Course overview

This degree course in History will introduce you to the question of how societies develop and change, alongside the challenges that historians face in collecting and analyzing evidence. Placing a strong emphasis on social and cultural history of Europe between 1450 and 1990, we will also encourage you to have a hands-on approach to researching and writing about history. You will engage with primary sources and the general research process and, through a varied teaching programme, will gain specialized knowledge in particular historical controversies.

Our research-led curriculum covers a range of subjects and approaches. As a History student at Portsmouth, you will gain a sound knowledge of early modern and modern history, and will explore a number of different historical and historiographical themes. In the course of three years, you might explore the European ‘discovery’ of the New World, Victorian attitudes to crime and the city, or student protests in post-War Britain; you might encounter 16^th century woodcuts, 19^th century newspapers or 20^th century film. There is scope to concentrate on areas that interest you the most, particularly in your 2^nd and 3^rd years of the degree, when you complete a dissertation and take Special Subject units: you will become experts in the topics of your choice! There is also the opportunity to gain practical experience in local museums and archives as part of your degree course.

Some of the option modules and Special subjects that are on offer include:

• Rum, Sodomy and the Lash: Outlaws at Sea, 1600-1850
• Filming the Past: The Early Modern Period on Screen
• The First World War: A Social and Gender History
• The Terror: The French Revolution and Society
• The Devil's Decade: British Society in the 1930s
• Students and Youth in Post-War Britain
• History as Heritage
• Magic and Modernity: Witchcraft and the Occult, c.1800-1920

Please note that not all options or special subjects will be available at any given time.

Placements

This course allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies.  The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.

Why study at Portsmouth?

We are located in the School of Social, Historical and Literary Studies, which offers a friendly and supportive learning environment that promotes the potential of each and every student. We are particularly proud of our well-developed research culture and strong commitment to scholarship and publication, which informs our teaching and provides up-to-date education in an active learning environment. In addition, our courses are underpinned by a commitment to quality, choice and equal opportunities.

The History team at Portsmouth consistently scores very highly on the National Student Survey, a record we are proud of and are committed to maintaining. We are a small and friendly team who are enthusiastic about our teaching, learning and research.

We welcome applicants with many different sorts of qualifications who can demonstrate evidence of competence to succeed on our programmes. We particularly welcome applications from mature students over the age of 21 and/or applicants who have an Access qualification or equivalent.

There are exciting opportunities to gain valuable work experience and develop transferrable skills, which are highly valued by graduate employers. History students at Portsmouth can opt to take a work placement in a local museum as part of their second year studies, or can take up internships in a range of local organizations.

For further information and advice about this course, please contact our Admissions Centre (details above).

Visit our School pages (SSHLS) for more details about our undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees, members of academic staff and their publications.

Course content

Year One

• Historical Methods
• Society and Culture in Twentieth Century Europe
• The Early Modern World
• Problems and Perspectives
• History Skills Foundation
• History Skills Development

Year Two

• Modernity and the Masses 1750-1914
• Empire and Identities 1750-1914
• Introduction to Historical Research
• Three options from:
  • Being British After the War: Continuity and Change in British Identity 1945 - 2005
  • Colonialism & End of Empire: France & Algeria
  • Colonialism & End of Empire: France & West Africa
  • Culture and Ideas in Twentieth Century Europe
  • Europes Maritime Empires: 1600 - 1800
  • Filming the Past: The Early Modern Period on Screen
  • From Revolution to Dictatorship: Russia and the Soviet Union 1917 - 1941
  • History Workplace Experience
  • In Darkest England: Culture and Conflict in the City 1790 - 1860
  • International Politics of the Middle East
  • Learning from Experience (Faculty Wide Option)
  • Race, Slavery & Emancipation in the Americas
  • Rum, Sodomy & the Lash: Outlaws at Sea 1600-1800
  • The First World War: A Social & Gender History
  • Transnational European Union (History)
  • Learning from Experience (Faculty Wide Option)
  • Languages (University Wide Option)

Students may also take an option from outside the History programme.

Year Three

• Dissertation/Major Project (History)
• Group Research Project 1 & 2: this unit offers a choice of historical themes on which to pursue group work, using original primary source materials.
• History Special Subject 1 & 2: this unit will allow you to conduct an in-depth study on a specific topic, using both primary and secondary sources. Special Subject strands include:
  • Magic and Modernity: Witchcraft and the Occult, c.1800-1920
  • The French Revolution, 1789-1799: Regeneration, War, Terror and the Birth of Modernity
  • Gender, Sexuality and War 1918-1982
  • Cinema-going in Wartime Britain 1939-1945
  • Hampshire and the Sea 1700-1850
  • The Devil’s Decade: British Society in the 1930s
  • Conflict, Conspiracy, Consensus: Religious Identities in Elizabethan England
  • Students and Youth in Post-War Britain
  • The Making of the German Nation
  • History as Heritage

Please note that not all options or special subjects will be available at any given time.

Teaching and assessment

Our teaching approach involves lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You will be expected to participate fully in group discussions and projects, as well as develop and apply word processing skills.

You will be allocated a personal tutor who will guide you through study skills, research management and dissertation work during your three years of study.

We use a range of assessment methods including essays, close textual analysis, presentations and a dissertation. There is a clear emphasis on working with your peers to discuss ideas, and to work collaboratively to produce group presentations.

The final classification of your degree award is determined by your overall performance in the second and third year.

Career prospects

The degree course extends over three years building a foundation for higher degrees, postgraduate and professional qualifications.

Employers value history graduates because they know that they bring a wide range of highly developed and useful skills to the job. As a history graduate from Portsmouth, you will have skills that are easily transferable to the workplace, such as the ability to analyse and manage large quantities of information, research in groups or independently and write in a concise and informative fashion. You will also leave with excellent communications skills, qualities that are essential for the modern graduate. 

During your time at Portsmouth, there are plenty of opportunities to gain paid and unpaid work experience alongside your studies.  For example, the School of Social Historical and Literary Studies offers a number of internships: students can gain valuable experience in a range of local organizations during their degree course. Current internships include placements at the National Museum of the Royal Navy; the New Theatre Royal, and the office of a local MP.

Recent history graduates from Portsmouth have gone on to pursue a range of careers such as journalism, law, teaching, university administration, archive and museum work. This degree also offers a firm foundation for those who want to study history at Masters or PhD level. The History team also run an MA in the History of War, Culture and Society, which recruits well from amongst our own students. 

Facilities and features

Over the last four years, the University has invested substantially in its teaching facilities. Our teaching rooms at Milldam are equipped with multimedia and audio-visual facilities. In addition, we provide quiet rooms, a dedicated IT teaching room and IT facilities.

The School has a large archive of documentary films in its multimedia resources area and the University library is currently undergoing significant investment and expansion to further enhance the range of resources available to you there.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) History for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).