History Why would I study History at university and how do courses differ? History is the study of mankind through time. It is an analytical discipline which focuses on change. Intellectually it is firmly rooted in a sceptical tradition which takes nothing for granted: examining assumptions, exploring different perspectives and interrogating evidence. History aims to provide students with the intellectual tools to devise and develop their own independent appreciation of the events and processes of the past. Undergraduate degree courses in History are usually three years in length and encourage students to actively engage in exploring and interpreting the past. Most courses offer a general introductory component in the first two years. This is typically followed by opportunities to select a variety of more specialised topics. In many cases, the third year also offers the possibility of writing a dissertation, based on a student’s independent and original research. Courses offered by universities vary enormously. Many will require some study of British History and nearly all offer the option of studying European and World History. In addition, courses in Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Modern and Contemporary History are available. Typically, A Level courses are concerned with Political and International History, in which political leaders and the state plays the leading role. While undergraduate courses will offer students scope to study similar types of history, there is also a much wider choice of ‘histories’, including Cultural, Economic, Intellectual, Military and Social History. All History courses will involve students in extensive and self-directed reading. They will need to be able to select and organise a large body of material. Typically, the form in which students will present their responses to questions is the essay, which will require the presentation of clearly focused, logically structured, well supported and sustained arguments. A wide variety of Joint Honours courses are available: History and Politics, History and Economics, History and a Language. Many courses are modular and enable students to combine a variety of different modules. There are also courses, such as American Studies, International Relations and War Studies, which can comprise a sizeable History component. What are the typical entry requirements? History is one of the most competitive courses and the entry requirements reflect the demand for places.
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