BA Hons History at Goldsmiths College University Of London
The Department has a thriving academic environment. Our research focuses on the history of ideas including religion; state, nation and identity; East-West cultural encounters; the history of medicine; and gender history. With their diverse research interests our staff are ideally placed to offer expertise as you develop your own interests in British, European, South Asian and African history.
What you Study
The first year introduces you to the skills, concepts and materials involved in the study of degree-level history, and provides a good grounding in a variety of key historical themes. You’ll survey three of the following four subjects: cultural history; intellectual history; modern political history; religion, peace and conflict.
In the second year you choose a selection of courses. This could involve you examining: the historical context of literary visions of London, from Shakespeare to Orwell; heresy and the occult in early modern Europe; the creation of gender as a social category in medieval Europe; early modern witchcraft trials; the development of modern European culture and thinking; contemporary moral issues – such as theories of ethics, abortion, suicide, sexual ethics and war; the everyday lives of British people from 1800 to the present, featuring issues such as migration, political movements, and new literacies; the fortunes of Buddhism, from its founding in North East India to its arrival in the contemporary West; medieval Islamic empires; Venice and the Ottoman empire 1453-1797; changing experiences of health and illness in colonial and postcolonial Africa; colonial rule in India; democracy and dictatorship in interwar Europe, British history through the study of films, and Cold War history. You can also take a course in a modern foreign language or apply to take a ‘related study’ – an approved module from another department.
In addition to completing further option courses, in your third year you also take a History Special Subject selected from the 40 or so available across other University of London institutions. These are based on the use of original sources in a detailed study which further develops your skills in understanding and interpreting historical evidence.
Assessment
Each course unit is examined at the end of the year in which you’ve taken it, using written exams, a dissertation, coursework, or a combination of these; all courses contribute to your final result.
Application enquiries
Please see how to apply for information on applying to this programme.