Home Courses History BA (Hons) History with Humanities Integrated Foundation Year
Student reading a book in the library

Boost your academic knowledge, skills, and confidence before your studies start

This course starts in September 2025 - subject to approval

UCAS LogoUCAS Logo
V106
4 years full time
Bishop Otter Campus (Chichester)

10th

in the UK for student satisfaction

Complete University Guide 2023

1st

in the UK for freedom
of expression

National Student Survey 2024

95%

positivity for assessment
feedback

National Student Survey 2024

10th

in the UK for student satisfaction

Complete University Guide 2023

1st

in the UK for freedom
of expression

National Student Survey 2024

95%

positivity for assessment
feedback

National Student Survey 2024

Overview

Fuel your passion for history as you study a dynamic subject

Explore events and people from across the world

This course will allow you to practice and develop your skills as a humanities scholar. It will ensure you are ready to complete your degree in History by giving you the chance to learn research and communication skills in a supportive, step-by-step manner.

You will be given the support needed to become an inclusive and creative humanities student. In addition, the Humanities Foundation Year will allow you to gain inter-disciplinary skills from English, Politics and Philosophy.

Our students learn from lectures, seminars, prestigious guest speakers and study visits to the internationally recognized local heritage industry. Each year you develop your knowledge and skills so that in your final year you will not only study your modules but undertake your own research dissertation.

Build your academic skills on an initial foundation year

This four-year course includes an integrated, introductory foundation year that develops your academic skills and confidence, as well as provides you with an overview of core aspects of humanities that you will build upon in your further years of study.

This option is for you if you are interested in History but do not meet the course entry requirements for BA (Hons) History yet, or if you want more time to prepare for higher education.

Learn from experts

You will learn from internationally recognised staff who use the latest research to underpin their teaching to ensure you engage with the current debates. The bonus of taking this degree is you will access a kaleidoscope of amazing subjects. From the black death, to Henry VIII’s court intrigues, to the Victorians and the making of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Prepare for your career

Along with learning about history, we will prepare you through bridging activities to consider a career in teaching, heritage and law. We know these are classic careers for you as a history graduate.

The Course

Explore and understand historical events and contexts from around the world

Our BA (Hons) History with Humanities Integrated Foundation Year course offers you the chance to study key historical topics from the medieval period to the present day and in each year you will gain and develop your research skills.

Studying the past means immersing yourself in the time period that fascinates you. Our modules will let you explore history using written, visual, material, and oral history sources and at each level you will explore how historians debate and reinterpret what the past means today.

You will be accessing both the subjects you love already and learning about new ones. Our approach is to share national and international contexts and explore common sources (e.g. treaties, diaries and maps) and more unconventional ones (e.g. comics, films, computer war games, military strategy games).

Integrated Foundation Year (Year One)

The initial foundation year develops the academic skills you will need to excel at degree level, as well as provides you with a broad overview of key aspects of Humanities.

Year Two

Progressing onto the full degree programme, you will be introduced to the world of studying history at university and given the chance to study what you love while also dipping into new subjects.

Year Three

In your third year, you will begin to shape your degree around your interests. See the dropdown list below for the complete list of the exciting choices that we offer.

Year Four

By your final year, you will have a strong sense of what historical area you would like to focus on for your final dissertation project. You will have also had the opportunity to undertake a work placement that will prepare you for your future career.

Modules

This module list is indicative and subject to change.

Select a year

Skills and Scholarship in Humanities

This module provides you with an introduction to and practice of the key skills associated with the success in Humanities. Foregrounded areas will include: defining research questions; accessing research (using libraries, archives, galleries, and online sources); engaged reading of different materials (including a substantial range of sources); constructing arguments and developing structure in communication; communication in written and oral formats, including concise and longer formats.

This module is a toolkit for the skills and scholarship needed to thrive and to enjoy the humanities.

Understanding Ideas, Images and Creativity: Reading Humanities through concepts, objects and pictures

Humanities used to be primarily engaged with written materials and the production of analytical new research in written forms. This is no longer the case (in fact since about circa 1975).

Humanities engage with multiple non-text based sources including: paintings, objects, advertising, film and television, music and sound, posters, photography, graphic narratives, landscapes, and digital materials (including AI generated sources).

This module aims to introduce you to this space and support you to use it as part of your development as a scholar. It also consciously asks you to contextualize and explore non-text sources in their frequently changing multiple and global contexts.

Global Skills for the twenty-first century

Humanities scholarship today is no longer bound by national frameworks. Ideas of frontiers and borders no longer limit the questions we ask. However, what are the skills for understanding this ‘world’ and how are they practised in inclusive and reflective approaches that are democratic and thoughtful?

This module therefore explores: questions of translation, cultural influence and power; cultural intersections and cultural differences, framing the global north and the global south after empire, unpacking where experiences are globalizing and hybrid or that are valued for their specificity and localized meaning and value.

It will ask how did views of the world get things wrong (e.g. early anthropology) and how do scholars think of ‘the world’ today.

Engaging with the ‘Cultural Life’

This module prepares you for exploring and working with ‘culture’ – meaning all forms of public expression associated with the humanities.

It asks what it means to be interested in culture? How we learn to access and explore culture and what barriers may limit access?

It will offer you a chance to define and pursue your own form of cultural activity – ranging from engaging with a form (e.g. writing or blogging criticism) or making new culture (creative writing; curation).

Research Project or Making Humanities Work for You

This module allows you to engage in either an independent research project in any area of the Humanities (subject to staff approval) or to engage in an equivalent 10 days of work experience.

It offers you the chance to pursue your own interest in your preferred humanities area or explore work experience targeted to a future career.

Making History: Theory and Practice

This module examines different approaches to a range of historical case studies. These will include, amongst others, social and cultural history, the history of women, gender and sexuality, ideology and discourse analysis, postcolonial, the history of the visual image, landscape and public history, the legacy of modern war, and heritage studies. Key concepts common to history writing such as periodisation and the nature of the archive are also examined.

England in Europe C.1154-C.1400: An Introduction to the Late Medieval World

This module explores major themes and events in English History from the 12th to the 15th century.

You will study events including: the Angevin Empire and its loss, Magna Carta and the role of the Papal Monarchy, the relative peace and prosperity of the mid- 13th century, Edward I’s campaigns in Wales and Scotland, the upheavals of 1307-27, the Black Death of 1348 and the Hundred Years’ War.

Renaissance and Reformation Europe: 1350-1600

This module evaluates the political, intellectual and religious development, popular, elite and court culture, warfare and international relations and gender issues across Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire within the Renaissance and Reformation periods.

In doing so, you will gain a better understanding of Early Modern European society and the way it responded to pressure and change.

Torture to Terror: European Order and Repression: 1492-1792

This module explores the brutality, atrocity and savagery of the so-called ‘Age of Reason’, with the persecution of witches and religious minorities, endemic warfare and the trade in slavery, concluding with the French Revolutionary Terror, 1792-94.
You will consider recurrent themes and debates, such as the interaction between European and non-European cultures, ‘just’ welfare, colonial exploitation, religious and cultural oppression, torture, slavery and human rights.

The United States: An Introduction: 1763-1970

This module analyses the distinctive origins of American political thought and constitutional practice, the structures and effects of slavery, the origins of the civil war, the evolution of popular culture with special reference to jazz, the pursuit of civil rights and the emergence of the United States as a world power.

Contemporary British History:1945-1979

This module examines the fundamental aspects of contemporary British history in a period of rapidly changing global redefinitions and reorganisations.

You will consider the introduction of the welfare state within an interventionist economic structure, the shifting power relationship between majority and minority cultures, and the notion of national identity.

Russia and China: An Introduction to Post-Communism

This module introduces you to the contemporary politics of the two great powers, Russia and China, and explores their comparative journeys into versions of post-Communism. You will understand the evolution and/or collapse of ‘communist’ ideology and practice in each state. It acknowledges the new state-society dynamics in each state, offering an introduction to politics and society in the twenty-first century Russia and China.

War and Peace: Twentieth-Century Europe and Global Conflict

This module provides you with an overview of European political, cultural, and military history during the 20th century through the study of its major conflicts and global forces.

The central focus of the module is the international history of the major Great Powers between 1914 and 2000. You will examine of some of the common debates that often surround the origins of the First World War; the Second World War; the Cold War and debates on the ‘New World Order’.

Colonialism and Anti-Colonialism in Africa

This module explores the role and impact of colonialism on Africa, as well as how, despite the impact and upheaval of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and various encroachments by the representatives of the European powers, Africans were still the key makers in their own history.

You will examine key aspects of African history from the 1800s through to the 2000s and consider their impact on the growth of anti-colonial nationalism, and the extent to which the end of colonial rule was brought about by the actions of anti-colonial activity in Africa.

The module concludes by assessing the impact of colonial rule, considering the nature of neo-colonialism.

Ideologies, Politics, and Culture

This module aims to provide you with a robust understanding of the nature of ideology, its operation within different political and cultural contexts, including Marxist, liberal, and conservative approaches.
You will also explore and analyse a range of indicative political ideologies, including conservatism, socialism, fascism, feminism and ecologism, enhanced through analysis of historical and contemporary case studies, and discussion of a diverse range of texts.

Approaches to Research

This module will build on your earlier explorations of research techniques, with a focus on the development of time and project management skills as you begin to prepare for your dissertation.
Questions concerning how one starts on a research project and establishes viability of subject to a range of different approaches/theoretical perspectives will be discussed in detail, in relation to how you will choose their own dissertation topic.

Re-Litigating the Past: State, Media and Historical Injustice in Contemporary Britain

This module focuses on how public histories have been rewritten in Britain over the past three decades, through the interventions of state, media, and voluntary sector institutions.

By studying these forms of investigations, you will learn about how private traumas are integrated into or transformed public memory, the ways in which and reasons why silences are maintained or broken, and the place of ‘the past’ in judicial processes.

Women and Gender: 1000-1600

This module explores the term ‘gender’ and its usefulness as a category of historical analysis. It will then explore major areas of research on gender and sexuality by medieval and early modern historians, examining women across all social strata, from queens and regents to prophets and peasants.

Kingdom of Heaven: Crusading and the Holy Land: 1095-1291

This module assesses the causes and consequences of crusading to the Holy Land between 1095-1291.

You will examine the motives of the First Crusaders and the subsequent defence of the Holy Land, including leaders such as Richard the Lionheart, as well as the political and economic ramifications for the Latin East and the indigenous populations of the invaded territories.

Culture and Civilisation in Late Medieval England: C.1200-1550

This module offers a thematic and contextual survey of late-medieval England.

It commences by problematising ‘The Middle Ages’, focusing on historiography, myth, public perception, and the constructed nature of historical periodisation.

The focus is on England, but material from elsewhere may be used, and videos and field trips are normally employed in order to enhance your understanding of late-medieval culture and its conceptualisation.

Art & Knowledge in Europe: From Early Renaissance to Baroque: 1250-1650

This module examines the development of art, knowledge, taste, fashion and beliefs in Europe from c.1250-1650 as you consider the importance of intellectual history, cultural history, science and art as key aspects of European culture.

You will pay close attention to a range of textual and visual sources — from literature, diaries, correspondence, journals, painting, sculpture and architecture.

A Social History of Early Modern England: 1550-1750

This module will explore the lives of ‘ordinary’ (i.e. non elite) men, women and children living in England from c1550 to c1750.

You will consider key defining factors of the society during this period including social structures; gender relations; lifecycles; urban and rural life; poverty and welfare; crime and punishment; popular culture; and the church.

Enlightenment Europe: 1688-1789

The ideas of the Enlightenment provided new ways of thinking about science, religion, education, politics and society and the place of ‘mankind’ in the world, but to what extent did the ‘philosophers’ transform society and how enlightened were they?

You will explore these ideas as you engage with the works of Locke, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau, Beccaria and Wollstonecraft.

Environment and State in Britain Since 1945

This module explores the British state’s evolving stewardship over the environment since the end of the Second World War.

You will examine the connected environmental challenges that the state has faced in this time including pollution, urban change, resource depletion, species conservation and control, epidemics, extreme weather, the threat of nuclear war, and climate change.

Fascism and Post-Fascism in Europe

By looking at a variety of case studies from across Europe throughout the first half of the 20th century, we will discuss the way in which fascism was both embraced and fought against.

In addition, by using literary and cultural forms of post-fascism you will explore how many of the core messages of ideological fascism survived despite being politically discredited.

Heritage in Practice: Work Placements for History Students

The aim of the module is to introduce you to the ways in which your learning experiences in the discipline of History can be applied to the working environment.

The work placement experience will provide you with an understanding of the practical, ethical and technical issues involved in the collection, cataloguing and preservation or conservation of physical traces of the past.

Identity and Conflict in Russia and Eurasia

This module provides you with an understanding of contemporary Russia and Eurasia.

You will examine the recent conflicts across the region through the prism of nationalism and identity politics.

The module re-examines these conflicts by focusing on the sources of demand for national self-determination in secessionist conflicts in Azerbaijan (Nagorno Karabakh), Georgia (Abkhazia/South Ossetia), Moldova (Transnistria), Ukraine (Crimea/Eastern Ukraine); Chechnya (Russian Federation), as well as causes of intra- and inter-ethnic violence in Central Asia.

Study Visit

This module enhances your knowledge of the practical working of national and international institutions, as well as civil society groups and think tanks looking to influence these bodies from outside. You will take part in study visits that give you the opportunity to visit Brussels, where you will visit the main institutions of the EU (European Commission, European Council and EU Parliament), as well as the headquarters of NATO and Brussels-based lobby groups. You will be able to see how international politics plays out in the real world, how is it similar, or different to the developments at the national level and to understand the complexities and intricacies of decision- and policy-making, as well as the functioning of these complex systems of governance.

Dissertation

The dissertation represents the culmination of your History studies as you complete an individual research project on a topic of your choosing.

The 10,500-word thesis will include explicit methodological and historiographical dimensions and where appropriate, theoretical discussions integrated into the text.

British Culture Wars

This module explores conflict within British culture from the start of the 19th century to the turn of the new millennium.

You will consider the reaction to obscene publications and other literary controversies and moral panics of Victorian Britain, through to the liberal reforms in the 1960s and the self-censorship and the baleful influence of Hollywood on British cinema.

France and the Modern World

This module introduces you to the key themes and trends in Modern French History. You will study the post-war development of a major European nation, looking at the ways in which it sought to reassert its strengths in international politics. You will also examine how this impacted on its people, analysing aspects of French society and culture to track major changes in national identity.

Birds, Beasts and Bestiaries: Animals and Animal Symbolism in Late Medieval and Renaissance Europe: C.1100-1650

This module explores the various roles of animals within Late Medieval and Renaissance Europe, both in reality and within cultural arts. You will examine: the role of animals as diplomatic gifts; domestication and pet keeping; animals and warfare; exotic animals and mythological beasts; hunting and lordship; animals and Christianity; chivalric animals (in heraldry and romances), and animals and national identity.

Henry VIII and Court Culture 1509-1547: Faction, Faith and Fornication

This module examines the structures and cultures of royal courts of the Tudor period.
In particular, you will consider court culture through the eyes of contemporaries in order to explore the centrality of the royal court and its relationship to the localities during this period of such immense change.
You will explore the royal court’s political influence, the role of faction and division and the relationship to the literary arts.

Commerce and Consumption in Early Modern England: C. 1600-1750

This module examines the emerging commercial cultures of Early Modern England. Using primary sources of wills, business accounts, personal letters, and diaries, you will consider the changing attitudes to business and consumption of the period and how they laid the groundwork for further economic evolutions that influence the way we live today.

Louis XVI’s France: 1643-1715

This module assesses the extent to which an ‘absolutist’ monarchy was established in France in the seventeenth century. You will consider various historiographical perspectives of the French monarchy, with a focus on the social and cultural contexts of the period as well as the impact of the military tensions with other European nations.

Vice to Virtue? the Origins and Outcomes of the French Revolution: 1744-94

This module examines the roots and consequences of the French Revolution, as well the major historiographical debates that continue through to today. You will gain a clear understanding of the political, social and economic context of the revolution’s origins, the complexities and evolution of the Revolution itself, and the fallout and ramifications across the subsequent decades.

Kingship, Queenship and Power in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe

This module considers the nature of social, cultural and political power in the late medieval and early modern periods by examining a variety of different topics such as royal ritual and law-making, visual and material culture, and social exclusion and popular rebellion.

You will understand how power was conceptualised and exercised in different socio-cultural contexts and chronological periods, as well as consider the role of gendered within power structures and social responses to rulers.

The Cultural History of Death

This module explores how literary representations of the historical and social treatment of the dead presents a vivid insight into the cultural behaviour, ideology and social order of different cultural and historical contexts.
You will explore the beliefs and attitudes towards the dead within literature from the Middles Ages through to more contemporary examples and debates.

Unforgettable Corpses: Literature, Cultural Memory and the First World War

This module will examine literary products of the First World War, the methods by which the authors reproduced, described and fictionalised their experiences.

The second half of the module will also consider the use of First World War tropes in literature produced in the latter half of the 20th century, compare the application of those narrative devices, and critically assess the later use of those devices.

A Global History of the Cold War

This module introduces you to a wider view of the effects of the Cold War beyond the traditional Western-centric view. You will examine the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Middle East, the decolonisation processes in Asia and Africa, the political influence on developing nations in Latin America, and the emergence of China as an additional player.

Dictatorship, Conformity and Resistance in Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy and Stalin’s Russia

This module explores the distinctive ideologies of Soviet Communism, Italian Fascism and German National Socialism, and to consider if and how these were in fact new forms of religion. The module will also examine the construction of these ‘totalitarian’ states in practice, and the experiences of individual and institutions caught up within these contexts, with particular reference to the churches and to cultural movements.

Globalisation and Its Malcontents

This module looks at key moments in the development of globalization focusing on moments in which the world came together, such as the Bretton Woods conference in 1944, when the terms of global trade were outlined after the rupture of the Second World War.

You will use these examples to contextualise the work of theorists like Arjun Appadurai to develop your understanding of how globalization has shaped 20th-century history and politics.

Gothic, Romanticism and Women’s Writing: From Mary Wollstonecraft to Jane Austen

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the exciting range of women’s prose writing in the late 18th century, as you consider the relationship between such writing and the political debates of the period.

You will discover how this writing, while often underrated, was of importance to Romantic aesthetics, often primarily understood and defined in terms of poetry written by men.

International Law

This module introduces you to international law: the body of law which governs the legal relations between or among states and nations.

You will study the theories, principles and processes of international law, including its sources, legal personality, jurisdiction and realms of responsibility.

In addition, you will also be introduced to debates about the regulation of international activities, including the use of force, dispute settlement processes, human rights, and the role of the UN.

Experience

Discover facilities that support your academic learning

Heather-Ann

BA (Hons) History graduate
"My readings enabled me to form better opinions, develop new ideas and add new dimensions to these ideas. Being able to research in this environment, with the support that was offered to me was an exceptional experience that will be difficult to replicate."

Alexander

BA (Hons) History graduate
"There is an amazing group of lecturers who are all experts in their respective fields - many have written several books on the content they teach! It's a very supportive environment as lecturers are easy to contact via email or their office and you always know the peers you're sat with in lectures. A huge range of both history and politics modules across the Department means you're always learning something new.”

Teaching and Assessment

Feel the support of internationally-recognised research staff

Teaching

At our University, you will find a friendly atmosphere and an encouraging team of staff who will work hard to support you throughout your learning.

Our record in Student Satisfaction polls for History is second to none and we are delighted that our students find the University a supportive and positive learning environment.

Our team of experienced tutors and experts use the latest research to underlie their teaching. This ensures that you have access to the latest debates within the study of History.

Much of our teaching is in small groups. Our commitment to smaller class sizes allows you to feel more confident to discuss your ideas in a supportive environment.

It also allows your tutors to get to know you and how best to aid your development.

Assessment

Our BA (Hons) History with Humanities Integrated Foundation Year course uses a range of assessment methods, including:

  • Essays
  • Source evaluations and reviews
  • Research projects
  • Collaborative project work
  • Dissertation

Modules are assessed at every stage of the course, allowing you to clearly see your academic progress throughout your degree.

Learn more about our teaching staff

Alwyn Turner

Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Literary History

I’m a historian primarily interested in popular culture and politics in 19th- and 20th-century Britain.

Nicola Clark

Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History

Dr Nicola Clark joined the Department of History as an Associate Lecturer in 2014 and was appointed Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History in 2018.

Work Placements

Gain vital workplace experience with our local partners

You will have the option to take work placements with our partners including Arundel Castle, Butser Ancient Farm, Chichester Cathedral, Fishbourne Roman Palace, Pallant House Gallery, Royal Marines Museum, Tangmere Aviation Museum, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum (home of TV’s Repair Shop) and West Sussex Record Office.

Study Abroad

Explore the opportunity to study part of your course abroad

As a student at the University of Chichester, you can explore opportunities to study abroad during your studies as you enrich and broaden your educational experiences.

Students who have undertaken this in the past have found it to be an amazing experience to broaden their horizons, a great opportunity to meet new people, undertake further travelling and to immerse themselves within a new culture.

You will be fully supported throughout the process to help find the right destination institution for you and your course. We can take you through everything that you will need to consider, from visas to financial support, to help ensure that you can get the best out of your time studying abroad.

Careers

Open up your future career options

A degree in History provides you with the opportunity to take up a number of career roles after graduation. Our graduates are valued by employers as they possess key skills in communication, analysis and reporting.

The option to study issues of political, social, and cultural significance, as well as work placement opportunities in archives, institutes and research centres, provides you with experience suitable for a range of career paths.

Many of our graduates continue on as teachers, lawyers, accountants, as well as management roles within a variety of settings.

Career paths include:

  • Education
  • Teaching
  • Local and national government
  • Journalism
  • Public service
  • Communications and PR
  • Law

Postgraduate pathways

  • MA Cultural History
  • MRes The History of Africa and the African Diaspora
  • PGCEs
  • MA Creative Writing
  • Postgraduate Research (MPhil/PhD)

University of Chichester alumni who have completed a full undergraduate degree at the University will receive a 15% discount on their postgraduate fees.

Course Costs

Course Fees 2024/25

UK fee
£9,250
International fee
£15,840

For further details about fees, please see our Tuition Fees page.

For further details about international scholarships, please see our Scholarships page.

To find out about any additional costs on this course, please see our Additional Costs page.

Entry Requirements

Typical Offer (individual offers may vary)

UCAS
48
tariff points.
A Levels
DD or EEE
BTEC National Diploma
Merit Pass
T Level
Pass
IELTS
6.0 overall
with no element lower than 5.5.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply?

Click the ‘Apply now’ button to go to relevant UCAS page.

What are UCAS tariff points?

Many qualifications have a UCAS Tariff value. The score depends on the qualification, and the grade you achieved.

How do I know what my UCAS tariff points are?

Head to the UCAS Tariff Points web page where you can find a tariff points calculator that can tell you how much your qualification and grades are worth.

Our address

For visits

I’m looking for