Programme Specification for the 2020/1 academic year
BA (Hons) History
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BA (Hons) History | Programme code | UFA3HPSHPS11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Full Time Part Time |
Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
The BA (Hons) History programme builds on a broad foundation in the first year, to highly specialised work in the final year, including the study of a particular subject in depth. There is a huge amount of module choice covering time periods from the Roman Empire to the 1960s and topics as diverse as the Vikings, early medieval empires, British politics since 1900, women in society, the Norman conquest, magic and witchcraft in early modern Europe and reformation London.
Advice and guidance on your programme can be sought from your personal tutor and programme director. All staff offer regular office hours that you can drop into without a prior appointment for this purpose.
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
This programme aims to develop your competence in the subject-specific and research skills required in History, through extended engagement with primary sources and methodologies, relevant critical material, and theoretical contexts. You will acquire a thorough grounding in the core principles of History through a programme which engages you imaginatively in the process of understanding and analysing complex sources and time periods. In History modules, you will progress through study of both broad and detailed focus, analysing particular aspects of the past across a range of time periods and geographical areas. History offers detailed subject knowledge, broad coverage and a wide range of choice.
You will also acquire advanced competence in core academic, personal and key skills, providing a basis for career progression in the academic and professional worlds. You will be exposed to a variety of teaching and assessment methods within appropriate learning environments, supported by feedback and monitoring. You will also be given an opportunity to develop your independent study skills through a piece of individual research.
The programme provides an intellectually stimulating, satisfying experience of learning and studying, and forms a sound basis for further study in History, or related disciplines. It aims to develop a range of subject-specific, academic and transferable skills, including high order conceptual literacy and communication skills of value in graduate employment. History, like other programmes offered within the College of Humanities, encourages you to become a global citizen, a productive, useful and questioning member of society, and provides thorough training for further study or a specialist career. You may utilise the skills you develop in a range of sectors, including consultancy, market research, the Civil Service, education, teaching, new media industries, journalism and publishing, research, charities, information science, advertising and public relations.
It further aims to:
- Offer an excellent Honours-level education in History.
- Ensure that graduates from the programme are useful, productive and questioning members of society.
- Produce graduates who are grounded in the main themes of the discipline through a combination of both broad and detailed focuses on particular aspects of the past, study of a range of time periods, and study of different geographical areas; who understand the methods which historians use to study the past; and who can analyse the development of past societies.
- Develop your competence in subject-specific, core academic and personal and key skills.
- Offer you a wide range of choice, insofar as this choice is consistent with the coherence and intellectual rigour of the degree.
4. Programme Structure
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/undergraduates/modules/
You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme in any stage of the programme as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
Stage 1
90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIH1400 | Making History | 15 | Yes |
| HIH1401 | Approaches to History | 15 | No |
| HIH1410 | Understanding the Medieval and Early-Modern World | 30 | No |
| HIH1420 | Understanding the Modern World | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HISS S1 BA SH opt 2020-1 | |||
| HIH1610 | The Rise and Demise of the Raj: India, 1857-1947 | 15 | No |
| HIH1014 | The Body in Eighteenth-Century Britain | 15 | No |
| HIH1525 | Restoration London: Plague, Fire and History | 15 | No |
| HIH1042 | Murder in Early Modern England | 15 | No |
| HIH1034 | Red Sky at Morning: The Origins of Communism in East and Southeast Asia | 15 | No |
| HIH1002 | Losing an Empire, Finding a Role: Britain Since 1945 | 15 | No |
| HIH1607 | JFK | 15 | No |
| HIH1038 | The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Origins, Development and Impact | 15 | No |
| HIH1057 | The Opium War: the British Empire encounters the Middle Kingdom | 15 | No |
| HIH1612 | Renaissance Florence 1350-1550 | 15 | No |
| HIH1506 | The First Day of the Somme | 15 | No |
| HIH1505 | The First Crusade | 15 | No |
| HIH1402 | Britain, America, and the Global Order, 1846-1946 | 15 | No |
| HIH1411 | From Wigan Pier to Piccadilly: Britain between the Wars | 15 | No |
| HIH1600 | Images of Stalinism | 15 | No |
| HIH1136 | 'Dangerous woman'? The Lives and Afterlives of Emma Goldman | 15 | No |
| HIH1053 | Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages | 15 | No |
Stage 2
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIH2001 | Doing History: Perspectives on Sources | 30 | Yes |
| HIH2002 | Uses of the Past | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HISS S2 BA SH opt 2020-1 | |||
| HIH2014A | Decolonisation and the Collapse of the British Empire, 1919-1968 | 30 | No |
| HIH2016A | Living Through the Global: Colonial Migrants and the British Empire from the Eighteenth Century to the Present | 30 | No |
| HIH2030A | Peoples and Empires in Latin America, 1492-1820s | 30 | No |
| HIH2032A | Europe 1650-1800: From Enlightenment to Romanticism | 30 | No |
| HIH2037 | American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology | 30 | No |
| HIH2145A | Spain from Absolutism to Democracy | 30 | No |
| HIH2092A | Europe in the Tenth Century: Continuity and Change | 30 | No |
| HIH2185A | China in the World, 1500-1840 | 30 | No |
| HIH2186A | Deviants and Dissenters in Early Modern England | 30 | No |
| HIH2200A | Islam and the Making of Medieval Europe, c.600-1300 | 30 | No |
| HIH2137A | Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800 | 30 | No |
| HIH2203A | Crime and Society in England, 1500-1800 | 30 | No |
| HIH2011A | Forgetting Fascism, Remembering Communism: Memory in Modern Europe | 30 | No |
| HIH2034A | Anarchism: Theory, Practice, History | 30 | No |
| HIH2036A | Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965 | 30 | No |
| HIH2181A | The Witchcraze in Europe and its Colonies c.1300-1800 | 30 | No |
| HIH2209A | African American History | 30 | No |
| HUM HUM2000-HUM2001 | |||
| HUM2000 | Humanities in the Workplace | 30 | No |
| HUM2001 | Humanities in the Workplace | 15 | No |
Stage 3
30 credits of compulsory Dissertation, 30 credits of compulsory Comparative modules, 60 Credits of Sources and Context modules
a You must select 30 credits from this list of Comparative History modules.
b You must select 60 credits from this list History Special Subject modules. You must select both the Sources module and its co-requisite Context module.
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIH3005 | General Third-Year Dissertation | 30 | Yes |
| HISS SF BA Comparative modules 2020-1 [See note a above] | |||
| HIH3617 | News, Media and Communication | 30 | No |
| HIH3618 | Power Elites: Ruling Groups across Space and Time | 30 | No |
| HIH3619 | Sexualities | 30 | No |
| HIH3626 | Heroes: Conceptions, Constructions and Representations | 30 | No |
| HIH3629 | Disease | 30 | No |
| HIH3632 | Violence | 30 | No |
| HIH3633 | Revolutions | 30 | No |
| HIH3634 | Race, Resistance, and Decolonisation | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HISS SF BA Sources and Contexts 2020-1 {See note b above] | |||
| HIH3038 | The Invisible Empires: American Society and the Ku Klux Klan since 1866: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3039 | The Invisible Empires: American Society and the Ku Klux Klan since 1866: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3042 | Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 (Sources) | 30 | No |
| HIH3043 | Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 (Context) | 30 | No |
| HIH3110 | The Celtic Frontier: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3111 | The Celtic Frontier: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3117 | The Age of AEthelred 'the Unready': Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3118 | The Age of AEthelred 'the Unready': Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3157 | The Irish Revolution, 1912-23: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3158 | The Irish Revolution, 1912-23: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3182 | Critics of Empire: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3183 | Critics of Empire: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3187 | Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3188 | Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3206 | A New Jerusalem? Being Protestant in Post-Reformation England: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3207 | A New Jerusalem? Being Protestant in Post-Reformation England: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3216 | The Yes, Minister Files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3217 | The Yes, Minister Files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3257 | The Russian Revolution: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3258 | The Russian Revolution: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3266 | Magic in the Middle Ages: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3267 | Magic in the Middle Ages: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3314 | Governing the World: A History of Internationalism from WW1 to the Present: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3315 | Governing the World: A History of Internationalism from WW1 to the Present: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3316 | The Holocaust and Nazi Occupation of Eastern Europe, 1939-1945: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3317 | The Holocaust and Nazi Occupation of Eastern Europe, 1939-1945: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3318 | Health and its Politics in the 20th Century: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3319 | Health and its Politics in the 20th Century: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3320 | Making A New China: Ideas, Networks, and the Intelligentsia: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3321 | Making A New China: Ideas, Networks, and the Intelligentsia: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3322 | Crusades in Christendom, 1179-1588: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3323 | Crusades in Christendom, 1179-1588: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3325 | Britain and Slavery: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3624 | Literature, Culture, and Politics in Early Modern England: Sources | 30 | No |
| HIH3625 | Literature, Culture, and Politics in Early Modern England: Context | 30 | No |
| HIH3324 | Britain and Slavery: Sources | 30 | No |
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
1. Describe and discuss the philosophical problems confronting historians. | ILO1s 1-3 are developed at stage 1 in compulsory modules though lectures, seminars, and written work. ILO 1 is further developed especially in compulsory modules at stage 2. ILOs 2-3 form the backbone of all modules taken at all stages, but the level of complexity and nuance develops according to stage with the Comparative Histories modules particularly focused on these skills. You are encouraged to use stage 1 and 2 compulsory modules as a way of addressing ILO 4, and concentrate on doing so in the Dissertation at final stage. More generally, the choice of essays that they are given in all modules develops this skill in them from the outset of their programme. ILO 5 is a requirement of all modules, but there is particular primary source emphasis - developing in complexity as you progress through the stages of the programme - at stage 1 in Sources and Skills modules. ILO 6 is developed in stage 1 and 2 compulsory modules, and in final stage in the Special Subject and Dissertation. You are given clear guidelines about ILO 6 in the Undergraduate Handbook, and are instructed in such matters in stage 1 compulsory modules, and are expected to demonstrate it in all modules. ILO 7 is developed through the Sources and Skills and may be developed in other elective modules. Many modules have a requirement of some work with quantitative data. | The assessment of these skills is through a combination of term-time essays, oral presentations, wikis, Project and Dissertation work, and examinations. The criteria of assessment pay full recognition to the importance of the various skills outlined. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
8. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources | These skills are all developed throughout the degree programme, but the emphasis becomes more complex as you move from stage to stage. They are developed through lectures and seminars, written work, and oral work (both presentation and class discussion). | These skills are assessed through term-time essays, wikis, dissertations, assessed presentations, and examinations. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
21. Undertake independent study and work to deadlines | ILO 21 is an essential part of the successful completion of the programme but is particularly developed in stage 2 compulsory modules and the Dissertation. ILO 22 is developed through essay and presentation work throughout the programme. ILO 23 is developed through stage 1 and 2 compulsory modules and, in final stage, through the Dissertation, which has a single end of year deadline. ILO 24 is developed through seminars, which form the whole (Sources and Skills and Special Subjects) or part basis of all modules. The skills in ILOs 25-26 are developed to some extent in all modules, through interaction in seminars and in discussion with tutors about essay work, and in response to criticism both collective and individual. However, there is particular emphasis on ILO 25 (and ILO 27) in stage 1 Sources and Skills and compulsory modules, where you work as part of a team to present and respond to the presentations of others, and in the compulsory modules in the second and final stages. | The skills in ILOs 21-23 are assessed in all modules. ILO 23 is covered by the fact that you write essays of differing lengths which are summatively assessed. In addition, presentations are formally assessed in Special Subjects and Comparative Histories. ILO 23 is covered by the Dissertation and, to a lesser extent, stage 1 and 2 compulsory modules. Formative assessment of work in seminars (ILO 24) takes place in options, and there is assessment of presentations as stated above. Team work skills (ILOs 25-27) are formally assessed in stage 2 compulsory modules and Comparative History modules. |
7. Programme Regulations
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
History tutors set aside two ‘tutorial’ hours a week during term-time to see personal tutees and are also available to see tutees by appointment. Personal tutors see their first year tutees at least twice a term, in the first two terms, and once in the third term, and their non-first year tutees at least once a term. The role of academic tutors is to support you on individual modules; the role of personal tutors is to provide you with advice and support for the duration of the programme and extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness.
Each research centre in History runs its own seminar series, which you are welcome to attend. In addition, we have close relations with a range of organisations that support student research. For example, Exeter Cathedral Library is a key centre for the study of medieval history. The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, on campus, houses one of Britain’s largest public collections of books, prints, artefacts and ephemera relating to the history and prehistory of cinema. At the heart of the Centre is the Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection, comprised of approximately 50,000 items.
Programme handbooks and other useful information can be accessed via the student intranet: http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/taughthandbook/.
Other useful information and student resources can be accessed via the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE): http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/login/index.php, which has specific information on library skills, essay writing and research skills.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.
10. Admissions Criteria
Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)
12. Indicators of Quality and Standards
The programme is not subject to accreditation and/ or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).
13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards
The University and its constituent Colleges draw on a range of data to review the quality of educational provision. The College documents the performance in each of its taught programmes, against a range of criteria on an annual basis through the Annual Programme Monitoring cycle:
- Admissions, progression and completion data
- In Year Analysis data
- Previous monitoring report
- Monitoring of core (and optional) modules
- External examiner's reports and University and College responses (reported to SSLC)
- Any Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body/accrediting body or other external reports
- Consultation with employers and former students
- Staff evaluation
- Student evaluation
- Programme aims
Subject areas are reviewed every four years through a periodic subject review scheme that includes external contributions. (http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%209/9JREVISEDPSRSCHEME.pdf)
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
BA (Hons) History
19. UCAS Code
V100
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | ECTS credits |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
[Honours] History
23. Dates
| Origin Date | 01/11/2011 |
Date of last revision | 04/06/2020 |
|---|
