The Modern History and Politics course is offered by the University of Essex.ÊYou take an Introduction to Politics module alongside your history modules in your first year, and continue to combine modern history and politics modules in your second and third years. There is a range of relevant options to choose from in both departments and you choose to write your final-year dissertation in either politics or history.
In your history modules you investigate the intersection of the ideas, cultures and economics of different people over the last 200 years of western history. YouÕre introduced to the relationship between todayÕs ÔmodernÕ world, which assumes the significance of political liberty, global interdependence and sexuality, and events and ideas which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Always seeking political cause and effect, our course casts light on aspects of life you might never ordinarily connect to politics and government. You investigate the scope of political science as a field of inquiry, and the methods used by political scientists, in order to explore questions concerning both what does occur in politics, and what should occur in politics.
You study topics including:
- Democratic systems
- Political power
- Concepts in political science: state, laws, wars and political parties
- The spread of communist-inspired revolutions in China, Russia, and Latin America
- The origins and consequences of the Cold War
Your future
As a history graduate youÕll acquire skills which employers in all fields value. You will be able to analyse information and communicate your ideas clearly. You will have the ability to understand foreign cultures and new ideas and grasp new systems quickly. All of these skills are highly transferable to the world of work.
Many of our graduates go into subject-related fields such as teaching, museum curation and archiving, while others have gone on to do very different things, including journalism, law, politics and civil service.
Some of our recent graduates from BA Modern History and Politics have found employment as:
- A policy and strategy assistant for Victim Support
- An insurance advisor for Swinton Insurance
- An economic analyst
- A hospital coordinator
