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This module will introduce you to global history. It covers the formation of civilizations across time and space, a world without borders in which our lives are intertwined, not lived in isolation. Historians have increasingly abandoned the rise and rule of the nation state as a primary focus in the age of the world wide web, replacing it with interconnection and interaction. The module is interdisciplinary and draws on social, cultural and political approaches to history, inviting you to reimagine the world we live in.
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This module explores current approaches to history, from the skills required by researchers to methods of historical analysis. At its centre it invites us to consider concepts of memory, as historians have learned to be interdisciplinary, understand meaning as well as fact. Using a number of case studies, we delve into how myths are formed and what makes them so powerful across a range of societies, from ancient Rome to the infamous ‘stab in the back’ at the centre of the Nazis’ appeal in Weimar German.
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This module introduces us to identities addressed historically, with topics reflecting student interest from the ancient world to the present. The approach is multidisciplinary, reflecting historians openness to the insights afforded by, among others, dress theory, gender, and understanding dissent and resistance under oppressive regimes. Recently our identities have included gender, questions of racialisation and slavery, and youth subcultures. Language is power and understanding how it serves the construction of identities provides the tools to unlock meaning in our world, as well as theirs.
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This module explores the ways in which the past is weaponised in the present for a variety of purposes spanning the social, cultural and political. Beneath our present lies a contested past, which is all too often called upon to serve partisan interests. We explore the relationship between history and the present across a wide range of themes, from governments and wars, though nationalism and the nostalgic appeal of ‘Keep Calm and Carry On' to moral panics provoked by the shock of the new.
History BA (Hons)
Honours Degree, Undergraduate, September 2024
Key Details
- V100 Course Code
- 3 Years
- 112 Typical UCAS Tariff
Birmingham Newman’s History degree is a journey across time and place, from the ancient to the modern world. It crosses borders and questions identities, equipping students to become informed citizens with excellent career prospects. Together we will span ancient Rome and Greece, the early modern world and the great global transformations that created modernity, from Europe and the USA to the Global South. We attract students who are excited by and committed to understanding historically the big issue of our day and who want to take problem solving into their graduate careers.
- Embark on a Historical Journey: Explore a diverse curriculum spanning ancient Rome and Greece to the modern transformations shaping our world today, providing a comprehensive understanding of history.
- Tailored Learning Experience: Benefit from individualised teaching that lets you dive deep into global issues and human motivations.
- Engage with Diverse Themes: Immerse yourself in fascinating themes like warfare, social change, and revolutionary ideas. Delve into unique case studies, such as ancient world sexuality or punk culture behind the Berlin Wall.
- Develop Valuable Skills: Gain critical skills in problem-solving, information analysis, and effective communication, both written and verbal, that are highly sought after by employers.
- Enhance Your Career Prospects: As a Birmingham Newman History graduate, you’ll be well-prepared for a variety of careers, equipped to address complex issues and make a significant impact in your field.
Birmingham Newman offers individualised teaching and learning, which enables you to explore global issues and human motivations. ‘History Without Borders’ follows student interests each year.
Recent themes include warfare and social change, the rise and fall of great empires, and the ideas that have shaped revolutionary transformations of societies and politics. ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ ask us what it means to be human.
Recent case studies have covered sexuality in the ancient world, what it meant to be male or female in Victorian Britian, being a punk behind the Berlin Wall, and the scarred legacies of slavery into the present day. In the final year of your degree, you are offered specialist subjects across the ancient and the modern worlds, and a dissertation allowing you the opportunity to produce a depth study of your own choice of topic.
Employers value the Birmingham Newman History graduate’s skills of solve problems, analysing information and communicating with written and verbal excellence.
Timetables are concentrated into two or, at most, three days and are released in the early summer. You can expect nine contact hours in your first year of the degree plus independent study.
Assessment in History is 100% by course work. This provides our students with real-world skills in research, independence of thought, creativity and communication skills employers look for in their graduate employees.
We offer a range of assessments across your degree, including the ability to negotiate questions and topics that follow your interests.
- Assignments to hone skills in written communication, from book reviews and reports on research findings to essays and a final year dissertation.
- Digital presentations to develop the skills required in modern workplace.
- ‘Live’ in-class presentations to prepare you for the world of graduate employment.
At Birmingham Newman University, students gain bespoke advice on a wide range of graduate professions through the personal tutor system, a dedicated module and the Careers Service. Many students continue to study at post-graduate level, both in History and more specific, career-oriented programmes, from heritage management to law conversion.
Recent graduates have entered careers in:
- Marketing
- Heritage management in museums and galleries
- Primary and Secondary Teaching, from the traditional PGCE route to apprenticeships
- Police force
- NHS leadership
- Banking
- Management and Human Resources
- Media and Journalism
- Civil Service
- Psychology and Counselling
- Archives
Birmingham Newman University is located in Britain’s second city – Birmingham. With one of the youngest city populations in Europe, it is a vibrant and dynamic place to study.
Studying at Newman University, you have the advantage of being near to the city, but living in, or commuting to peaceful and comfortable surroundings on campus.
Dining out
Birmingham has lots of wonderful places to dine out with a range of different cuisines. Places where you can dine out include; Brindley Place, Mailbox and Hagley Road (just 10 minutes’ from Newman).
Entertainment
Whether you like to go to; the theatre, gigs or clubs, or enjoy: sports, shopping visiting art galleries or exhibitions – Birmingham will not disappoint and you will be spoilt for choice!
Location
Getting around Birmingham is easy via train, bus or by car. Birmingham has excellent transport links to the rest of Britain, making it easy for those weekend getaways!
Why not explore the city for yourself by visiting one of our Open Days?
Want to find out more about Birmingham? Then take a look at some Birmingham City Secrets.
Entry Requirements
You must achieve at least 96 UCAS points including a minimum of CC at A level or equivalent (e.g.MM at BTEC Diploma; MPP at BTEC Extended Diploma) towards the total tariff.
Access Students can achieve the requirements with the following combination of Distinction, Merit and/ or Pass grades at level 3 achieved from a completed Access course. 96 UCAS Points: D21-M3-P21; D18-M9-P18; D15-M15-P15; D12-M21-P12; D9-M27-P9; D6-M33-P6; D3-M39-P3; D0-M45-P0.
The University accepts appropriate T Levels as part of its usual entry requirements.
For applicants who are unsure that they will achieve the above UCAS tariff, Newman University offers History (with Foundation Year) which enables such applicants to access a university degree via a four year route. Upon successful completion of their foundation year, students will progress to Year 1 of a named degree. Whilst not a condition of entry onto the Foundation Year, students wishing to follow particular named routes with additional entry requirements, will need to meet these requirements before they make the transition from their foundation year to year 1.
International Students
The University is not licenced by the UK Government to sponsor migrant students under the Student route and is therefore unable to accept applications from international students at present.
Applying Direct Option
You can apply direct to Newman University for this course if you have not previously applied to Newman University through UCAS and you are not applying to any other universities.
Simply click on this Direct Application link to do this.
September 2025 Direct Application link
N.B. will need to enter ‘New User’ account details when first accessing this portal.
Course Fees
The full-time course fee for September 2024 is £9,250.
The University will review tuition fees and increase fees in line with any inflationary uplift as determined by the UK Government, if permitted by law or government policy, in subsequent years of your course. It is anticipated that such increases would be linked to RPI (the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments).
Additional Costs
Domestic field trips are free of charge to our students. We occasionally run an optional overseas field trip that, while subsidised, does require some financial input from students. For our most recent overseas field trip students were asked to pay £420, and were also expected to cover expenses during their visit (food, drink and tickets for entry to sites).
Students are not expected to purchase any books for this course. All essential reading is available to students digitally through our Moodle portal (either in scanned format, as a link to an article or as an ebook). Other reading for the course is available through the University Library.
Modules
Please be aware that, as with any course, there may be changes to the modules delivered, for information view our Changes to Programmes of Module Changes page.
Timetables: find out when information is available to students
The content of some modules is revised and refreshed annually. This allows the course to be responsive to the world in which we live today.
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This year our module will develop further your understanding of global history, covering the formation of civilizations across time and space, in a world without borders in which our lives are intertwined, not lived in isolation. Historians have increasingly abandoned the rise and rule of the nation state as a primary focus in the age of the world wide web, replacing it with interconnection and interaction. The module is interdisciplinary and draws on social, cultural and political approaches to history, inviting you to reimagine the world we live in.
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This module is about you and your graduate career. It explores a wider range of possible careers for History graduates, from marketing and management to teaching, from law conversion to post-graduate study tailored to, for example, a career in museums. Our module is co-created with and for you as the professionals of tomorrow. We study how to approach and understand application forms, and what to expect in interviews. We also benefit from collaboration with the University’s specialist careers team, who offer one-to-one coaching from study to salary.
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This module deepens our understanding of identities and draws on the interests you expressed during the previous year. Our topics span the ancient world to the present and uses multidisciplinary approaches to our topics, reflecting historians openness to the insights afforded by, among others, dress theory, gender, and understanding resistance under oppressive regimes. Recently our identities have included gender, questions of racialisation and slavery, and youth subcultures. Language is power and understanding how it serves the construction of identities provides the tools to unlock meaning in our world, as well as theirs.
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This module enables you to prepare and plan for your own choice of an in-depth research project in your final year of study. You explore how historians turn their research into a body of writing, from identifying the relevant documents to assessing how your topic has been understood by earlier generations of historians. Each year, Birmingham Newman students cover a wide range of topics, from Roman and Greek culture, through the upheavals of early modern England, to the Third Reich and the Holocaust.
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This module covers the entire year and allows you to turn the topic you chose in the Dissertation Preparation module into a depth study of your own. Do you want to specialise in ancient blood scarifies, witchcraft or the tragedy of the Holocaust in the heart of Europe. The passion for history also provides the real-world skills demanded by employers: excellence in communication, independence of thought and a proactive approach to tasks. The dissertation is your opportunity to work together with a subject specialist to produce your first detailed piece of research, and to demonstrate your graduate skillset.
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In this module you will study the myth, religious practices, and superstitions of ancient Greece and Rome. In the first semester we will focus on ancient Greece, and in the second we will look at the ancient Roman world from Britain to North Africa. Topics studied will include ancient Greek and Roman witchcraft, afterlife belief, atheism, and the worship of the gods, as well as the early history of Christianity.
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This module begins in October 1917, the year that changed everything and ushered in the ‘short’ twentieth century as an age of extremes. Firstly, the module raises questions about the aspiration for total control over modern societies – or ‘totalitarianism’ – as well as the social movements that brought Stalin, Mao and Hitler to power. Secondly, we look at the global forces that produced the new, decolonized word across the Global South, ending 500 years of western domination. As well as the high politics of what these regimes aimed to do, we cover society and culture as experience by ordinary citizens.
Additional Information
General Academic Regulations: Terms and Conditions for students attending our courses