Objectives
The course aims to: -provide a supportive environment for all students, free of bias or discrimination; -stimulate and extend students' critical study of past and present; develop an appreciation of a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches used by historians and political scientists; -extend students' powers of critical analysis and logical argument by applying them to historical interpretation and the interpretation of political systems and political ideas; -develop students' understanding of the structure of written and spoken English and their ability to harness the power of language to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; -advance the ability of students to work independently and organise their schedules of personal study; -produce graduates with the transferable skills of self-management, independence, capacity to analyse and ability to undertake research, essential for employment, for postgraduate study in history, politics and other disciplines, and for further training; -provide opportunities for the study of social sciences related to history, politics and international relations.
Entry requirements
Selected entry requirements English language: Minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent; eg. NCUK EAP minimum Grade of A with range of 70-79 TOEFL: PBT score of 600; CBT score of 250; TWE score of 5.5; IBT score of 100. A level: Grades AAB. This should include grade A in either History, Government or Politics. General Studies is welcomed but not included as part of the standard offer. Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications. Unit grades will not normally form part of offer conditions, except for Mathematics programmes. GCSE: Minimum of grade C in English Language and Mathematics. Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification. However, as the opportunities to take these modules are not open to all applicants, currently this is not an essential requirement of the University. International baccalaureate: 35 points overall, including 6 or 7 in three Higher Level subjects, one of which must be either History, Government or Politics. Additional entry requirements Additional entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
Course description
Special features
Socrates/Erasmus scheme available. Exchange Scheme available in USA, Canada or Australia
Course description
This is one of the longest established programmes of its kind in the country, combining an investigation of the historical development of the modern world; a study of its political machinery; and an examination of its political thought in a historical setting. Broad courses in history, government institutions and political thought constitute the core of the degree in the first two years, with more specialist options in Year 3, including 12,000-word thesis.
Course content for year 1
Please note that the following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Compulsory
HIST***** The Study of Politics and Modern History
GOVT***** Introduction to Comparative Politics
GOVT***** Introduction to Political Thought
Optional
Modern History; 1 chosen from:
HIST102 Communities and States in Early Modern Europe
HIST10311 State, Nation and Nationalism c1750 - c1920
HIST***** War in History: Experience, Representation, Memory
HIST10141 A Victorian City: Social, Cultural and Economic Histories of Manchester
Economic History; 1 chosen from:
HIST10511 Globalisation in Historical Perspective
HIST10062 Origins of British Industrialisation: British Economic & Social History 1550 - 1830
Free Choice option (approved by programme director)
Course content for year 2
The following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Compulsory - GOVT***** Freedom and Equality
Optional - either HIST20390 Long Essay/Book Review or GOVT***** Extended Essay, PLUS:
20 credits from any two of the following:
GOVT***** Comparative European Politics
GOVT***** France Under the 5 th Republic
GOVT***** National Politics of Germany
GOVT***** Mediterranean Politics
GOVT***** Comparative Politics of East-Central Europe
One of the following options in Economic History:
HIST***** British Economic and Social History, 1880-1980
HIST20092 British Population and Social Structure, 1700-1950
HIST20452 European Economic History, 1914-95
HIST20521 An Industrialising Society: English Economic and Social History, 1689-1830
One of the following options in Modern History:
HIST20131 Cultures of Empire: India and the American Colonies 1600-1900
HIST***** A Liberal Nation? State and Society in Britain from 1815 to present
HIST20171 European Reformations
HIST20182 European Intellectual History
HIST20212 The Intellectual Revolution in Britain, c.1600-1750
HIST20872 History of Women in Britain, 1780-1980
Twenty further credits of HIST or GOVT course units, chosen from those listed above, plus the follwoing GOVT courses:
Politics of Globalisation
Contemporary Perspectives in International Politics
British Politics and Society Since 1945: From Blitz to Blair
Citizenship, Social Change and Public Policy
Political Repression in Modern America
Making and Implementing Public Policy
Third World Politics
Course content for year 3
The following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Compulsory- Either HIST30970 Thesis or G0VT Dissertation
Optional -80 credits chosen from the following options; at least 20 must be taken in GOVT or HIST course units.
Examples-Economic History units: Family, Gender and House: Some Relationships Between People and Space, 1500-1800; The Origins of the Spanish Civil War, 1875-1936; Early Modern Imperialism: The European Empires in America 1500-1800; Child Labour in British Society, 1700-1870; The British Economy 1919-1939; The Rules of the Game: Laws, economies and risk taking in historical perspective, 1850-2000
Examples-Modern History units: Medicine Before 1800: Changing Conceptions of the Body, Disease and Health in Early Modern Europe; Natives and Strangers: Cultural Encounters in the Americas, 1492-1716; A Nation in the Making: Nationalist Consciousness and Indian Imaginings, 1800-1947; Church, Society and Religion in 17 th Century France; Gender and the Social Construction of Identity in the Early Modern Period; Ireland since 1922
Examples-Politics Course Units: Contemporary Political Analysis; Politics of the European Union; Russian Politics; Latin America; International Organisation and Global Governance; American Political Development from the New Deal to the Present; French Left and The Fifth Republic; Gender, Sexuality and Politics; Elections and Voters; Ethical Issues in World Politics; Business & Politics in Britain; Britain in the European Union; US Hegemony in the Contemporary World Order
Career opportunities
The skills you will acquire on this degree are particularly valued by employers. Graduates enter the media, national politics, law and accountancy, commerce, business and industry, the Civil Service, local government, teaching and numerous other areas. Many undertake postgraduate study or further training.
