History
Open your mind to the past and the present, with topics that stretch from the birth of civilisation right up to the present day.
About the programme
UCAS Code: BA Combined Honours (Y001)
Study from a broad programme that spans a wide range of times and places. Reach back into pre-history or fast-forward to the present day with topics covering the history of:
- Britian
- Europe
- North and South America
- the Islamic world
- South and East Asia
History at Newcastle has an excellent international reputation for research, which feeds directly into your teaching.
Explore and evaluate various forms of evidence, including written and material records and oral testimony. Develop skills in:
- critical analysis
- communication
- research
Your teaching in Stages 1 and 2 is a balance between lectures and seminars. In Stage 3, the emphasis is almost entirely on seminars. Your assessment is in a range of forms including:
- coursework
- documentary commentaries
- group presentations
- literature reviews and essays
- written examinations
Our course structure has its foundation in British, European and world history. This enables you to make informed choices about the particular history you'd like to choose as options.
Offered by the School of History, Classics and Archaeology
You can find out more about the various social activities, lectures and academic trips organised by our History Society
Stage 1
Students study either 40 or 60 credits from the list below in Stage 1.
Select the module code for specific module information including the module summary and aims, knowledge and skills you'll gain, and the module leader.
All Students are required to take the following compulsory module:
| Module Code | Module Title | Credit Value | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIS1100 | Evidence and Argument (Compulsory) | 20 | 1 |
Students can either pick one further module (if studying a total of 40 credits of History) or two further modules (if studying a total of 60 credits of History) from the following list:
| Module Code | Module Title | Credit Value | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCA1003 | Global Middle Ages | 20 | 2 |
| HCA1007 | Stuff: Living in a Material World | 20 | 2 |
| HCA1008 | Global Ancient Histories | 20 | 1 |
| HIS1101 | Historical Sources and Methods | 20 | 2 |
| HIS1102 | History Lab I | 20 | 1 |
| HIS1103 | Histroy Lab II | 20 | 2 |
| HIS1104 | Introduction to Public History | 20 | 2 |
| HIS1105 | What is History For? | 20 | 1 |
Stage 2
Students study either 40, 60 or 80 credits from the list below in Stage 2.
Select the module code for specific module information including the module summary and aims, knowledge and skills you'll gain, and the module leader.
| Module Code | Module Title | Credit Value | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARA2011 | From Lascaux to Knossos: Prehistoric Europe | 20 | 2 |
| ARA2091 | Archaeology of Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian | 20 | 1 |
| ARA2097 | Colonial Worlds: History & Archaeology | 20 | 2 |
| CAH2006 | Hellenistic Empires from Alexander to Cleopatra | 20 | 2 |
| CAH2017 | The Roman World from Hadrian to Heraclius | 20 | 1 |
| CAH2020 | Greek and Roman Religions | 20 | 2 |
| CAH2061 | Slavery in Greco-Roman antiquity | 20 | 1 |
| HCA2000 | Sacred Words and Dirty Deeds: Thriving in Late Antiquity | 20 | 2 |
| HCA2001 | The Mediterranean: A Connected Past | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2027 | Africa: History of a Continent | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2095 | Social Histories of Alcohol: Britain and Ireland, 1700 - Present | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2219 |
Oral History of Modern Britain |
20 | 1 |
| HIS2300 | 1968: A Global Moment? | 20 | 1 |
| HIS2301 | Culture and Communication in Medieval Eurasia | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2304 |
Crafting History: Developing a Research Proposal Note: Recommended for any students considering a History dissertation in Final year |
20 | 2 |
| HIS2306 | Famines in History | 20 | 1 |
| HIS2316 | Researching History | 20 | 1 |
| HIS2317 | The Aftermath of the War in Europe and Asia, 1945-1956 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2318 | Revolutions of the Mind: European Thought, 1550-1750 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2321 | Destroying Nature: Disasters, Diseases and Environmental Injustice | 20 | 2 |
| HIS2322 | Diversities of Sexuality and Gender in History | 20 | 1 |
Stage 3
ALL STAGE 3 HIS MODULES ARE CAPPED AT 48 APART FROM HIS3000, HIS3020 and HIS3036 WHICH ARE NOT CAPPED. ARA and CAH modules are not capped.
Students are allowed to take a maximum of two HIS coded specialist subject modules; one in each Semester. Students studying 60 or 80 credits in History can do so by taking two special subject modules (one in each Semester) plus non-specialist modules that are not capped i.e. HIS3000, HIS3020 and HIS3036, or the ARA and CAH modules from the list below.
Special subjects will be available to students on a first come basis, we recommend students log in to their student portal as soon as possible once module pre-registration opens at 9am on Wednesday 30th April 2025 to make their selection as some modules are likely to become full quickly.
Please note: If students choose a combination of special subjects which are not compatible with their regulations (i.e. if they choose more than one per semester) you will not be booked on to the modules. We will contact you to resolve this, but it will mean we can’t guarantee your place on the modules as priority will be given to those making correct choices.
Students who wish to undertake independent research in History may wish to choose one or more of the following modules:
| Module Code | Module Title | Credit Value | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIS3000 | Reading History (Not Capped) | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3020* | Writing History (Dissertation) (Not Capped) | 40 | 1&2 |
| HIS3036 | Public History in Practice (Not Capped) | 20 | 2 |
*Students wishing to do a history dissertation (HIS3020) which involves oral history (defined as involving interviews of any kind) students should have completed HIS2219 in Stage 2 OR have audited HIS2219 in Stage 3 and have a form confirming their attendance OR have completed the British Library Introduction to Oral History training with confirmation.
Students may select modules from the following (Note: all specialist HIS modules are capped at 48 and will be available to students on a first come basis:
| Module Code | Module Title | Credit Value | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARA3036 | Neolithic & Early Bronze Age Britain in its European Context | 20 | 1 |
| ARA3295 | Fundamentals of Digital Humanities: Computer literacy, data analysis and GIS | 20 | 1 |
| CAH3005 | City of Athens: Power, Society and Culture | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3206 | The Irish Revolution, 1879-1923 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3212 | Reconstruction and the New South, 1865-1900 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3220 | British Foreign Policy since Suez | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3221 | Birth Control in the Nineteenth & Twentieth Centuries | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3232 | Civil Rights and Armalites; Northern Ireland since 1969 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3240 | Civil Rights in America, 1948 - 1975 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3326 | Gender and the British Empire: Violence towards Men and Women in the Making of Modern South Asia | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3344 | The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1961 - 1990 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3346 | The Rising Generation: Youth, Age and Protest in Post-War Britain | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3349 | Healthy Spaces for Healthy Bodies: Medicine, Humans, Places | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3351 | Buddhism and Society in Medieval Japan | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3361 | Body and Emotions in Early Modern Europe 1450-1650 | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3364 | May 1968: all power to the imagination | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3365 | British Colonialism in Sudan: Violence, Gender and Race, 1899-1956 | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3366 | Fictional Histories: from edieval to modern | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3368 | Exhausted! The problem of sleep (and not sleeping) from 1750 to the present day | 20 | 2 |
| HIS3369 | Insiders and Outsiders: Migrants, Refugees, and the Making of Modern Europe | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3370 | Beyond Brexit: The UK and European Integration since 1945 | 20 | 1 |
| HIS3371 | Riot, Reform & Revolution: Britain c.1760-1832 |
20 |
1 |
| HIS3372 | Read All About It! The News Revolution in Georgian Britain, 1714-1780 | 20 | 2 |
Get in touch
If you have any questions about choosing this subject as part of your Combined Honours degree, contact us and we'll be more than happy to help.
Subject adviser
Dr Scott Ashley - School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Dr Samiksha Sehrawat - School of History, Classics and Archaeology