Open University validated as BA (HONS) Humanities: History with Combined Studies
History is one of the most exciting and useful degrees that you can study at University, especially when taken in London, which is so rich historically. The subject also has a very practical application: it enables students to become proficient in skills such as researching, assessing different forms of evidence, and oral and written communication. A history degree teaches critical thinking, enhances writing and Information Technology skills as well as the ability to develop a clearly set-out argument.
These broad ranging abilities which history graduates acquire make them
highly sought after by an exceedingly wide range of employers. The American History Association argues that, “Employers often deliberately seek students with the kinds of capacities historical study promotes. The reasons are not hard to identify: students of history acquire, by studying different phases of the past and different societies in the past, a broad perspective that gives them the range and flexibility required in many work situations.” Why Study History?
History graduates can find work in a diverse range of jobs, some of these include: in politics – former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Gordon Brown and US Presidents John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush; in business – David Drumond the Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer at Google, Carly Fiorina former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and Sir Howard Stringer, President of Sony US; in journalism –the BBC’s foreign affairs correspondent Jeremy Bowen and Louis Theroux; as novelists – Don DeLillo and Salman Rushdie; and as entertainers – Sasha Baron-Cohen who played Borat, the Hollywood actor Ed Norton and Michael Palin from Monty Python.
Richmond’s history graduates have similarly gone on to work in a wide range of fields, as well as to undertake Master’s level degrees and even PhDs at institutions as diverse as Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics (LSE), and School of Oriental and African Studies – some alumni have even gone on to become history lecturers.
The teaching of history at Richmond is interdisciplinary and uses a wide variety of different learning methods. These include the classes themselves, which are comprised of lectures, seminars, group work and a program of guest lectures and class visits. All classes are small, mostly between 10-20 students, though the introductory classes may reach 35 and under, and you will be taught only by Faculty and never by Teaching Assistants. Richmond also operates a very thorough advising system. Students also make full use of the wealth of resources and research opportunities provided by London and Europe, with trips to archives, conferences, historic sites, lectures, libraries, and museums. We organise trips to places as far afield as Istanbul, Rome, Barcelona and Scotland, and students can spend a semester studying abroad in Florence or Rome.
The History major begins with a foundation overview of western and non-western societies (studying everything from the Incas of South America to the Crusades of the Middle Ages), and is followed by a more detailed analysis of particular societies, themes, and/or regions. These can include: Fascism, Imperialism, Nationalism, the Enlightenment, Culture, US history, British Art and Architecture, and China, amongst others. The major culminates in a senior essay in which students research a topic of their own choice in depth.
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Degree requirements
The Richmond core course requirements (38-49 credits)
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Lower division requirements (12-13 CREDITS)
HST 101 (3 CREDITS)
World Cultural History I
The course serves as a broad introduction to world cultures from the beginnings of humankind in Africa through to the end of Western Roman Empire in AD476. The peoples and cultures covered include: Neolithic society, Sumeria, Egypt, the Hittites, Assyria, Persia, the Greek world (including Alexander the Great and the successor kingdoms of the East), Han China, Rome, Islam, and the Byzantine Empire. The course aims to give the student a general understanding and appreciation of some of the art, architecture, philosophy, literature, religion, and politics of the cultures being studied. It also draws attention to diversity as well as similarities within and between regions and countries, emphasising the considerable interaction that occurred between different places and peoples. Specific attention will be paid to how historians study the past, including different forms of evidence and historiographical debates.
HST 102 (3 CREDITS)
World Cultural History II
This course is designed to study in broad outline the origins of global interdependence, from 1500-1800. The politics, religion, art and architecture of European, Islamic, African and East Asian cultures will be studied. In world terms, the period is most noteworthy for the impact of European expansionism, sustained by scientific invention and commercial acquisitiveness, underpinned by religion. While the class work focuses on the discussion of broad themes supported by close reading of relevant primary texts, students will practice presenting specific topics in group oral presentations. Class visits are scheduled to relevant exhibitions in London.
HST 277 (3 CREDITS)
The Birth of the Modern World: The Enlightenment
An introduction to the themes and debates that have constituted modern thought and consciousness: nature, religion, science, progress, education, gender, and the public sphere. These themes are explored through critical reading of key texts by Locke, Rousseau, Diderot, Voltaire, Kant, and through contemporary visual representations and modern visual media. Students debate the role of reason in science and religion; the centrality of knowledge and education to the development of the enlightened individual; and the importance of sociability, politeness, and conversation in the formation of the secular system of values which shaped modern society. The course is designed to be interactive, with lectures, seminars, class presentations, and class visits to relevant exhibitions.
plus one of the following:
HST/BIO 125 (3 CREDITS)
Turning Points in the History of the Life Sciences
In following the turning points in the continuities of culture, this course follows the history of man’s scientific mind as an unfolding of his different talents: relating his ideas and particularly his biological ideas to, and within, the cultural influences of his time. It explores changing conceptions of living beings within the context of the intellectual and social preoccupations of the time in which they arose – from the pre-history of science, through Greek and Hellenistic medicine and philosophy, the Islamic and Chinese influences, the European Renaissance and the founding of a scientific approach to the study of life in the 18th and 19th centuries. The culmination of biological thought in the 19th century is exemplified by Mendelian genetics and the Darwin-Wallace theory of evolution. The Watson-Crick-Franklin discovery of DNA in the 20th century is the capstone to 10,000 years of scientific biological thought.
Pre- or corequisite: MTH 100 or mathematics placement test exemption. Corequisite: HST/BIO 126.
HST/BIO 126 (1 CREDIT)
Turning Points in the History of the Life Sciences: Laboratory
In the laboratory sessions, various experimental techniques developed to study living organisms, are critically examined.
Corequisite: HST/BIO 125.
SCL 202 (3 CREDITS)
Religion, Magic and Witchcraft
Examines how religion influences the way in which we view the world, why many peoples of the world practice magic, and the phenomenon of ‘witchcraft’. The course investigates religion as a cultural system that generates symbolic meanings and creates ways of understanding how the world works. We will examine religion as a human cultural universal by exploring the ways in which it is practiced in many different parts of the world, including an exploration of magic and witchcraft as part of religious practice.
INR 210 (3 CREDITS)
The Evolution of International Systems
This course is designed to be a study of the evolution, and gradual development, of the European ‘states’ system. It will provide a comparative cultural, economic, historical, and political analysis of how international systems have evolved and functioned, illustrating the ways in which ‘states’ interact with one another within systems. It will begin with the fall of the Roman Empire in Western Europe, move through to the early European systems of the medieval period, on to the wars of religion of the sixteenth century, the defeat of Napoleon in 1813, and end with the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. This course will analyse the development of European international systems, the methods via which they were spread, and examine the elaborate rules and practices that regulate them.
Prerequisite: HST 101 or HST 102.
PLT 222 (3 CREDITS)
Major Political Thinkers
This course provides students with an introduction to political thought and political philosophy, as it has developed in the Western World since the time of the ancient Greeks until the end of the 19th Century. The origins of modern political thought – totalitarian, liberal, realist, feminist, socialist, conservative, democratic and post-modern – are discovered through the study of a range of major political thinkers, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche..
HST 235 (3 CREDITS)
When Worlds Collide: Race and Empire in America 1776-1914
Underlines the expansionist nature of American society from independence to the First World War and the effect which this has had not only on peoples both sides of the colonial frontier but also upon the development of modern American history. Particular emphasis will be placed on the origins of this early empire (economic, racist, and religious) as well as the relationship between Anglo-Americans and American-Indians, Chicanos, Blacks, Hawaiians, Cubans, Filipinos and early European immigrant groups within the United States.
HST 236 (3 CREDITS)
From Versailles to Vietnam: The United States and the World
Provides an understanding of some of the major issues and themes which underlie the development of the United States from WWI to the end of the Cold War. Particular attention is paid to the emergence of the United States as a global superpower, the consequences of such a rise to dominance, including the means by which America has projected its newly acquired power globally: financially, diplomatically and militarily.
Upper division requirements (42 credits)
SSC 304 (3 CREDITS)
Research and Writing Methods
The course is a requirement for all Social Science and Humanities majors. It differs from the other courses in the department in that students primarily work independently and meet for a weekly individual tutorial of their drafts. Students also work in peer group pairs, reading and commenting on each other's work. Students learn a series of important specific skills useful for postgraduate study and work: how to formulate a thesis on a topic of their choice in their discipline, draft, revise and complete a literature review and a proposal for their project. Students are also required to present their research orally according to conference standards taking into consideration the interdisciplinary nature of the class. The work done in the class serves as a preparation for the expansion of the project into the Senior Essay.
Prerequisite: Junior status and ENG 215.
HST 316 (3 CREDITS)
Pictures of Power: History, Image, and Propaganda
The course aims to introduce students, by way of specific case-studies ranging from the ancient world to the modern day, to innovative methods of studying the past that utilise popular forms of visual culture and propaganda. While recognising the complexity of the propaganda process and the various influences that form and shape images, the course will focus on the historical relationship between propaganda (in architecture, cartoons, film, painting, pamphlets, photography, posters, sculpture, and television) and politics. The focus on the theme of propaganda and its relationship with various forms of media through the ages allows for the opportunity to compare and contrast particular case-studies over time and geographical space and therefore to distinguish elements of continuity and change, which will help students to ‘read’ historic images critically, both as vehicles for understanding the past and in order to identify the relationship between propaganda and power.
HST 319 (3 CREDITS)
Cultures of Imperial Power
This course examines the causes and consequences of empires throughout history from a broad range of comparative perspectives, including the economic, political, social and cultural. It investigates why empires are historically significant, how they rise and fall, whether or not they are good or bad, how they are defined, and how they can or can’t be fought. The course subject matter ranges from the earliest land superpowers of the ancient world (Assyria, Persia and Rome) to the current land and sea empire of the ‘New Rome’ – the United States. It finishes by suggesting other potential new contenders for imperial hegemony, including the Multi National Corporations in the age of globalization. It examines the question as to whether or not all history is essentially a history of empire, with the legacies of this imperial past (if not some of the empires themselves), still very much alive and well and continuing to set today’s political, cultural and economic agendas, despite developments such as decolonisation and postcolonialism. Where possible, the course will make use of museums and collections within London.
HST 323 (3 CREDITS)
The Rise of the Right: A History of Fascisms
This course is intended to be a comparative study of European and non-European fascisms from the end of World War I through to the early Twenty-First century. It explores some of the fundamental interpretative questions concerning the nature of fascism, the origins of the ideology, as well as some late nineteenth century/early twentieth century proto-fascist movements. The focus, however, is on individual fascist movements themselves, including European varieties such as Italy (where the Fascist prototype evolved), Germany (where it was taken to its extreme) and Spain (where its variant persisted until 1975), as well as the influence which fascism had outside of post-war Europe (apartheid South Africa, Peron Era Argentina, and Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq). The course will conclude with a discussion about the "return" of fascism, including: skinhead and Neo-Nazi violence, western immigration debates, ethnic cleansing, and the growth of the radical right. The course is highly interactive with guest speakers, class visits, and regular seminar sessions.
HST 354 (3 CREDITS)
Of Myths and Monsters: A History of History
The aim of this course is to introduce students to historiography – how history is written, by whom, when – by studying key issues, ideas, practitioners, methodologies, theories and texts which have shaped the history of history, from its earliest origins in Antiquity through to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. A chronological survey of this kind will enable students the opportunity to sample writers such as Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Vasari, Gibbon, Marx and Foucault, while emphasizing a comparative approach which highlights both continuity and change. Groups visits are made to archival collections in London to complement class material, give students practical researching skills, and prepare them for their own research topics.
Prerequisites: Junior status
HST 406 (3 CREDITS)
History and Culture
The course examines the changing methodologies which have characterized the writing of history in the past thirty years. The meaning of culture and civilization is explored through various cases studies. The course is designed to be interactive, with lectures, seminars, oral presentations, and, where appropriate, class visits to relevant exhibitions.
Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of instructor.
SSC 410 (3 CREDITS)
Senior Seminar/Senior Essay
The Senior Seminar/Senior Essay is the capstone course for all Social Science, Humanities and Communications majors. It differs from the other courses in the department in that students primarily work independently and meet for a weekly tutorial with the aim of developing a substantial thesis driven research paper ( 6000-8000 words) related to a topic in their major. Students are also required to orally present their research according to conference standards taking into consideration the interdisciplinary nature of the class. The Senior Seminar team is facilitated by three faculty members from different disciplines - the idea being to stress interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary issues in the department. The course serves as a platform for postgraduate research as well as for professional outcomes.
Prerequisite: SSC 304 and Senior Status.
plus seven courses from the following, including at least one course marked * : (below):
HST 301 (3 CREDITS)
History of London
From the creation of Londinium by the Romans to the great modern metropolis, this course traces the growth and the changing functions, institutions and architecture of London. Readings from contemporary writers, describing the London they knew and visits to selected monuments are an integral part of this course.
Note: Visits require some travel and entrance costs.
HST/PLT 324 (3 CREDITS)
Politics of the Middle East
Deals primarily with the politics of the Arab world, although Iran and Turkey are discussed where appropriate. This course is thematic rather than national in focus. Among the themes discussed are nationalism, revolution, the politics of oil, the great powers and the Middle East and religion in politics. A previous course in Middle Eastern history is strongly advised.
Prerequisite: PLT 150 or INR 203 or permission of instructor.
HST 328 (3 CREDITS)
Roman and Medieval Europe
*
Introduces the student to the Middle Ages in Europe, a period of a thousand years from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance and the array of events and developments which formed the basis for our modern world. Along with important political, military, religious and artistic advances, the course examines the everyday lives of women and men in this fascinating era.
PLT 332 (3 CREDITS)
Islam and the West
The aim of this course is to focus on the historical, political and religious relationships between "Islam" and the "West". Islam has for centuries been Europe's neighbor and cultural contestant with a history of conflict and co-existence. Since September 11 there has been increasing talk of a "clash of civilizations", but globalization has also created an interdependency of faiths which requires greater co-operation, understanding, and dialogue. A recurrent theme of this course will be whether it is possible to separate the world into monolithic entities called "Islam" and the "West". Why is one defined in terms of religion and the other a geographical designation? Further, we are increasingly witnessing "Islam in the West". Muslims are not confined to the Middle East but have spread in large numbers to Europe and the United States and there have been Islamic communities living in the Balkans and in parts of southern Europe for centuries. Another theme will be the relations between religion and state in Islam and Christianity. Is Islam inherently resistant to secularization as some scholars and Islamic activists believe?
Prerequisites: Completion of lower-division PLT, INR or HST core, or permission of instructor.
HST 338 (3 CREDITS)
Modern Japan: 19th and 20th Centuries
Traces Japan’s development from the dramatic period of westernization under the Meiji Restoration in the 1860s that set the path for determined growth and expansion in the 20th century, bringing it into conflict with international powers. The rebuilding of the nation under the occupation policies brought far reaching effects for Japan, creating a truly modern nation state far ahead of its Asian neighbors. The course will also include aspects of corporate culture, society and lifestyle that have contributed to the rapid growth and survival of Japan as an independent trading competitor in the 1990s.
HST 339 (3 CREDITS)
US and UK Comparative History
*
Focuses on shared themes from the 1880’s to the present day, using a variety of approaches to enable students from different disciplines to participate in the course. Issues around popular culture, gender and ethnicity will be looked at, as well as peoples’ responses to major events like the Depression and wars. Concepts from economic history will be used to analyze the booms and slumps that have occurred and the changes to the US/UK that have taken place as a result. The decline of Britain as a world power and the parallel rise of the US will be studied, and this will help put into context the current debates on the post Cold War world order and globalization.
HST 347 (3 CREDITS)
Island to Empire: British History since 1800
*
Surveys the history of modern Britain during its formative period of industrialization and empire building. An agrarian society ruled by a powerful aristocracy made way, not without moments of crisis, for an industrial society with a democratic franchise and organized political parties. The interaction between the old order and the new provides this course with its basic theme.
ARH 349 (3 CREDITS)
British Art and Architecture
Considers British painting, sculpture, architecture, and interior design, in their cultural, social and political contexts. Students make regular visits to museums, galleries and building, with their rich intercultural collections, to discuss works on site.
ARH 354 (3 CREDITS)
The Renaissance: New Perspectives
This course challenges the common assumption that the Renaissance is a typically Italian phenomenon, paying particular attention to Northern Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with special reference to England, France, and Flanders. Students are introduced to issues related to the Northern European interplay between political agendas, social structures, and religious ideologies, and visual art. The course includes sustained engagement with the rich intercultural collections of museums and galleries in London.
PLT 364 (3 CREDITS)
Religion, Identity and Power
The recent emergence of a number of religious movements in many parts of the world has raised important questions about the role of religion in political and social life. This course explores the relationship between religion, political identity and its expression between and across nation-state borders. By focusing on a number of religious movements, such as various Islamic revivals and the new Christian right, this course will examine the various ways in which religious traditions are used as identity-building vehicles, particularly at times of cultural transition and social change. It examines how the internet and other communication networks serve as mediums for Religious identity formation.
HST 367 (3 CREDITS)
Nationalism and Conflict
This course is intended to be a comparative study of the various forms of nationalism, dictatorship, and democracy that evolved and emerged across Central/Eastern Europe (CEE) during the "short" twentieth century (1914-1990). It will seek to identify how CEE has been defined and how it came to take its present form. The main focus of this course will be on the various ideological currents that have shaped the region's history -- in particular nationalism, democracy and Communism. In addition, it will explore the conflicting arguments and different historical interpretations with regard to the key events of the period, including hte development of nationalism, the emergence of fascism and Communism, the casues and courses of the two world wars and the Cold War, and finally, the causes behind the "reunification" of Europe after 1989.
Prerequisite: HST 101 and INR 203 or equivalent.
HST 370-385 (3 CREDITS)
Special Topics in History
An advanced course on a topic of current interest or in a faculty member's specialty.
PLT 380 (3 CREDITS)
Democracy: Theory and Practice
This course analyses the rise of democracy as an idea and as a practice using both theoretical and historical approaches. The course aims to (1) provide an introduction to the central models of democracy (namely classical democracy, republicanism, liberal democracy, deliberative democracy and cosmopolitan democracy); (2) to analyse problems associated with the practice of liberal democracy, namely political engagement, the advent of post-democracy and the rise of populism: and (3) to analyse the practice of democracy in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and its relation with Islam.
Prerequisite: PLT 150.
PLT 382 (3 CREDITS)
Politics of sub-Saharan Africa
Follows the crises, conflicts and attempts to promote stability, economic development and democratic systems of government in sub-Saharan Africa. The course will address the many social, political, economic and security problems that countries in this region face by following a historical trajectory from the Colonial era through to modern times.
Prerequisite: Two 100- or 200- level Political Science or History or International Relations courses.
PLT 383 (3 CREDITS)
Russian Politics and History
This course focuses on the political evolution of the world’s first Communist state - its birth, development, collapse and recent transformation. The course will introduce students to the major developments in Russian politics and history over the last century, from the revolution of 1905 to the First and Second World Wars, to the Cold War, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union and to its successor.
Prerequisite: Any 200-level HST, PLT, or INR course
PLT 384 (3 CREDITS)
Modern China
Examines aspects of China’s history such as the Opium Wars, the downfall of the Empire in 1911, the growth of nationalism and the ensuing civil war, the rise and decline of Maoism and the role of China in world politics, with particular reference to its increasing economic importance.
Prerequisites: Two 100- or 200-level history courses or permission of adviser.
PHL 405 (3 CREDITS)
The Modern European Mind
Considers the development of political, philosophical and cultural ‘world-views’ in European history and how they shaped the intellectual and cultural life in Europe in the 20th century. The course explores modernist discourses related to power, desire and relativity and charts the transition between the ‘modern’ and the post-modern. Marx, Freud, Einstein, Foucault, Barthes and Debord are some of the writers studied.
COM 470 (3 CREDITS)
International Cinema
This course examines global cinema while considering the extent to which cultural, political, and historical contexts have influenced the form and grammar of film during the last century. The overall focus of the course is broad, ranging across more than eight decades and many different countries; it aims to study a variety of approaches to and theories of narrative cinema. During the semester, many international film "movements" are covered, which can include the French New Wave, the Chinese Sixth Generation, and Italian Neo-Realism. In addition, the representations of non-Western cultures from an “insider” and a “Hollywood” perspective are compared.
Prerequisite: COM 231 and either COM 316 or SCL 321. Study Abroad students may take this course with the permission of the instructor.
COM 478 (3 CREDITS)
Mainstream Cinema: Studies in Genre
This course investigates the development of genre films over a historical period. Students examine issues critical to genre studies, which can include iconography, key themes, authorship, and stardom. Specifically, through a study of film criticism and theory, students consider the evolution of a few popular genres from the 1920s to the present. The course also explores the idea that genre films necessarily retain basic similarities while changing over time to reflect cultural concerns and to keep audience interest. In addition, the course provides an opportunity for students to examine and compare the perspectives of Hollywood and non-Hollywood genre films.
Prerequisites: COM 231 and either COM 316 or COM 321. Study Abroad Students may take this course with the permission of the instructor.
HST 483 (3 CREDITS)
Internship in History
This program offers upper division students the opportunity to do a full-time internship in London. The experience provides the opportunity to enhance and complement classroom learning and to develop professional skills and competencies. The Internship Program is open to students enrolled in a degree program who have successfully completed 75 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.75.
Prerequisites: Senior status and permission of adviser.
Downloads :
Degree Planner/GCL form - for students who started in September 2010 or later.
