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History, Politics and International Relations BA (Hons)

Explore, debate and evaluate some of the key events and ideas that have shaped our world throughout contemporary global history and in the ever-changing international political landscape.

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Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

Our programme is diverse, international in focus and innovative. We will teach you the skills for effective research and analysis, helping to hone your ability to absorb, communicate and critically analyse complex information. 

Reflecting the globalised world we live in, the History curriculum covers a wide range of modern and contemporary European and non-European histories, exploring topics such as colonialism, decolonisation, immigration, ethnic minorities, racism and gender.

You will also gain an understanding of the role politics plays at local, national and global levels and explore the crucial issues in contemporary international politics that are impacting our world. Our research-informed curriculum provides both the practical tools and the theoretical knowledge to understand a wide range of political issues and respond to the current social, political and economic challenges.

As you progress through the course, we’ll challenge you with more in-depth explorations, and the subject matter will become increasingly complex. You can choose to specialise in either History, Politics or International Relations. You’ll be supported by a passionate teaching team who provide a dynamic learning environment and whose national and international expertise is embedded within the curriculum.

Key features

  • Explore distinctive areas such as photographic history, history of sport and leisure, war and conflict, migration, ethnicity and racism.
  • Choose to specialise in either History, Politics or International Relations as you progress in your studies.
  • Develop a wide range of transferable skills by learning how to research and communicate complex information effectively. Our graduates use these skills to forge successful careers across a range of professions including teaching, the law, marketing and the heritage and museum sector.
  • Benefit from expert teaching delivered by our team of renowned academics, as well as gain wider knowledge and insight through organised trips to archives and museums such as The National Archives in London.
  • DMU is the only university in the UK to hold both ‘Congress to Campus’ and ‘European Parliament to Campus’ events, featuring visits from prominent political figures to enhance your study experience.
  • Apply your skills in a real-world context through a placement. Previous students have gained professional experience at a large regional newspaper, Leicester’s award-winning King Richard III Visitor Centre, the House of Commons and local governments.
  • Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.

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More courses like this

History BA (Hons)

History with Mandarin BA (Hons)

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: LVF2

Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

  • 112 points from at least 2 A levels or
  • BTEC Extended Diploma DMM or
  • International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points or
  • T Levels Merit

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

  • Pass Access with 30 level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above.

We will normally require students to have had a break from education from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

  • We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

Interview required: No

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

First year

Block 1: Politics, People and Place

Block 2: Empire, nation and revolution in the 19th century

Block 3: Global Challenges: Politics and Social Policy

Block 4: Ideology, War and Society in the 20th century 

Second year

Block 1: Global Cold War

Block 2: Select to study one specialism from the list below:

    • Multicultural Societies in History
    • Political Research in Action

Block 3: Select to study one specialism from the list below:

    • Political Theory: Why Big Ideas Matter
    • Contemporary International Relations Theory

Block 4: Continue with the specialism selected in Block 2:

    • Investigating the Past
    • Not in Westminster: National and Local Politics 

Third year

Block 1: Culture, Society and Conflict

Block 2: Select to study one specialism from the list below:

  • Independence Movements
  • Decolonising Politics

Block 3: Tackling Global Crises

Block 4/ Year long: Select to study one specialism from the list below:

    • History Dissertation
    • Politics and International Relations Project

Overview

Our teaching is interactive, informal and enjoyable. We encourage you to develop your own thoughts, ideas and viewpoints and you will build the skills you need to be effective in both historical study and the modern workplace.

The modules are all designed to improve your skills as an effective historian from analysis and research to reasoning and evaluation. They are also constructed to help you develop aptitudes and characteristics that will improve your employability for a wide range of careers.

You will be taught by experts in their field, the people who are writing the books you are reading. Our history staff are renowned nationally and internationally for the quality of their teaching and research. We work hard to ensure that the student experience is lively, dynamic and stimulating, and regular guest lecturers and speakers address both curriculum-related topics and topics of broader historical interest.

There is a varied mix of assessment including: work in pairs and in groups, primary source analysis, presentations, portfolios, podcasts and/ or videos, essay writing, timed essays, and individual project work culminating in a dissertation. The assessments are designed to build on each other as you progress in your studies and you will have opportunities to receive feedback on your work throughout. With a variety of different assessment methods, you can build on your individual strengths as well as develop a range of skills in creativity, project management, team work, verbal communication, writing for a variety of audiences and the use of different technologies.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. In your first year you will normally attend around 9 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 28 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

 

Facilities and features

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Campus Centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team. 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Placements

This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career, through a placement. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future.

Students Kayleigh Cardy and Cory Hancock secured year-long placements as English language teaching assistants in Spain though DMU’s Erasmus+ programme. Kayleigh said: “It’s been so much more than a placement. I’ve travelled, I’ve learnt about a whole new culture and I’ve grown as a person. It’s highlighted what I can achieve when I set my mind to something and I feel better prepared for my final year of university as I’m more independent and confident.”

Students on the #DMUglobal trip to New York

DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global you can take advantage of a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

History students have learnt about Jewish immigrant life in New York, discovered Danish heritage in Copenhagen and explored the legacies of authoritarian rule in Berlin.

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Graduate careers

Employability skills are embedded in the curriculum to prepare you for a range of careers both related to your subject and in wider industries. Our  graduates have gone on to forge successful careers in various professions, such as in teaching, law, public relations, marketing, journalism, civil service and the heritage and museum sectors, including roles such as: 

  • Deputy Manager at the National Waterways Museum
  • Communication and Marketing Executive at Cambridge University Press
  • Associate at multinational law firm Eversheds Sutherland
  • Head of History at a high school 

Graduates also have the opportunity to undertake further studies such as Sports History and Culture MA at DMU.

Recent History graduate, Jessica, is now undertaking a PhD at DMU. She said: “The staff were clearly enthusiastic about their subjects and it felt like a vibrant department to be part of. I felt supported by my personal tutor and subject tutors; they were always there to ask about further reading or something I wasn't clear on, as well as individual support.”

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