Programme And Module Handbook
 
Programme Specification


Date Specification Approved 30/09/2022
College College Arts and Law
School History and Cultures
Department History
Partner College and School Political Sci & Intern'tl Stud
Collaborative Organisation and Form of Collaboration
Qualification and Programme Title B.A. History and Politics with Year Abroad Full-time
Programme Code 648E
Delivery Location Campus
Language of Study English
Length of Programme 4 Year(s)
Accreditations This programme has no outside accreditations
Aims of the Programme

Programme Aims: The BA History and Politics provides students the opportunity to acquire expertise in two cognate disciplines and, moreover, challenges them to think beyond intellectual boundaries and to synthesise information and insights from both sides of their degree. 

On the History side of the programme, students develop an understanding of historical events and processes – and of the enduring legacies of the past – across a range of topics that span a diverse range of chronologies (from the Bronze Age to the present day) and geographies and scales (from the West Midlands to Africa, Asia, and the Americas). In so doing, the programme develops a range of analytical and organisational skills, independent and critical thinking, and the ability to synthesise and communication information and ideas. These attributes will be developed through three interlocked strands of the curriculum: 

- Studying History through which students will develop a specialist knowledge of particular historical topics that span a range of periods (from the ancient world to the present day), of geographies (from the local to the global), and themes;

- Understanding History through which students will develop an understanding of the theoretical and methodological development of the discipline and its place in contemporary culture and society;

- and Doing History through which students will undertake original historical research both as an individual and as part of a team. 

The History side of the programme also attunes students to contemporary challenges within and beyond the discipline – globalisation; sustainability; inequalities – to the importance of thinking critically about heritage, conservation, and the place of the past in public life. The programme recovers and reintegrates the voices of those previously marginalised by virtue of race, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, or excluded by virtue of dominant narratives of the past and enables and encourages students to explore the histories and cultures of different peoples, societies, and cultures from around the world and diversity, in the broadest sense of the term, sits at the heart of the curriculum. 

On the Politics side of the programme, too, diversity is central to the study of political analysis and of political theory.  While students receive a foundation in three vital elements of the discipline – in the scope and contested nature of political analysis; in political thought and political theory; in the tools of political analysis – these core skills are applied and developed through a wide selection of optional modules that focus on more specialised aspects of politics and political analysis and that, as in History, encompass local, national, international, and global issues. 

The programme facilitates the development of a wide and diverse range of transferable skills – in research, in analysis, in evaluation, in organisation, and in communication – and, in particular, the dual nature of the programme enables students to develop specific high-level skills in intellectual synthesis and the ability to think across conventional boundaries. The programme thus prepares students both for further study and for a wide range of careers beyond the academy. 

For year abroad programmes only:
The year abroad will provide students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the society and culture of a foreign country while gaining experience of a different academic environment and way of teaching. The year abroad also provides an opportunity for students to improve their existing language proficiency (where applicable) as well as enhancing their organisation and communication skills and their employability through a proven ability to succeed in a foreign setting.

Programme Outcomes
Students are expected to have Knowledge and Understanding of: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
History: 1. a broad body of historical information characterised by geographical range, thematic breadth, and chronological (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
History: 2. a range of sources available to historians – including, but not limited to, textual primary evidence – and an awareness of both their value and their limitations (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
History: 3. the historiographical development of core debates in history, and an appreciation of the reasons for continued controversies (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
History: 4. The conceptual, theoretical, and ideological influences on historical events and processes, and on their interpretation (DipHE, BA)
History: 5. The enduring legacies of the past and the relevance of historical knowledge and understanding to the interpretation of contemporary events (DipHE; BA)
Politics: 6. The scope and contested nature of politics and political science. (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
Politics: 7. The (various) foundations of and approaches to political analysis. (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
Politics: 8. The broad range and historical development of political thought and political theory. (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
Politics: 9. Specialist areas of politics (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
Politics: 10. Year Abroad only. Demonstrate the ability to study relevant topics at an international institution and appreciate the difference between study in the UK and overseas. (DipHE, BA)
1-5: Attendance at and contributions to lectures, seminars, and tutorials, alongside independent study and engagement with digital resources and exercises.

6-9: Lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations, individual and group project work.

10: Year Abroad (as delivered by the host institution).
1-5: The completion of written formative and summative coursework (i.e. essays, assignments, source analyses, book or article reviews, portfolio assessment, take-home papers, and – for BA only – Dissertations) of varying lengths.

1-5: Participation in oral presentations of varying length and format, delivered either as an individual or as part of a group.

6-9: Essays, unseen and take-home examinations, briefing papers, and – for BA only – Dissertations.

10: Year Abroad (as assessed by host institution).
Students are expected to have attained the following Skills and other Attributes: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
1. The ability to evaluate, analyse, synthesise, and interpret a wide range of primary and secondary historical material, and to demonstrate an appropriate awareness of the historical contexts in which these materials were produced (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
2. The ability to understand relevant methods and concepts from historical studies and from other related disciplines – including, but not limited to, anthropology, archaeology, economics, political science, and sociology – and to apply these in conjunction with historical evidence (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
3. The ability communicate ideas and arguments effectively both in writing – across a range of different forms and styles – and orally, displaying appropriate intellectual flexibility and disciplined imagination. (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
4. Transferable skills relevant to employment, including problem-solving, self-reliance, initiative, adaptability, flexibility, resilience, self-motivation, and competences such as note-taking, the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines, ability to use and manipulate digital resources and to present information and ideas effectively using ICT. (DipHE, BA)
5. Independent study skills (self-organisation, initiative and self-direction; time management; autonomous research skills; the ability to collect, organise, synthesise and evaluate information; planning, drafting and editing) (DipHE; BA)
6. The ability to produce an extended piece of academic writing, drawing on independent study skills acquired on the programme (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
7. Ability to work as a member of a team in a range of contexts, including the capacity to listen, to respond flexibly to feedback, to understand diverse perspectives, and to negotiate solutions collectively (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
8. Ability to summarise, synthesise, analyse and evaluate others’ arguments, and to formulate their own logical and structured arguments, normally both orally and in writing, with appropriate supporting evidence (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
9. Year abroad only: To achieve an enhanced cultural awareness through direct interactions with society and institutions in another country. To develop a range of marketable skills including problem solving, communication, patience and perseverance, determination, self-motivation, analytical and study skills through direct interactions with society and institutions in another country. (CertHE, DipHE, BA)
1-5 and 7-8: Attendance at and contributions to lectures, seminars, and tutorials, alongside independent study and engagement with digital resources and exercises.

5-6: Engagement in independent Dissertation research.

9. Year abroad (as delivered by host institution)
1-5 and 7-8: The completion of written formative and summative coursework (i.e. essays, assignments, source analyses, book or article reviews, portfolio assessment, take-home papers) of varying lengths.

1-5 and 7-8: Participation in oral presentations of varying length and format, delivered either as an individual or as part of a group.

5-6: Dissertation.

9. Year Abroad Module (assessment as required by host institution).