History, BA (Hons)

Teaching

Teaching is provided through a mixture of lectures, seminars and small-group supervisions. 

You will usually have 5 to 6 hours of lectures and classes each week.  

You will also have regular supervisions, for which you’ll usually write an essay. This will give you the opportunity to debate and develop your ideas with an expert in the field.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed through examination and coursework, including essays and book reviews. There is also an optional dissertation in the third year.

You won't usually be able to resit any of your exams.

Year 1 (Part IA)  

You take 5 papers: 

• 2 outline papers, which usually cover a long period and broad geographical area. You choose 2 papers from a list of 11, ranging over Britain and Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia 
• 1 sources paper, where you examine a body of primary material on a particular historical theme, issue, or event. You choose one paper from a range of options which vary each year. Typical examples of options may include Travel and Trade in the Medieval World, Globalisation in Nineteenth-Century China, and Arab Intellectual History 
• Introduction to Historical Thinking, which introduces methods and debates by examining a single work of history that has influenced the discipline 
• Historical Skills, where you focus on research skills essential in History, such as the use of archives, digital sources, and oral history, as well as quantitative approaches 

Year 2 (Part IB) 

 You take 4 papers: 

• 2 topic papers that explore focused areas of historical knowledge in depth. The topics available each year may vary. Topic options may include Culture and Power in the Ancient Mediterranean, Nature and Knowledge c.1500-1800, and Caribbean History 
• 1 research project where you undertake your own historical research. Each project covers analytical and conceptual features of a particular area of history, and offers guidance on the methodologies and skills needed to research it 
• Historical Thinking II, where you broaden your knowledge of different historiographical approaches and methods 

Year 3 (Part II) 

You take 5 papers. 

These include: 

• a special subject, which counts as two papers. This is an in-depth study of a historical period, process or problem, using primary sources. Topics on offer vary year to year, but currently include heresy in medieval southern France, memory in early modern England, and religion and nationalism in post-1948 Zimbabwe 
• Historical Thinking III, where you have the chance to reflect critically on major historical concepts encountered throughout your degree 

For your 2 remaining papers, you take either: 

• 2 advanced topic papers, where you explore a complex theme at the forefront of historical scholarship. Topics change from year to year, but currently include the history of political thought, the Indian sub-continent from the late 18th century, and consumer culture in the United States

or 

• 1 advanced topic paper and a dissertation of 10,000 words on a topic of your choice. Recent examples of dissertation topics include 10th-century Byzantine political culture, 19th-century Mauritian elites, and community life on Sheffield's Park Hill estate 

For further information about this course and the papers you can take see the Faculty of History website.

Changing course

It’s really important to think carefully about which course you want to study before you apply. 

In rare cases, it may be possible to change course once you’ve joined the University. You will usually have to get agreement from your College and the relevant departments. It’s not guaranteed that your course change will be approved.

You might also have to:

• take part in an interview
• complete an admissions test
• produce some written work
• achieve a particular grade in your current studies
• do some catch-up work
• start your new course from the beginning 

For more information visit the Faculty website.

You can also apply to change to:

• Management Studies at the Judge Business School

You can't apply to this course until you're at Cambridge. You would usually apply when you have completed 1 year or more of your original Cambridge course.

You should contact your College’s Admissions Office if you’re thinking of changing your course. They will be able to give you advice and explain how changing courses works.