use of facilities
Access support
Careers advice

Entry requirements

A/AS-levels: ABB-BBB at A-Level. We prefer A-Level History, though this is not essential. Two AS-Levels considered in place of one A-Level. General Studies is accepted

EPQ with A-Levels: BBB-BBC at A-Level + EPQ at grade B. We prefer A-Level History, though this is not essential

Access to HE Diploma: Pass relevant Diploma with 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at distinction

International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 30 points including 6 in one Higher Level subject

BTEC Nationals: Pass Diploma with D*DD

Careers

We offer several practical or placement modules so that you can gain hands-on experience in your chosen career path.

Graduates from our History degrees have gone on to work for a wide range of employers including:

Department of Education
Troubadour Publishing
British Standards Institution
Nissan

Modules

At the very beginning of your course you’ll take the short, non-credit bearing Academic and Study Skills.

Year one

Making History (double module)
The Shock of the Modern
The Global Cold War: International Relations 1945-1989
People and Places (double module)

Option modules
Choose one option module from:

Comparative European Politics
Order and Disorder: International Relations from 1989 to the Present

Then choose one option module from:

Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present
Great Britain: The State We’re In
US History since 1776
Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation

Year two

Perceiving the Past (double module)
Becoming the Historical Researcher (double module)

Option modules

List 1: History modules

Histories of Violence
Domestic Revolutions: Women, Men, and the Family in American History
Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
History in the Classroom
Heritage Field Project

List 2: Politics modules

Political Parties in Contemporary Britain
Sex and Gender in Global Politics

List 3: History modules

Gender History
Jack-the-Ripper: Crime, Popular Culture and Policing in Victorian Times
A World Connected: Economy, Wellbeing and Sustainability since 1945
From Beer to Fraternity: Alcohol, Society, and Culture in North America
Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
Fight the Power! Race, Rights and Protest in the USA, 1865-2008

List 4: Politics modules

European Union Politics
The Making of Contemporary US Foreign Policy

Year Three

History dissertation

Option modules
Choose one option module from:

The Holocaust: Genocide in Europe
After Hitler: Society, Culture and The Politics of The Nazi Past in The Two Germanies, 1945-1990
Cultures of Struggle and Liberation: Twentieth Century Southern Africa
The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Church, State and Belief in Soviet Russia, 1941-1991

Then choose one option module from:

The American Presidency
The Politics of War and Peace: Northern Ireland After 1972
Parliamentary Studies
The Politics of Contemporary British Foreign Policy
Politics of the International Drug Trade

Choose one option module from:

The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
The USA and the Vietnam War
Crime and Punishment in African American History
From Empire to Nation: Modern South Asia, c. 1857-1947

Finally choose one option module from:

The Conservatives: Crisis and Recovery
Political Legacies of Conflict in Northern Ireland
Political Participation in Britain
Democracy and EU Membership in Post-Communist Europe