BA (Hons) History and Politics

Studying History and Politics at Keele will enable you to develop your appreciation of various global histories and political arenas, whilst enjoying the rich history of our local area. You will learn the skills of the historian as you deepen your understanding of eras, continents, and cultures from political, social, and religious perspectives, and you will learn to use that knowledge to analyze the way in which societies govern themselves today. You’ll develop an understanding of different approaches to history and politics, developing a range of methods used in their pursuit. The History element of the degree will carry you chronologically from the medieval period to the present, and span the globe. You will be introduced to a wide range of history – from political, social, economic, and cultural history to the history of gender, health, sexuality, and religion.

Year 1

• Defining Moments in World History, c.1000-2000
• Why Politics Matters
• Modern Democracies

OPTIONAL MODULES

• The American Past: Explorations in U.S. History
• History, Media, Memory: The Presentation of the Past in Contemporary Culture
• Medieval Europe and Its World
• Literature as History: Writing the Americas
• Modern History
• The Early Modern World, 1490-1700
• The Changing World: A History of International Relations since 1945
• Justice, Authority, and Power
• Introduction to Global Political Economy (GPE)
• Debates in American Politics
• Introduction to International Relations
• Securing Global Order

Year 2

• Sources and Debates in History

OPTIONAL MODULES

• Rebels, Bandits, and Outcasts in Colonial American History (1607-1776)
• Saints and Society in Medieval Europe
• Power in the Modern World
• Creating Britain, 1536-1707
• A Civilising Mission? The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
• Work Placement for Humanities Students
• History of the United States in the Twentieth Century
• Company and Crown in India 1818-1928: the cultural history of the Raj
• The History of the Camp: From the GULAG to The Jungle
• U.S Government and Politics
• British Government and Politics
• Contemporary International Relations Theory
• Russian Politics and Society
• Work Experience in Politics, International Relations, and Philosophy
• Foreign Policy
• The International Politics of the Middle East: A Century of War and Diplomacy
• INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF EURASIA: Challenges of Globalisation and Geopolitics
• The Practice of Politics
• Freedom and Equality
• Why Policy Changes
• The Politics of the European Union
• International Organisation: Mitigating Anarchy

Year 3

Optional Modules

• ‘Eyes on the Prize’: The Struggle for Civil Rights in America
• Violence and Power in Antebellum America
• The Art of Dying: Death and Society in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
• Crisis, Conflict, and Commerce I: From Union to Westphalia, 1603-1648
• Crisis, Rupture, and Opportunity: German ‘Modernity’, 1900-1933 I
• Sites of Sexual Conflict in South Asia I
• The contested city: a spatial history of Rome, 1870-1978
• Extinction: Existential Panic since 1945
• Sickness and Suffering? Health, illness, and medicine in England 1628-1808
• Dissertation for History – ISP
• Violence and Power in Civil War America
• The English Civil War, c.1640-46
• From Sawbones to Social Hero? Doctors and medicine 1808-1886
• Gender and Sexuality in Victorian Britain
• Crisis, Rupture, and Opportunity: German ‘Modernity’, 1900-1933 II
• Sites of Sexual Conflict in South Asia II
• The Making of Middle Britain: The Mercian Moment
• The Making of Contemporary Africa since c.1945
• The Missing Dimension: Conspiracies, Spying, and International Relations
• The U.S. Presidency
• Policing International Order
• The Extreme Right in Western Europe
• Politics of Development
• Israel/Palestine: Key Debates and Issues
• Parliamentary Studies
• Global Governance of Peace and Security
• Dissertation in Politics and IR – ISP
• Understanding Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism
• Human Rights: Concepts, Norms, and Identities
• Modern Russia
• Britain and war since 1945: War, Cold War, and society
• The Rise of China

Employability

The careers record of Keele History and Politics graduates are excellent. Common graduate destinations include political research, think tanks, journalism, education, management, the civil service, local government, and the voluntary sector as well as in the preservation, archival, and museum sectors. Around a quarter of our graduates go on to take higher degrees with many choosing to stay at Keele.