History BA

The study of history is one of the most life-enriching pursuits in academia.  History is the sum of human experience and the study of the human condition, of the great highs that humanity has achieved and of the great lows to which we have stooped.

Studying history can take you from the lofty exploits of the Roman Empire to the bloody battles of the Crusades or from the intellectual endeavours of the Enlightenment to the civil rights movement in 1960s America.  It is an endlessly fascinating subject that demands analytical rigour, precision of thought, the capacity for empathy and the ability to communicate clearly - skills that mean it also prepares you well for the world of work beyond your degree. We hope and believe that you will find your History degree engaging, absorbing and enjoyable.

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History small group tutorial with Dr Suzannah Lipscomb
History small group tutorial with Dr Suzannah Lipscomb
Your NCH Studies will include:
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Current Students

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Josh D

History BA with Politics

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Paula E

History BA with English

Syllabus

You study a total of 19 modules in the NCH undergraduate curriculum
The History BA accounts for 12 modules.

The BA History course broadly offers the opportunity to study the history of western civilization from AD 300 to 1997, although two modules allow students a chance to explore non-Western history. The course approaches the past in all its guises: economic, political, social, cultural and intellectual history. The diverse subject matter ranges from an introduction to medieval history to the lives of eighteenth-century women, and from the social and cultural history of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe to twentieth-century America.

The first year modules provide a general introduction to the subject and its methodology. In subsequent years, you will study your chosen areas in more detail. The BA History consists of 12 modules, studied over three years.

In your first year

You study three full modules and two half modules. Each gives you an introduction to a particular field of study.

The Birth of Western Christendom, AD 300-1215

This module focuses on one of the key periods of European history: the thousand years in which the ancient world was transformed into the medieval. The module opens with the formation of the Christian Roman Empire and the fall of Rome. We then move on to investigate the encounter between the urban, Mediterranean civilization and the Germanic peoples from the north of the old empire, and the way in which this encounter laid the foundations for medieval civilization.

A central theme throughout will be the role of the Christian Church in preserving and transforming the inheritance of Mediterranean civilization. Besides this, we will also be looking at the interaction between religion and politics in the kingdoms that rose from the ruins of Rome: from the barbarian successor states and the Christian empire of Charlemagne to the conflicts between kings, emperors and popes in the twelfth century.

The Rich Tapestry of Life: A Social & Cultural History of Europe, c. 1500-1780

This module covers a period of great change, crisis and excitement in the history of Europe, and approaches it through the ways these changes affected ordinary people’s lives, by examining the social and cultural history of the period. Topics will include patriarchy, masculinity, violence, poverty, plague, protest, magic and honour. We examine the seismic shift of the Reformation, the discovery of new worlds and the persecution of witches. The module will direct you to some of the most exciting writing in the recent historiography of early modern Europe and draws on material from both Continental Europe and England.

Republics, Kings & People: The Foundations of Modern Political Culture

This module investigates the origins of our ideas about human rights and duties, revolution and democracy, consent and liberty, and the good life. A number of key writings are studied, ranging from Plato and Aristotle in the ancient world to Machiavelli, More, Hobbes and Locke, through to Rousseau in the Enlightenment. Analysis of the development of fundamental ideas about politics and society sharpens the mind and throws light upon the present from the perspective of the past.

History & Meanings (half-module)

This half-­module examines the history of history. We consider how historians in different ages have written history - from the ancients to the Victorians. We ask why history matters, whether we can learn lessons from the past, and what role history has in the public sphere.

British Social & Economic History, 1945-97 (half-module)

This half-module considers the very recent social and economic history of Britain since the Second World War. We examine the nature and workings of economies at the national level, and formation of economic and social policy by governments, through some of the recurring themes in modern economic and social history - growth, labour supply, overseas trade and national accounting.

In your second year

You will study:

British history, 1485-1649

This module covers an exciting period of English political and religious history, stretching from the accession of Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth to the execution of Charles I. This tumultuous period saw the establishment of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties, the creation of the Church of England, dramatic threats against England from abroad and the execution of four queens and one king.

The principal themes considered are the political changes wrought by the successive dynasties of Tudors and Stuarts, and the opposition they aroused; the coming of the Reformation; the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne and its consequences; and the origins, outbreak and course of the civil war, concluding with the execution of the king and the abolition of the House of Lords. The course focuses mostly on England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but broadens to include Scotland after the Union of the Crowns in 1603, and Wales and Ireland are also discussed where relevant.

Modern Political Ideas

The module examines history through the prism of the intellectual ideas of great political thinkers, from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the present. It includes the study of: the eighteenth century and the French Revolution (Paine, Wollstonecraft); reactions to the revolution (Hegel); commercial society and its enemies (Hume, Smith, Rousseau); the nineteenth century and early socialism (Owen, Fourier, Saint Simon); Tocqueville and the American model; Marx and communism; Mill and liberalism; Nietzsche and modernity; Bakunin and anarchism; the anti-imperialist theorists of the twentieth century (Fanon, Gandhi); Orwell and dystopia; and finally, green political theory.

Plus two modules from:

British History 1770-1990

Is Britain a class-ridden society? Why does Britain still have its royal family? Is Britain culturally closer to Europe or to America? Could Britain's decline after 1945 have been averted? This module is essential for anyone wishing to understand the political, social and cultural make-up of modern Britain. It offers a broad survey of modern British history, from the reign of King George III through to the fall of Mrs Thatcher in 1990, through the prism of five underlying themes: politics, society, culture, gender and national identities. In doing so it seeks to guide you through the formative events of modern British history, and introduce you to the main historical controversies and debates.

Among topics covered are British reactions to the French Revolution, Victoria and the re-invention of the British monarchy, the rise (and fall?) of the Labour party, the Irish question, appeasement in the 1930s, the impact of two world wars on twentieth century Britain, and the legacy of the 'Swinging Sixties'. Take this unit to learn why the future Napoleon III served as a British police constable in 1848, to discover which Victorian Premier roamed the streets at night to carry out 'rescue-work' with prostitutes, to understand who or what a 'flapper' was, and to find out why feminist activists lobbed flour-bombs at Bob Hope in 1970. Or - simply take this module to be better able to understand the complexities of the society in which we live today.

Modern Times: International Economic History c. 1901-1990

This module covers the economic developments affecting the UK and the wider world in the twentieth century. For the UK, topics covered include the Edwardian period and the First World War; the long post-1945 boom; the problems of the 1970s and 1980s; and the Major and Blair years. These developments are then set in the international context of the end of free trade and the rise of economic protection in the 1930s and the factors making for the reconstruction and revival of the world economy since 1945, culminating in the recent performance and problems affecting the world economy since the 1980s.

Twentieth-Century World History

The module introduces the study of non-Western history. Its broad sweep can be considered in two parts. The first examines the major political developments that took place in different parts of Asia during the twentieth century, focusing on China, Japan, Southeast Asia and South Asia, exploring the impact of imperialism, nationalism, decolonisation, and independence in order to understand the resurgence of Asian nations by the end of the 1990s.

The second part looks at the history of the non-Western twentieth-century world from the vantage point of developments in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. From empire-building to revolution in the Middle East, or from intersections between politics and race in Southern Africa, to radical movements and US intervention in Latin America, much of what it explores complements the first part of the course by making sense of political developments in other continents where the long term trends were both similar but, in some ways, noticeably different.

US History Since 1877

This module offers an overview of US history since 1877. It examines the social, cultural, economic and political contours of that history, incorporating topics such as westward expansion, industrialisation and urbanization, the progressive era, the First World War, the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Second World War, the Cold War, domestic developments in the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of the New Right in the 1980s. It concludes with a contemporary examination of US foreign and domestic policy. Particular attention is given to the shaping experiences of race, ethnicity, gender and class in the American experience.

In your third year

You will study:

The Crusades & the Eastern Mediterranean 1095-1291

The triumph of the First Crusade (1099) resulted in the establishment of a Latin Christian community in the Levant for almost two hundred years. This module is primarily concerned to examine how the settlers maintained their hold on a region that was spiritually, economically and politically important to both the Byzantine empire and the Muslim world. The reaction of these groups to the crusades and the development of their relationship with the settlers is an integral part of the subject. The ‘jihad’ became the channel for Muslim opposition and the Latins appealed for help to Western Europe when they discovered that their own resources were insufficient to meet this threat.

Did the Latin states represent an early form of western colonialism? We will study the settlers’ way of life in the Holy Land: its institutions, the economic position of the Christian settlements and the role of women. We will consider the preaching and preparation of crusading expeditions, the evolution of the crusading idea, crusading warfare and the contemporary criticism of crusading. The module will draw on a variety of primary material from European, Byzantine, Muslim and Syriac sources in translation.

Experience, Culture & Identity: Women’s Lives in England 1688-c. 1850

This module examines the mental and material world of English women in a period of rapid social, economic and cultural transformation. It exploits the wealth of secondary literature that has appeared on the subject in recent years, and evaluates the dominant interpretations of continuity and change in women’s history. Attention focuses on the diversity of roles played by women, the changing scope of female experience and the different languages available to articulate that experience. Topics covered include: love and marriage, sexuality, masculinity, divorce, motherhood, work, consumerism, material culture, print, polite culture, feminism, politics and religion. Students will be encouraged to engage critically with the categories, modes of explanation and chronology of recent women’s history.

You will also study one Special Subject (a double module), for which you will write a 10,000-word dissertation in addition to your exams. You may choose from:

Blasphemy, Irreligion & the English Enlightenment 1650-1720

This module examines the intellectual and political consequences of the radical ferment (both popular and philosophical) of ideas spawned in the English Revolution of the 1650s. The module’s texts include clandestine manuscripts - like the subversive ‘Treatise of Three Imposters’, which argued that Moses, Mahomet and Christ were all religious frauds - and printed works by critics like James Harrington, Thomas Hobbes and Charles Blount. The primary objective will be to study the anticlerical, heterodox and openly irreligious components of the Republican attack upon Christianity.

The second line of enquiry will explore how the attack on Christianity of the 1650s developed into a systematic rejection of all revealed religion in the later seventeenth century. Attention focuses upon arguments that set out to destroy the authority of the priesthood and to reject the authenticity of the Bible, as well as their accounts of ‘other religions’ like Islam and Judaism, which were used to criticise Christianity.

Martin Luther King & the Civil Rights Movement in the USA

‘Martin didn’t make the movement, the movement made Martin’, noted veteran civil rights activist Ella Baker. Baker’s perceptive comment goes to the very heart of contemporary historiographical debates. On the one hand, scholars have increasingly viewed the mass black movement for civil rights in the United States between the 1940s and 1970s as a grassroots phenomenon that was rooted in local communities and based upon local leadership and local needs. On the other hand, scholars still emphasize the vital national leadership role played by Martin Luther King Jr, in the black struggle, particularly from the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott to King’s assassination at Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

This module looks at both strands of this scholarship and seeks to assess the dynamics of the movement at both local and national levels, and examine the tensions that often existed between them, by using a wide range of written, spoken and visual sources.

The Clash of Powers & Cultures: Sino-American Relations During the Cold War

This module examines the ups and downs in Sino-American relations during the Cold War. It looks at how and why Communist China and the United States were transformed from hostile enemies in the 1950s and early 1960s into tacit allies by the late 1970s. Events covered include Sino-American direct and indirect confrontations over Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the role of the Soviet Union in their changing relationship; and their divergent policies towards such issues as Third World revolutions, nuclear weapons, and international trade. At a thematic level, the module will consider how ideology, personalities, domestic considerations, cultural stereotypes and alliance politics influenced their respective policies and the dynamics of their interactions. Students will approach the subject not only from the American perspective but also from the Chinese one, by exploring both Western and Chinese (translated into English) primary sources, such as diplomatic documents, memoirs, public speeches, newspapers and political cartoons. By placing Sino-American relations in the wider domestic and international contexts, this module will enhance our understanding of how the two great powers – and two different cultures – shaped, and were shaped by, the global Cold War.

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change. All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

How will I be taught?

Treating every student as an individual is central to the College's ethos. You will have unparalled access to highly qualified and experienced academic staff who are friendly, responsive and committed to helping you to achieve your academic, personal and professional potential. Studying the History BA, you'll enjoy a varied but integrated range of teaching and learning styles throughout the College's dymanic programme of teaching including:

Lectures

You study two modules in History concurrently in each of the Michaelmas and Hilary Terms for a total of four modules in each academic year. Our highly qualified tutors have teaching experience and research interests in the relevant subject area.

One-to-one tutorials

In your one-to-one tutorial your tutor will engage critically with you, entering into your individual point of view and working with you to clarify, challenge, defend and develop your arguments and ideas. You will prepare an essay of up to 2,000 words for every one-to-one tutorial related to one of the degree modules you are studying during that term. Your essay will be the basis of your discussion with your tutor. This form of intellectual engagement is considered to be the gold standard for identifying and drawing out a student’s potential.

Small group tutorials

In small group tutorials, you and a small group of students will meet with your tutor to discuss one of the themes of the module. You will be required to read in preparation for each of your group tutorials and you will also prepare and present an argument for a certain number of them. These will be an opportunity for you to discuss and debate with your tutor and your fellow students, and to give and receive both praise and constructive criticism.

Assessment

Formative assessment is based mainly on your tutorial essays and your performance in small group tutorials. The marks awarded by NCH academic staff are for guidance only and will not contribute to your degree classification. At the end of term, you will have a Collection in which you will receive verbal feedback from all of the History tutors who have been teaching you.

Your summative assessment will be by examinations in Trinity term and marks awarded for these will contribute to your degree classification. Each module will normally be examined by a three-hour unseen written paper (half-modules are examined by a two-hour unseen written paper), set and marked by the University of London. On successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a University of London degree.

In order to be awarded an honours degree, you are required to have been examined in, and to have completed 12 full modules (or the equivalent) to the satisfaction of the University of London.

Faculty

Professor Sir David Cannadine

FBA, FRSL, FRHistS, Visiting Professor

Sir David is an eminent historian and noted commentator and broadcaster on British life, especially the British Monarchy.

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Professor Niall Ferguson

BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon), Visiting Professor

Niall is an expert in Financial and Economic History, as well as Imperial History. Niall’s work as an academic and commentator and broadcaster has inspired debate and discussion throughout his career

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Dr Suzannah Lipscomb

MA, MSt, DPhil (Oxon), FRHistS

Suzannah is an historian, author, broadcaster and award-winning academic. She has a double first in BA History and a distinction in her MSt in Historical Research from Lincoln College, Oxford and DPhil in History from Balliol College, Oxford.

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Dr Hannah Dawson

MA, MPhil, PhD (Cantab), FRHistS, Senior Lecturer in the History of Ideas

Hannah was educated at the University of Cambridge, where she graduated with a double first in History, went on to take the MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History, and received her PhD for her thesis on John Locke and the problem of language in seventeenth century philosophy.

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Dr Lars Kjaer

BA, MPhil, PhD (Cantab), Lecturer in Medieval History

Lars obtained his BA in History and Social Anthropology from Aarhus University, Denmark, in 2007. That year he moved to Cambridge, where he completed an MPhil in medieval history.

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Dr Anthony Seldon

MA (Oxon), PhD, FRSA, MBA, FRHistS, Visiting Professor

Anthony is Master of Wellington College and the founder of the Institute of Contemporary British History. He is a leading authority on contemporary British history,

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

Choose your contextual course

You study a total of 19 modules in the NCH undergraduate curriculum
Your contextual course comprises 4 additional modules.

In addition to your degree studies, you will study four modules in another degree subject as part of the College’s broader liberal arts curriculum leading to the dual award of the History BA (Hons) and the NCH Diploma.
  

Students of the History BA can choose a contextual course in Art History, Classical Studies, Economics, English, Law, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations or Psychology. You can also choose to take two modules in each of Philosophy and Politics with the College’s PPH programme.
  

These modules contextualise your learning in your degree subject and are of particular interest to students whose interests and talents span different subject areas and issues, and those who have curious questioning minds and a thirst for knowledge.

 

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Syllabus

The study of Art History is an essential component in the exploration of any society – art functions as a mirror of the social and physical environment and is one of the best ways of understanding society’s aims and ambitions. 

John Ruskin put it best when he said: ‘Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts—the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their art. Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the two others; but of the three the only quite trustworthy one is the last’.

The Art History contextual course includes four modules. The parameters have been set as widely as possible, from Europe to India, and over a time span that extends from antiquity to the modern period. The study will range across a variety of media from architecture to painting, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and textiles.

Studying Art History trains you to look closely at buildings and objects, to analyse their physical dimensions and to seek out and understand the historical contexts in which they were made. The range of material used to explore the narrative of a work of art starts with the object itself but also relies on documentary and archaeological evidence.

In your first year

You will study two modules.

The Art & Architecture of the Islamic World

We will survey the full sweep of Islamic history from its beginnings in the 7th century up to 1900. The geographical range is similarly broad but concentrates on the core regions of the Islamic world, including al-Andalus and Sicily but excluding South East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Where appropriate lectures will focus on the artistic output of a single dynasty as this approach gives a clearer understanding of the historical and geographical context. Students will also look at the development of a medium across a span of time; this type of investigation will be supported by museum visits and handling sessions.

The Grand Tour & the Discovery of Art, Antiquity & Architecture

This module presents the evolution of European art and architecture in the broadest historical context, beginning with the ancient world, through its decline and gradual revival, Renaissance and Enlightenment, to the scientific and speculative interpretations of Champollion and Sigmund Freud. By way of conclusion we shall discuss topics such as Afro-Centrism and Orientalism, dealing with authors such as Edward Said, Martin Bernal and Jan Assmann. The connecting theme throughout will be the Grand Tour, its origins, its art-focussed climax in the 18th century, and its spread beyond Europe thereafter.

In your second year

You will study two further modules.

The Art & Architecture of Byzantium

The Eastern Roman Empire, widely-known as ‘the Byzantine Empire,’ was one of the longest-living state formations in world history. Beginning in AD 330 with the move of the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople and ending with the capture of the latter city by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, Byzantine history extends over eleven centuries and covers a region stretching as far east as Iraq and as far west as Spain. Throughout the ‘middle ages,’ Constantinople was the ultimate city, its name evoking grandeur; the manuscripts, enamels and silks of Byzantine workshops represented the highest degree of refinement; in modern French, ‘c’est Byzance’ (‘it is Byzantium’) denotes anything endowed with superlative magnificence. However, this artistic legacy remained shrouded in prejudice for centuries and only began to be systematically studied at the end of the nineteenth century.

Byzantine studies today represent one of the fastest-growing fields of scholarship in the humanities, with research conducted in dozens of languages across the globe. This course aims to provide a comprehensive survey of the architecture and other material culture of the Byzantine Empire, adopting a roughly chronological sequence. The examples will range from country chapels painted with enigmatic images to manuscripts created for emperors, claimed by kings and enshrined in museums. The objects will be examined in their historical and cultural context, as products of the complex and fascinating societies which developed during the millennial history of ‘Byzantium.’ A general bibliography of historical, art historical and archaeological works as well as specific bibliographies for the topics covered in each lecture will be provided. Visual material for each lecture will be prepared as a multimedia presentation and will be provided to the students as a revision tool. Assessment will be made through an essay and a slide test.

Modern Architecture: Global versus Regional

This is an introductory survey of modern architecture, which will investigate some of the competing positions or claims that have been made about its global and/or local significance. It will look at key buildings and projects from the late nineteenth century to the present, with a view to raising questions about the expectations for or pursuit of internationalism on the one hand, versus more vernacular or locally inflected approaches to design on the other. The term architecture will be foregrounded as a Western one, which has served to demarcate architecture as a form of art from building for more utilitarian ends, and indeed to demarcate European architecture from other kinds of building elsewhere in the world. The term modern will likewise be problematized, due to how it sets up a dichotomy of progressive and international versus static and traditional, and troubles attempts to adopt a more global approach to the study of architectural history.

The European and North American canon (i.e., from the ‘international style’ through to ‘critical regionalism’) will form the spine of this module, but efforts will be made throughout toward a more comparative history. In addition to covering some of the more canonical material, the relationship between the center and the periphery will be explored through special topics, which may include the architecture of world’s fairs, the idea of a ‘tropical modernism,’ diplomatic buildings like the United Nations Headquarters, Japanese Metabolism, and the pavilions of international art festivals. From the outset, you will begin to develop a sound basis for reading plans, elevations and photographic documents, as well as thinking critically about the built environment more generally.

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change.

Faculty

Dr Melanie Gibson

BA (Oxon), MA, PhD (SOAS), Visiting Professor & Convenor for Art History

Melanie has a BA in Arabic from St Anne’s College, Oxford. She took her MA and PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Since 2006 she has been director and tutor of the Islamic module of the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art at SOAS.

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Professor Edward Chaney

BA (Hons) (Reading), MPhil, PhD (London), Laurea di Dottore (Pisa), FSA, FRHistS, Professor of Art History

Edward Chaney is the Professor of Fine and Decorative Arts at Southampton Solent University and founding Chair of the History of Collecting Research Centre. He has a 1st class honours degree in the History of Art from Reading University and  an MPhil and PhD from the Warburg Institute, University of London.

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Dr George Manginis

BA (Athens), MA, PhD (London)

Originally from Greece, George took his BA in Archaeology at the University of Athens. He then moved to London where he completed his MA and PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Since 2001 George has taught Theory of Art History and Archaeology, Ottoman Architecture and Chinese Ceramics and is currently a SOAS Senior Teaching Fellow on Early Islamic Art and Architecture. In summer 2013 he is going to Princeton University on a Stanley J. Seeger Fellowship.

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Dr Joel Robinson

BA (Alberta), MA (Western Ontario), PhD (Essex)

Joel is an historian of architectural culture, visual art and landscape in the modern and contemporary periods. He holds a BA Honors (1995) in Art History from the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada), and an MA in Art History (1997) from the University of Western Ontario in London (Canada), where he began his teaching career. After practicing freelance journalism for a while, he returned to an academic vocation, earning a PhD in Art History from the University of Essex in 2007.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

In keeping with the ancient model of education in the humanities, Classical Studies offers a varied but integrated course that connects in stimulating ways with NCH degree subjects. If you choose English as your degree subject, Classical Studies will deepen your acquaintance with literary forms and their diverse uses. For students of History, becoming familiar with the classical period can provide the most instructive of models, and of contrasts too. And in the study both of philosophy and of political thought, investigation of the pervasive classical influences can by truly illuminating.

In any liberal education, the paradigms of the classical world are implicitly present. Formal study of the Greek and Roman authors, though it introduces us to a world in various ways remote and strange, has also something of the character of self-discovery.In your first year

In your second year

You will study four half modules.

Early Greek Philosophy

Further details for this module will be available in summer 2013.

Greek Historians

Further details for this module will be published in summer 2013

Greek Poetry

Further details for this module will be published in summer 2013

Plato

Further details for this module will be published in summer 2013

In your second year

You will study four further half modules.

Later Ancient Philosophy

Further details for this module will be available in summer 2013.

Roman History & Oratory

Further details for this module will be published in summer 2013

Latin Literature

Further details for this module will be published in summer 2013

The Classical Legacy

Further details for this module will be published in summer 2013

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change. 

Faculty

Professor A C Grayling

MA, DPhil (Oxon), FRSL, FRSA

Anthony is Master of New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. 

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Dr David Mitchell

BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon) MSc (LSE), Senior Lecturer

David obtained a double first in Literae Humaniores at Oxford and went on to complete a DPhil there on problems of rationality in epistemology and ethics. He has taught philosophy at the University of Cambridge and the University of London.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

Economics is the study of incentives. A basic grounding in Economics gives you a framework to think about how decisions are made in society. Terms like opportunity cost, the public good, or cost-benefit analysis are widespread, but how do these concepts contribute to modern political and economic decision-making?

A Contextual course in Economics does not require prior study of Mathematics or Economics, nor will you be asked to complete quantitative assessments. Contextual Economics at NCH is based on learning the basics of the analytical methods used in the field of Economics, and thinking about the key issues in the economic decisions made by individuals, firms and governments toward economic development. The inclusion of International Development in the Contextual course enables you to study regions of interest to you.

To complete Economics as a contextual component of your NCH Diploma, you are required to take four modules: two in your first year and two in your second year.

In your first year

You will take two modules.

Introduction to International Development

This module provides you with an interdisciplinary introduction to the ideas, historical processes and events, policy debates and practical interventions that are shaping the economic, social and political direction of international development today.

Introduction to Economics: Macroeconomics

This module is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of economic analysis and reasoning.

In your second year

You will take two further modules:

Introduction to Economics: Macroeconomics

Details of this module will be added shortly.

Introduction to International Development 2

Details of this module will be added shortly.

 

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, not all modules will necessarily be available in all years. All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

If you study Economics as a contextual course, you will participate in 20 lectures and will write one essay and one term paper each module.

Your lectures will be with students studying Economics for their undergraduate degree as well as your fellow students studying the module as their contextual course.

Your grades for your Economics modules will contribute to your grade for the award of the NCH Diploma.

Faculty

Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta

BSc (Delhi), BA, MA, PhD (Cantab), FBA, FAAAS

Sir Partha was named a Knight Bachelor in the Queen's 2002 Birthday Honours List for services to economics. Sir Partha has the rare distinction of being a Fellow of both the British Academy and the Royal Society and a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences.

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Professor Niall Ferguson

BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon), Visiting Professor

Niall is an expert in Financial and Economic History, as well as Imperial History. Niall’s work as an academic and commentator and broadcaster has inspired debate and discussion throughout his career

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Dr Marianna Koli

BSc, MSc, PhD (University of Manchester), Convenor & Senior Lecturer

Marianna joined the College from the University of Birmingham, where she was a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Economics, lecturing in Development Economics, Statistics and Quantitative Methods.

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Dr Jungyoon Lee

BA (Cantab), MSc, MRes, PhD (LSE), Lecturer

Jungyoon received her PhD in Economics and MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics with distinction from the London School of Economics. Prior to that, she obtained her BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge where she was awarded the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Award by the Faculty of Economics. 

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Dr Georgios Zouros

BSc, MSc (Lond), PhD (LSE), Lecturer

Georgios joins the College from the London School of Economics where he was a Teaching Fellow lecturing in Quantitative Methods, Operational Research Methods and Logic. He taught Mathematics for Economics at the LSE between 2000 and 2012 both at graduate and undergraduate levels.

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Dr Sangaralingam Ramesh

BSc, MSc, PhD (London)

Sangaralingham received his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), writing on Infrastructure, Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Spillovers and Economic Growth in China. He also has an MSc in Engineering in Information Technology from University College London (UCL) and a BSc (Econ) degree in Business Economics from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

Literature concerns every aspect of human life. Therefore its study complements work in all other arts and humanities subjects. Your feel for historical period can be improved by reading its literature; philosophical ideas can be held in suspension in an aesthetic structure; your analysis of case law can be improved by an understanding of the structures of narrative; the economic and political behaviour of humans is often represented and reflected upon by literary writers; the peculiar capacities and limitations of verbal art are underlined by its comparison with visual and sonic art; the peculiar capacities and limitations of the English language can be best appreciated by its comparison with other living languages; literature in English bears the marks of its influence by Classical literature; creative writers frequently show great penetration of human psychology and religious experience.

Literary criticism demands and develops skills in close reading, including the identification of rhetorical, obfuscatory, and contradictory uses of language, which will enhance the accuracy and penetration of your reading of any kind of text. Reading English as your contextual subject broadens and deepens your culture, and makes you simultaneously a more demanding and more appreciative reader and auditor of the English language in use.

To complete the English course as a contextual component of your NCH Diploma, you will be required to take four modules: two in your first year and two in your second year.

In your first year

You will study two modules.

Explorations in Literature

This module introduces a wide range of works from the literary canon, from ancient Greek texts in translation to the contemporary, covering the major genres, and embodying significant interventions or influences in literary history. The emphasis is on reading primary texts voraciously and discovering, or rediscovering, diverse writers and cultures, so that students can make informed choices from more specialized modules later in their programme. Not being limited to a period, genre or single approach, the course cultivates difference and chronological sweep; it aims to challenge and surprise, as rewarding ‘exploration’ should.

Renaissance Comedy: Shakespeare & Jonson

This module provides you with an introduction to the works of Shakespeare and Jonson within the genre of ‘comedy’, and seeks to draw attention to the principles of classification which enable these plays to be seen as forming a group.

Starting with the hypothesis that the plays themselves may be problematic for such formulations, the course will examine the cultural specificity of the term ‘comedy’, and the extent to which these plays are part of a process which redefined the role of drama in Elizabethan/Jacobean society. The plays will be treated primarily as literary texts but you will be encouraged to consider the possibilities for interpretation which a ‘stage-centred’ critical approach produces.

The plays will be placed in the context of a new dramatic practice which arose within a London of competing commercial and political interests, and you will be required to grasp an overview of the forces shaping the creative production of Shakespeare and Jonson. The demands of the market for which the dramatists were producing, the operation of patronage, the expectations of theatre audiences, and the role of censorship will be considered, and the course will attempt to read through the plays to find the ‘marks’ of these influences.

In your second year

You will study two further modules.

Augustans & Romantics

This module draws together two periods of English literary history that have traditionally been seen in strong contrast; an antithesis which was frequently underscored by critical manifestoes issued during the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. The module explores what appear to be the important distinctions, but also considers continuities that may exist between the two periods.

Victorians

This module considers a range of textual forms typical of the Victorian period, with reference to poetry, fiction and drama in the nineteenth century. The module will develop your understanding of change and continuity in the literary culture of the period, provide a context for the application of a wide range of critical approaches to the literature of the period, and enable you to handle with confidence a range of terms used in contemporary readings of Victorian literature such as ‘realism’, ‘naturalism’, and ‘Darwinism’.

 

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change.  All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

If you study English as a contextual course, you will participate in 20 lectures and will write one essay and one term paper for each module.

Your lectures will be with students studying English for their undergraduate degree as well as your colleagues studying the module as their contextual course.

Your grades for your English modules will contribute to your grade for the award of the NCH Diploma.

Faculty

Howard Jacobson

BA (Cantab), Visiting Professor

Best known for his 2010 Man Booker winning novel The Finkler Question, Howard will lecture and meet students informally at NCH to discuss literature and writing.

Read Full Biography

Dr. Catherine Brown

BA (Cantab), MSc, MA (Lond), PhD (Cantab), Convenor & Senior Lecturer

Catherine studied English under J H Prynne at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. She moved out into academic and practical politics, lived in New York and Moscow and learned Russian and Spanish, before returning to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge for her PhD.

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Dr Charlotte Grant

BA (Cantab), MA (Courtauld Institute), PhD (Cantab), Senior Lecturer in English

Charlotte has a BA (first class honours) and a PhD in English from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and an MA in Art History from the Courtauld Institute.

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Dr Daniel Swift

BA (Oxon), PhD (Columbia University, NY), Senior Lecturer in English

Daniel has a BA (first class honours) from Oxford University and a PhD from Columbia University in New York. He is the author of Bomber County (Hamish Hamilton, 2010) and Shakespeare's Common Prayers (Oxford University Press, 2012).

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Professor Sir Christopher Ricks

BA, MA, BLitt (Oxon), FBA, Visiting Professor

Sir Christopher is Warren Professor of the Humanities, and Co-Director of the Editorial Institute, at Boston University, having formerly been professor of English at the University of Bristol and at Cambridge.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

Studying Law at NCH gives you the chance to develop both skills and knowledge, which will be useful in a wide range of careers. You learn to think like a lawyer and will have the chance to engage in critical debate with your fellow students. This is your chance to gain a broader perspective on law and its relation to your degree discipline.

To complete the Law course as a contextual component of your NCH Diploma, you will be required to take four modules: two in your first year and two in your second year.

In your first year

You will study two modules.

Common Law Reasoning & Institutions

This comprehensive introduction to the English legal system seeks to convey what is distinctive about the common law approach as a legal methodology and as it reflects the history and politics of England and Wales. It examines the sources of law, the civil and criminal court structures and the role of judges and the jury. A running concern of the course is the question of fairness: the impact of the Human Rights Act on the criminal justice system and the issues of access to justice in the civil courts. This course is also vital in initiating you into the process of legal research and the final examination has a compulsory section on research activities carried out during the year.

Elements of the Law of Contract

Contracts are the legal basis of all commercial transactions. This module covers the core topics – including formation of contracts, capacity to contract and privity, performance and breach of contract and remedies for breach of contract. The emphasis is on understanding the key underlying principles of English law. This is very much a case law subject, with judicial precedents stretching back nearly 400 years in some instances (but more usually of nineteenth and twentieth century origin) and a small number of statutory provisions, as well as the impact of EU law. An understanding of what factors judges may, or must, take into account when exercising their discretion is crucial.

In your second year

We will announce the second year modules in 2013.

 

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change. All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

If you study Law as a contextual course, you will participate in 20 lectures and will write one essay and one term paper for each module.

Your lectures will be with students studying Law for their undergraduate degree as well as your colleagues studying the module as their contextual course.

Your grades for your Law modules will contribute to your grade for the award of the NCH Diploma.

Faculty

Professor Adrian Zuckerman

Visting Professor

Adrian is Professor of Civil Procedure at Oxford University, a position he combines with teaching the LLM Civil and Public Litigation course for University College London and King’s College London.

Read Full Biography

Dr Tola Amodu

BA (Anglia Ruskin) LLM (Cantab), PhD (LSE), Convenor & Senior Lecturer

Tola holds a PhD from the University of London, having studied at the London School of Economics (LSE), where she wrote a thesis exploring the history of planning agreements as regulatory instruments in England and Wales.

She holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge. She is a qualified solicitor, a legal member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  Tola has been teaching public law and social science methodology at the LSE. Aside from public law, Tola has a particular interest in the theory and practice of regulation.

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Professor Roger Halson

LLB (Newcastle), M.Litt (Oxon), Solicitors Finals (Nottingham Law School), Professor of Contract Law

Roger has been Professor of Contract and Commercial Law at the University of Leeds since 2002, prior to which he was the HK Bevan Professor of Law at the University of Hull. He served as Head of the School of Law at Leeds from 2007-10.

Read Full Biography

Professor G R Sullivan

Professor of Criminal Law

Robert is Emeritus Professor of Law at University College London. Previously he was Barber Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Birmingham and Professor of Law at the University of Durham.

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Professor Barbara McDonald

BA (Syd), LLB (Syd), LLM (Lond), Visiting Professor

Barbara is a Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney where she teaches in the areas of Torts, Torts and Contracts, Advanced Obligations and Remedies, and Legal Reasoning and Common Law Systems.

Read Full Biography

Geoffrey Robertson QC

BA, LLB (Syd), BCL (Oxon), Visiting Professor

Geoffrey has had a distinguished career as a trial counsel and UN appellant judge. He has appeared in landmark cases in media law, and argued hundreds of death sentence appeals.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

The study of philosophy draws you into conversation with some of the most searching, creative and influential thinkers of the past two-and-a-half thousand years. What is reality? What is justice? What is beauty? What is the relationship between the mind and the world? In considering these questions you will be asked not only to interpret, but also to participate, to analyze and assess the ideas and arguments of others and to formulate and defend your own. This will demand rigour and imagination from you, and the course will develop your clarity, depth and independence of thought.

Philosophical questions arise at the limits of other disciplines, so philosophy is connected in myriad ways with other subjects at the College. It is hoped that you will take opportunities to discover and explore such connections not only in lectures and tutorials but also informally with faculty and with each other.

To complete the Philosophy course as a contextual component of your NCH Diploma, you will take four modules: two in your first year and two in your second year.

In your first year

You will take the following two modules:

Introduction to Philosophy

In this course, you will be introduced to the methods and content of philosophy by considering, at an elementary level and in a carefully guided way, some of the central problems that arise within the subject. Included here will be: free-will, determinism and responsibility, personal identity, the relation of the mind to the body, the nature of knowledge, the ideal of equality, issues raised by portrayals of tragedy, the reality of qualities, and our understanding of moral dilemmas.

Ethics: Historical Perspectives

Ethics: Historical Perspectives focuses on the history of moral philosophy, including a study of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant and Mill. This historical background prepares the way for the second of the ethics modules, which deals with contemporary perspectives. However, the views discussed in this course are not of merely historical interest. Conceptions of morality that are now widely shared were in large part shaped by these thinkers.

In your second year

You will take the following two modules:

Epistemology

Epistemology is sometimes known as the theory of knowledge and, as this name suggests, it is a philosophical enquiry into knowledge. The questions it seeks to answer are: What is knowledge? How do we get it? Are the means we employ to get it defensible? These questions prompt a number of debates. One concerns the conditions that have to be satisfied for it to be true that someone knows something. Enquiry into this problem shows that we need to understand belief and its relation to knowledge; and that we have to be clear about the nature of any justification we have for our knowledge claims. Another debate concerns the adequacy of our ways of getting knowledge. We typically employ reason and perception in this task, but the challenge of scepticism shows that the uses we make of them involve a number of serious difficulties. A satisfactory account of knowledge has to address all these matters.

Modern Philosophy: Descartes, Locke, Berkeley & Hume

This module provides a study of the main works of Descartes, Locke, Berkeley and Hume. In particular, it studies the epistemological and metaphysical views of these philosophers. The philosophers Locke, Berkeley and Hume are generally reckoned to be the main representatives of the empiricist tradition, whereas Descartes is seen as one of the forerunners of the rationalist school. However, the work of the empiricists can be seen as a reaction,in part, to Descartes and rationalism generally, so this first subject in modern philosophy begins with Descartes. The label 'modern' is intended as a contrast to 'ancient', (i.e. Plato, the Pre-Socratics and Aristotle, among others). It is generally understood as covering the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, a period in which there was a decisive break with ancient philosophy.

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change. All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

If you study Philosophy as a contextual course, you will participate in 20 hours of lectures and write one essay and one term paper for each of your four modules.

Your lectures will be with students studying Philosophy for their undergraduate degree as well as colleagues studying the module as their contextual course.

You will also attend group seminars twice a term and discuss your essays independently with your tutors.

Your grades for your Philosophy modules will contribute to your grade for the NCH Diploma.

Faculty

Professor A C Grayling

MA, DPhil (Oxon), FRSL, FRSA

Anthony is Master of New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. 

Read Full Biography

Professor Simon Blackburn

BA, MA, PhD (Cantab)

Simon is one of the country's leading philosophers, well known for his efforts to make philosophy accessible to a wider public. He is well regarded as a proponent of a distinctive approach to ethics and a defender of neo-Humean views on a variety of topics.

Read Full Biography

Professor Daniel C Dennett

BA (Harvard), D.Phil (Oxon)

Daniel is University Professor and Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He has held visiting positions at Harvard University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Oxford, the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and the London School of Economics.

Read Full Biography

Professor Steven Pinker

BA (McGill), DPhil (Harvard)

Steven was born in Canada and took his BA in Psychology at McGill University before moving to the US to study for a PhD in Experimental Psychology at Harvard. He has subsequently taught at MIT, Harvard and Stanford.

Read Full Biography

Professor Ken Gemes

BA (Syd), PhD (Pittsburgh)

Ken was a professor of philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London from 2000 to 2011 and previously taught at Yale University for eleven years. He has a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.

Read Full Biography

Dr Naomi Goulder

BA, MA (Cantab) PhD (Lond), Convenor & Senior Lecturer

Naomi received a double first in philosophy from the University of Cambridge, studied with a Henry Fellowship in the philosophy department at Harvard, and completed her doctoral degree with an AHRC award at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Read Full Biography

Dr David Mitchell

BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon) MSc (LSE), Senior Lecturer

David obtained a double first in Literae Humaniores at Oxford and went on to complete a DPhil there on problems of rationality in epistemology and ethics. He has taught philosophy at the University of Cambridge and the University of London.

Read Full Biography

Professor Rebecca Goldstein

BA (Columbia), PhD (Princeton), Visiting Professor

Rebecca is both a philosopher and a novelist. She received her PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University and has taught philosophy at Barnard College, Rutgers, and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Read Full Biography

Professor Nicholas Humphrey

BA, MA, PhD (Cantab), Visiting Professor

Nicholas is a theoretical psychologist, based in Cambridge, who is known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness. 

Read Full Biography

Professor Christopher Peacocke

BA, B.Phil, D.Phil (Oxon), Visiting Professor

Christopher is a Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and Richard Wollheim Professor of Philosophy at University College London, where he teaches in the summer term each year. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

To complete the Politics & International Relations course as a contextual component of your NCH Diploma, you will take four modules: two in your first year and two in your second year.

In your first year

The modules that you will study in your first year if you choose Politics as a contextual course will be announced in 2013.

 

In your second year

The modules that you will study in your first year if you choose Politics as a contextual course will be announced in 2013.

 

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change. All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

If you study Politics & International Relations as a contextual course, you will participate in 20 lectures and write one essay and one term paper for each of your four modules.

Your lectures will be with students studying International Relations for their undergraduate degree as well as fellow students studying the module as their contextual course.

Your grades for your Politics & International Relations modules will contribute to your grade for the NCH Diploma.

Faculty

Professor A C Grayling

MA, DPhil (Oxon), FRSL, FRSA

Anthony is Master of New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. 

Read Full Biography

Dr Hannah Dawson

MA, MPhil, PhD (Cantab), FRHistS, Senior Lecturer in the History of Ideas

Hannah was educated at the University of Cambridge, where she graduated with a double first in History, went on to take the MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History, and received her PhD for her thesis on John Locke and the problem of language in seventeenth century philosophy.

Read Full Biography

Professor Vernon Bogdanor CBE

BA, MA (Oxon), FBA, Visiting Professor

Vernon is Research Professor at the Institute of Contemporary History, King's College, London. He was formerly for many years Professor of Government at Oxford University.

Read Full Biography

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

PREV NEXT

Syllabus

In addition to your study towards the History BA you will study two Philosophy modules and two Politics modules as your contextual course.

In your first year

You will study two modules.

Introduction to Philosophy

In this module, you will be introduced to the methods and content of philosophy by considering, at an elementary level and in a carefully guided way, some of the central problems that arise within the subject. Included here will be: free-will, determinism and responsibility; personal identity; the relation of the mind to the body; the nature of knowledge; the ideal of equality; issues raised by portrayals of tragedy; the reality of qualities; and our understanding of moral dilemmas.

Ethics: Historical Perspectives

This module focuses on the history of moral philosophy, including a study of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant and Mill. This historical background prepares the way for the second of the ethics modules, which deals with contemporary perspectives. However, the views discussed in this course are not of merely historical interest. Conceptions of morality that are now widely shared were in large part shaped by these thinkers.

In your second year

The Politics modules for the second year will be subject to the research interests of our staff and will be announced in 2013.

 

Depending upon staffing and faculty availability, modules may be subject to change. All programme structures are subject to confirmation in the 2013-2014 Programme Regulations to be published by the University of London. University of London International Programmes syllabus reproduced with permission.

Learning

Lectures

You study four modules in your Philosophy concurrently throughout Michaelmas and Hilary terms for a total of four modules in each academic year. Our highly qualified lecturers have teaching experience and research interests in the relevant subject area.

One-to-one tutorials

In your one-to-one tutorial the tutor engages critically with you, entering into your individual point of view and working with you to clarify, challenge, defend, and develop your arguments and ideas. You prepare an essay of up to 2,000 words for every one-to-one tutorial related to one of the degree modules you are studying during that term. Your essay will be the basis of your discussion with your tutor. This form of intellectual engagement is considered to be the gold standard for identifying and drawing out a student’s potential.

Small group tutorials

A small group of students and your tutor will participate in your small group tutorials. You will always be required to read in preparation for each of your small group tutorials and you will also present an argument for a certain number of them. These will be an opportunity for you to discuss and debate with your tutor and your fellow students and to give and receive both praise and constructive criticism.

Classes

Classes are interactive lectures that take place in smaller groups of students. These are led by a lecturer and provide the opportunity for students to ask questions.

Seminars

Seminars take the form of small group discussions with a lecturer. You will prepare assignments for every seminar and will regularly submit a written presentation or make individual or group oral presentations in your seminars. The aim of your seminar is to give you an opportunity to develop your understanding, your ability to argue coherently and your writing skills. Seminars also enable lecturers to assess your progress and clarify difficult aspects.

Assessment

Formative assessment is based mainly on your tutorial essays and your performance in small group tutorials. The marks awarded by NCH academic staff are for guidance only and will not contribute to your degree classification. At the end of term, you will have a Collection in which you will receive verbal feedback from all of the Economics tutors who have been teaching you.

Your summative assessment will be by examinations in the Trinity term and the marks awarded for these will contribute to your degree classification. Each module will normally be examined by a three-hour unseen written paper set and marked by the University of London.

On successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a University of London degree. In order to be awarded an honours degree, you are required to have been examined in, and to have completed 12 full modules (or the equivalent) to the satisfaction of the University of London.

Faculty

Professor A C Grayling

MA, DPhil (Oxon), FRSL, FRSA

Anthony is Master of New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. 

Read Full Biography

Professor Simon Blackburn

BA, MA, PhD (Cantab)

Simon is one of the country's leading philosophers, well known for his efforts to make philosophy accessible to a wider public. He is well regarded as a proponent of a distinctive approach to ethics and a defender of neo-Humean views on a variety of topics.

Read Full Biography

Professor Daniel C Dennett

BA (Harvard), D.Phil (Oxon)

Daniel is University Professor and Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He has held visiting positions at Harvard University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Oxford, the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and the London School of Economics.

Read Full Biography

Professor Steven Pinker

BA (McGill), DPhil (Harvard)

Steven was born in Canada and took his BA in Psychology at McGill University before moving to the US to study for a PhD in Experimental Psychology at Harvard. He has subsequently taught at MIT, Harvard and Stanford.

Read Full Biography

Professor Ken Gemes

BA (Syd), PhD (Pittsburgh)

Ken was a professor of philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London from 2000 to 2011 and previously taught at Yale University for eleven years. He has a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.

Read Full Biography

Dr Naomi Goulder

BA, MA (Cantab) PhD (Lond), Convenor & Senior Lecturer

Naomi received a double first in philosophy from the University of Cambridge, studied with a Henry Fellowship in the philosophy department at Harvard, and completed her doctoral degree with an AHRC award at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Read Full Biography

Dr David Mitchell

BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon) MSc (LSE), Senior Lecturer

David obtained a double first in Literae Humaniores at Oxford and went on to complete a DPhil there on problems of rationality in epistemology and ethics. He has taught philosophy at the University of Cambridge and the University of London.

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Professor Rebecca Goldstein

BA (Columbia), PhD (Princeton), Visiting Professor

Rebecca is both a philosopher and a novelist. She received her PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University and has taught philosophy at Barnard College, Rutgers, and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

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Professor Nicholas Humphrey

BA, MA, PhD (Cantab), Visiting Professor

Nicholas is a theoretical psychologist, based in Cambridge, who is known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness. 

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Professor Christopher Peacocke

BA, B.Phil, D.Phil (Oxon), Visiting Professor

Christopher is a Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and Richard Wollheim Professor of Philosophy at University College London, where he teaches in the summer term each year. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Dr Hannah Dawson

MA, MPhil, PhD (Cantab), FRHistS, Senior Lecturer in the History of Ideas

Hannah was educated at the University of Cambridge, where she graduated with a double first in History, went on to take the MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History, and received her PhD for her thesis on John Locke and the problem of language in seventeenth century philosophy.

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Dr Marianna Koli

BSc, MSc, PhD (University of Manchester), Convenor & Senior Lecturer

Marianna joined the College from the University of Birmingham, where she was a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Economics, lecturing in Development Economics, Statistics and Quantitative Methods.

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Professor Vernon Bogdanor CBE

BA, MA (Oxon), FBA, Visiting Professor

Vernon is Research Professor at the Institute of Contemporary History, King's College, London. He was formerly for many years Professor of Government at Oxford University.

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Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

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Syllabus

You study a total of 19 modules in the NCH undergraduate curriculum
All students study Applied Ethics, Logic & Critical Thinking and Science Literacy.

All students at the College study three compulsory core modules in addition to their other undergraduate studies. The core modules are Applied Ethics, Logic & Critical Thinking, and Science Literacy. Your studies in these modules will contribute to your grade for the NCH Diploma which is awarded alongside your degree.

Applied Ethics

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the principal theories of ethics including their historical and conceptual foundations, and to explore their application to important questions in private and public life. The module covers:

  • Theories of ethics
  • Problems and debates in business ethics
  • Environmental ethics

  • Medical ethics
  • Public ethics

  • Civil liberties and human rights

  • The nature of the good and the good life

Professor A C Grayling, Professor Peter Singer and Dr Naomi Goulder teach the Applied Ethics module through participative lectures.

Logic & Critical Thinking

The aim of this module is to introduce the methods and principles of good reasoning.  It develops your ability to identify truth-preserving patterns of argument, evaluate evidence, and effectively communicate ideas. It covers:

  • Concepts and techniques of formal logic
  • The tropes of informal logic
  • Critical thinking

Professor A C Grayling and Professor Ken Gemes teach the Logic & Critical Thinking module through participative lectures.

Science Literacy

The aim of this module is for you to develop an intelligent insight into central areas of science, principally cosmology, fundamental physics and quantum theory, evolutionary biology, genetics and human evolution.  The module is designed for non-scientists, requiring minimal mathematical skills. It covers:

  • Cosmology
  • Evolution
  • Physics
  • Social Science

Professor Lawrence M Krauss and Professor Richard Dawkins teach this module through participative lectures. In Michaelmas 2012 Professor Lawrence M. Krauss delivered seven lectures on the topic "Big Bang: Life, the Universe and Everything" as part of the Science Literacy module. Professor Richard Dawkins FRS will deliver four lectures in Michaelmas term as part of the Science Literacy module.

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

Faculty

Professor A C Grayling

MA, DPhil (Oxon), FRSL, FRSA

Anthony is Master of New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. 

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Professor Ken Gemes

BA (Syd), PhD (Pittsburgh)

Ken was a professor of philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London from 2000 to 2011 and previously taught at Yale University for eleven years. He has a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.

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Professor Lawrence Krauss

BSc (Carleton), D.Phil (MIT), Visiting Professor

Lawrence was born in New York but raised in Canada. Lawrence took undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Physics from Carleton University and a PhD from MIT. He taught at Yale before moving on to Case Western and Arizona State Universities.

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Professor Peter Singer

BA, MA, (Melbourne), B.Phil (Oxon), Visiting Professor

Peter was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, and educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford. He has taught at the University of Oxford, La Trobe University and Monash University. Since 1999 he has been Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. From 2005, he has also held the part-time position of Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, in the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics.

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Professor Simon May

Visiting Professor

Simon is Visiting Professor of Philosophy at King’s College, London and at Birkbeck College, London. His interests lie in ethics, German idealism - especially the philosophy of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Heidegger – and philosophy of the emotions. He is also a devotee of the aphoristic form.

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Syllabus

You study a total of 19 modules in the NCH undergraduate curriculum
In addition, you follow the College's Professional Programme.

Every student participates in the College's Professional Programme which forms part of the NCH Diploma.

The Professional Programme is designed to prepare you for the world of work and aims to give you a head start and a competitive edge in finding enjoyable and rewarding work after graduation. We intend it to be stimulating and enjoyable as well as useful.

Part of the course is project based, and in addition there will be guest lecturers from both the business sector and public service. The Convenor for the Professional Programme is Matthew Batstone.

The combination of teaching by practitioners, with a one-on-one and small group focus and its development as a result of close collaboration with industry, makes this programme unique in the UK.

The course is taught through seminars, projects and assignments in all three years. It includes topics such as:

  • Writing and presenting
  • Negotiation
  • Financial literacy
  • Working in teams
  • Marketing
  • Research methods
  • Entrepreneurship and innovation
  • Core principles of strategy, planning, decision-making
  • Statistics
  • Technology and the world of work
  • Project Management

 

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.

Faculty

Matthew Batstone

MA (Cantab), MBA (INSEAD) Convenor, Professional Programme

Matthew Batstone was educated at Cambridge University where he earned a MA in English Literature, and at INSEAD where he graduated with an MBA with distinction.

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Swatee Jasoria

BSc, MA (Sheffield), Juris Doctor (Rutgers Law School, NJ)

Born in India, Swatee grew up in the UK and Hong Kong. She studied at the University of Sheffield, where she attained a BSc in Genetics, and then a MA in Biotechnology, Law & Ethics. After completing her MA, Swatee moved to the USA and completed her Juris Doctor at Rutgers University School of Law – Newark, New Jersey.

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Syllabus

You study a total of 19 modules in the NCH undergraduate curriculum
In addition to your 19 modules, you attend the College's Professorial Programme.

Throughout each academic year the College’s visiting professors deliver a wide variety of lectures. Some of these form the Core Courses for the NCH Diploma (and are compulsory); some are subject-specific, but open to all; and some are of general interest to all students.

From the 2013 academic year, the College expects to offer 110 professorial lectures in each academic year. Professorial lectures are scheduled in such a way that no other lecture or tutorial clashes with them. To make the most of your time at College, you are encouraged to attend as many of these lectures as possible.

Click on the names below to see a selection of the professorial lectures delivered in the 2012/13 academic year.

Professor A C Grayling

Logic & Critical Thinking half module

  • Five lectures on Concepts of Logic
  • Five lectures on Critical Reasoning

Professor Simon Blackburn

Lecture series: Eight lectures on Truth, Beauty and Goodness

Professor Sir David Cannadine

  • The Monarchy and Britain, 1945-97

Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta

Economics

  • Trust
  • Incentives for Keeping Agreements I
  • Incentives for Keeping Agreements II
  • Incentives for Keeping Agreements III
  • Social Preferences
  • Normative Economics

Professor Daniel C Dennett

Science Literacy

  • The Installation of Cultural Software
  • The Virtual Machines of Consciousness
  • How Active Symbols Create Intelligence Designers
  • Turning two views of consciousness into one: is it possible? (with Professor Nicholas Humphrey)

Professor Richard Dawkins

Science Literacy

  • Evolution for Non-scientists I
  • Science Literacy Evolution for Non-scientists II
  • Science Literacy Evolution for Non-scientists III
  • Science Literacy Evolution for Non-scientists IV

Professor Ronald Dworkin

Legal, moral and political philosophy:

  • Colloquium with Professor T M Scanlon
  • Colloquium with Professor John Taseoulis
  • Colloquium with Professor Jeremy Waldron
  • Colloquium with Lord Sumption OBE
  • Colloquium with US Supreme Court Justice Breyer

Professor Niall Ferguson

  • New approaches to the History of Western Civilisation

Professor Ken Gemes

Logic & Critical Thinking

  • Why Value Truth?
  • What Separates Science from Non-Science 1: Causation and Explanation
  • What Separates Science from Non-Science II: Inductivism and Hypothetico-Deductivism
  • What Separates Science from Non-Science III: Falsificationism
  • Observation and Objectivity
  • Scientific Realism
  • Constructive Empiricism
  • Quantum Mechanics and Causality
  • Bayesian Confirmation Theory I: Probability Calculus
  • Bayesian Confirmation Theory II: Applications

Professor Rebecca Goldstein

Philosophy & Literature

  • Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems in the Context of Epistemology
  • Socrates Must Die: The Ethos of the Extraordinary and the Birth of Philosophy
  • Spinoza’s Mind
  • Philosophy and the Novel

Howard Jacobson

Creative Writing

  • My Writing Life

Professor Lawrence M Krauss

From the Big Bang to Eternity: Life, The Universe & Everything 

  • A Tour of the Universe
  • Cosmic Connections
  • The Secret Life of Physicists
  • Energy & the Universe: The Big Bang, Dark Matter, & the Geometry of Space I
  • Energy & the Universe: The Big Bang, Dark Matter, & the Geometry of Space II
  • The Origin of the Elements & the Origin of the Earth
  • Life on Earth, Past, Present, & Miserable Future

Professor Simon May

  • What is Love? 

Professor Barbara McDonald

  • Common Law I
  • Common Law II

Professor Steven Pinker

Science Literacy

  • The human brain I
  • The human brain II
  • The human brain III
  • The human brain IV

Professor Sir Christopher Ricks

English Literature

  • A Matter of Principles
  • Shakespeare, King Lear 
  • The Charge of Misogyny: Donne, as well as T.S. Eliot and Bob Dylan
  • And Measure Still for Measure 

Dr Anthony Seldon

  • Thatcher in History 

Professor Peter Singer

  • Utilitarianism: A Sidgwickian Defence
  • Ethics and Living Ethically 

Professor Adrian Zuckerman

Law

  • The English Legal System and the Common Law Tradition 
  • Trial by stealth - a democratic deficit 
  • Human Rights in Civil and Criminal Procedure
  • The Civil Justice Process
  • The Political Economy of Justice - The Legal Aid Dilemma
  • The English Disease: Access to Court Blighted by High and Unpredictable Cost
  • The Implications of the Voluntary Nature of Contracts
  • On Contracts

Entry Requirements

What do I need to get in?

The College is flexible and admissions tutors look beyond grades, using written work samples, references, personal statements and interviews to assess each applicant’s potential to flourish in its rigorous academic environment.

As a very general guide for students applying for the History BA, the College typically seeks one of the following:

  • AAA at A-level including History - undertaking an Extended Project may be an advantage
  • 36 points (including core points) in the IB Diploma, with a minimum 6 at Higher Level in History
  • D3D3D3 in Pre-U
  • AAABB in Scottish Highers including History
  • We can also assess most other comparable international qualifications.

To enrol for the University of London degree, you will have to produce evidence that you meet the University of London entrance requirements. In practice the College’s entrance requirements exceed these requirements in nearly every case so this is not usually an issue.