History and Modern Languages & Cultures BA

History core modules

History Workshop

What does it take to be a historian? In this module, you will study the process of historical research, learning discipline-specific methods and essential study and writing skills through close engagement with a historical text (usually a work of narrative non-fiction) linked to your tutor's research interests. You will develop skills in critical reading, historiography, essay writing, bibliographic techniques, and reflection.

The assessment for this module is aimed at giving you a strong foundation in the skills you will need throughout your degree and beyond: critical reading and writing, bibliographic techniques, and the ability to reflect on and articulate your skills as a historian.

20 credits

Thinking Historically

Building upon the foundational skills acquired in the introductory 'History Workshop,' this module will cultivate your ability to critically engage with the past, develop disciplinary awareness, and apply historical thinking. To do so it provides an introduction to the breadth of interests in the school and the way historians have made sense of patterns in historical developments. Moving from the Ancient and Medieval past to the contemporary world, the module shows how Sheffield historians approach the periods and places that interest us, whilst provoking you to ponder the issues involved in framing historical questions of your own. In this module, you will explore a recurring set of questions which inform history as a discipline: how and why have historians divided up the past into discrete periods, and with what consequences? How have historians constructed narratives that give shape and meaning to the events of the past? How can we evaluate the truth of historical representations and interpretations? How are they shaped by the availability of sources about past societies, and what determines which sources have survived to the present day? How have relationships of power influenced the sorts of stories that we tell and the voices that we hear from the past, and how do they continue to do so?By the end of the module, you will not only have a strong sense of what it means to see problems through a historical lens, but also a better understanding of the chronological and geographical range of work undertaken by Sheffield historians.

20 credits

Languages core modules, students will take one core language from the list below, with its associated core content modules:

French Advanced

This unit aims to consolidate an initial preparation for a prolonged professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and introduces the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to engage in authentic and spontaneous interaction with native speakers (CEF level B2).

20 credits

Understanding Modern France and Francophone Cultures

This core content module will introduce students to key aspects of France's history, society, politics and culture through the study of a range of important texts and media. It will focus on key historical events and texts (including print, film, and other media) to examine the values and ideas that inform French and francophone societies today, giving an historical overview of their development from Louis XIV to the present day. You will learn the key critical skills specific to a range of cultural forms and develop a . It will provide them with a sound understanding of disciplinary studies, both within the language(s)/culture(s) they have chosen to study and, more broadly, within the discipline of Languages and Cultures today. The module will facilitate your transition to University study, to complement the core language modules (which also cover aspects of culture) studied at Level 1, in addition to serving as the solid foundation for more advanced study and specialisation at Level 2 and onwards.

20 credits

German Advanced

Assuming a good A level in the language or equivalent, this unit aims to provide an initial preparation for a prolonged professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and introduces the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to engage in authentic and spontaneous interaction with native speakers (CEF level B2-).

20 credits

German Beginner Intensive

This unit aims to consolidate a general foundation in the language and culture in order to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at a elementary level, orally and in writing, with native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad (CEF level A2+).

20 credits

Dutch Beginner

This unit aims to consolidate a general foundation in the language and culture in order to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at a basic level, orally and in writing, with sympathetic native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad (CEF level A2).

20 credits

Understanding German and Dutch Histories and Cultures

This core German and Dutch content module will introduce students to the history, societies, politics, and cultures of the German- and Dutch-speaking worlds. You will focus on the major historical events and dynamics (such as the building of the Berlin Wall, Dutch and Belgian colonialism,  the impact of WW2, the importance of the Greens to contemporary Germany. You will explore key texts and a range of visual material. You will also acquire a theoretical toolkit that will enable you to analyse these major events and cultural forms. The module complements the core German and Dutch language modules (which also cover some aspects of culture) studied at Level 1, in addition to serving as the solid foundation for more advanced study and specialisation at Level 2 and onwards.

20 credits

Russian Advanced

This unit aims to consolidate an initial preparation for a prolonged professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and introduces the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to engage in authentic and spontaneous interaction with native speakers (CEF level B2).

20 credits

Russian Beginner Intensive

This unit aims to consolidate a general foundation in the language and culture in order to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at a basic level, orally and in writing, with sympathetic native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: perform at Level A1+ of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages understand and make themselves understood orally by a sympathetic native speaker in simple, routine, predictable situations, requesting or providing factual information, and coping with unfamiliar language or unexpected responses by asking for repetition or clarification read aloud and extract key information from short, simple texts and written documents (messages, notices, instructions, brochures, etc.) talk about holidays (e.g. places they visited, food they ate) in the past and the weather write simple notes, messages and short personal letters or emails (e.g. write a postcard to a friend, fill in a simple form) demonstrate a basic insight into the most common aspects of the culture and everyday life in the target country so as to react appropriately in simple situations demonstrate a practical understanding of essential grammar terminology and a basic ability to study the language by themselves, using essential tools such as the World Wide Web or a dictionary and developing techniques for the acquisition and retention of new language demonstrate awareness in a number of transferable skills such as IT skills, presenting information, handling simple unexpected communicative situations, taking intercultural differences and language barriers into account, learning independently, etc.

20 credits

Czech Beginner

This unit aims to consolidate a general foundation in the language and culture in order to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at a basic level, orally and in writing, with sympathetic native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad (CEF level A2).

20 credits

Russian and Czech Cultures in the Age of Empire and beyond

This module gives an overview of Russian and Czech cultures with a focus on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It will critically examine the concepts of statehood, empire, nationalism, totalitarianism and democracy by studying the two nations' different experiences through visual sources, literature and language usage. It thus introduces students to topics dealt with in greater depth in optional modules at Levels 2 and 3, and helps them to learn how to analyse cultural artefacts and sources of different kinds.

20 credits

Spanish Advanced

This unit aims to consolidate an initial preparation for a prolonged professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and introduces the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to engage in authentic and spontaneous interaction with native speakers (CEF level B2).

20 credits

Spanish Beginner Intensive

This unit aims to consolidate a general foundation in the language and culture in order to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at a elementary level, orally and in writing, with native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad (CEF level A2+).

20 credits

Catalan Beginner

This unit aims to consolidate a general foundation in the language and culture in order to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at a basic level, orally and in writing, with sympathetic native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad (CEF level A2).

20 credits

Portuguese Beginner

This unit aims to consolidate and expand the general foundation in the language and culture acquired at Beginner's level, providing a solid basis for the next level and enabling learners to cope with a range of predictable, everyday communicative situations encountered when interacting at an elementary level with native speakers during, for instance, a brief visit abroad (CEF level A2).

20 credits

Understanding Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese Histories and Cultures

This module examines the historical trajectories of Spain (including Catalonia) and Portugal; their emergence as states in the Iberian Peninsula; their  imperial expansion overseas into Latin America, Africa, and Asia; and the eventual independence of the colonies and their development and consolidation into the various modern-day states we know today. The module will explore the social, political, linguistic and cultural characteristics of these states and their peoples, and highlight the importance of understanding their complex histories in the formation of national and other identities, languages and cultural and political values. Seminars focussing on key cultural outputs (e.g. film and other visual cultures, literature, music) complement large-group lectures.

20 credits

Optional modules for all students:

Empire, from the Ancient World to the Early Modern

In the early first Millennium CE, Rome conquered most of the Mediterranean world. A thousand years later, Europe began to expand to the east and the west, invading the Caribbean and establishing new long-distance trade routes to east Africa and south Asia. Historians have defined this as a time of empires, when imperial ambitions and imperial traditions shaped politics, societies, economies and cultures, creating empires of different sizes, strengths and locations across Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas



Using a wealth of primary evidence and drawing on cutting-edge historiographical debates, you will explore what how the idea of 'empire' can help us to understand this history and what it meant to live in these empires, what kind of social, cultural and religious encounters they engendered, and whether and how their peoples resisted imperial rule.

20 credits

Beyond Borders? A Deep History of the Connected World

We live in a moment where the world is more interconnected than ever before, where big brands dominate global economies and imaginations, TikTok shapes trends across the planet, political rhetoric reverberates across borders, and pandemics and climate change offer threats on a planetary scale. We cannot avoid global thinking, and the impacts of international networks - from media to economies to culture and consumption - are so engrained that we barely even notice them. But how did we get here? How did the world become so intensely interconnected? And why do those processes of entanglement matter?

At a time when the rise of this increasingly global outlook is facing challenges from ethnonationalism and isolationism - from Brexit to Trump and Modi's India - this module will equip you to understand the processes at work in global integration (and isolation), not as a linear narrative of 'progress', but as historically contingent, complex and messy. In this module, we will trace the ways in which these global interconnections developed, from the earliest tentative colonies and the rise of empires, enslavement and extraction. Through the lens of global history, we will see revolutions, liberation, and worldwide conflicts, the modern international order of nation states, waves of decolonisation, and ecological crises.

Through the study of transnational structures, cultures and systems which reach from Asia to Europe and from Africa to the Americas, alongside an understanding of the many peoples of every status who were agents in these exchanges, this module will challenge you to ask: what drives nations and individuals together, or pulls them apart? What makes and breaks cultures, states, and communities? And how did we end up in a place where environment; food systems; national security; human rights; political, religious and racial ideologies; culture and language; war and peace, are all so globally determined and yet so locally rooted.

20 credits

Common People: Everyday Lives in Modern Britain and Ireland

Who were the 'common people' of modern Britain and Ireland, and how did they experience a world transformed by industrialisation, empire, democracy, and war? This module explores everyday life from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, shifting the focus from elites to the women, working-class men, rural communities, migrants, and minorities who shaped and challenged these societies. We examine how major political, economic and cultural forces reshaped family life, welfare, sexuality, religion, and popular culture, and how people responded to poverty, inequality, agrarian unrest, and regional division. Attention is given to the legacies of empire and the forging of new identities within diverse communities. Using case studies - including those from Sheffield - the module illuminates how ordinary people understood and navigated profound social change. .

20 credits

The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, c. 1570-1770

This module explores the fundamental shifts in mental attitudes and public behaviour that occurred in Europe between the age of the Reformation and the age of the Enlightenment. The central focus of the course will be the examination of the supernatural - religious beliefs, but also witchcraft and magic. You will explore the changing ways in which beliefs impinged on people's lives at various social levels. You will also have an opportunity to study the impact on people's world views of such changes as rising literacy, urbanisation, state formation and new discoveries about the natural world. All these will be investigated in the institutional contexts of state and church and the ways in which they sought to channel and mould beliefs and behaviour. This module enables you to understand how the early modern period is distinctive from and links medieval and later modern historical studies.

20 credits

The Long View: an introduction to archaeology

This module traces the development of modern humans through to the modern era. It introduces the wide range of materials and methods that archaeologists use to study the past.  The practical laboratory-based classes and field classes provide experience in the basic identification, investigation and interpretation of archaeological evidence. They are supported by lectures that introduce archaeological methods, theories and worldwide case studies. From field to laboratory using examples from throughout the world, you will learn about how archaeology shapes knowledge about the deep and recent human past.

Through this module students will be introduced to debates on the formation and development of archaeological thought through a world-wide perspective from the Palaeolithic to the present. They will be presented with techniques and ideas used by archaeologists to explore the human record and understand the past. It offers an opportunity to explore and discover the archaeological record through practical engagement, using field and laboratory methods, while also highlighting the importance of selecting analytical techniques appropriate to the question posed and the data available. The module will enable students to develop core skills in decoding and critically understanding literature, observation, recording, analysis and interpreting archaeological evidence.

20 credits

Euro-Visions: Imagining and Questioning Europe

What is 'Europe'? What does it mean to be European?   The module interrogates the idea of Europe for those who live within and outside its borders. It examines different ways in which Europe has been imagined and critiqued, through case studies that focus on, for example, language, culture, politics, or art. It considers different aspects of the emergence of a distinct pan-European identity and specific peoples within that general identity.  Europe, along with its component empires and nations, has always been defined against 'others' a) beyond its borders and b) those who reside within but are held not truly to belong (eg. Jews, Roma, Muslims). The module considers the history of such 'othering' and how it persists.

This module will explore how the idea of Europe has been formulated and discussed in literary texts, language policies, and other socio-cultural practices.  It examines social, political and cultural dynamics to explore how the idea of Europe is inextricably tied up with historical factors such as geopolitical conflicts, colonialism and unfree labour. Students will critically evaluate existing discourses, including former or official policies, and communicate their findings to academic and non-academic audiences through discussions and written evaluations.

20 credits

Language at Work

This module provides the basis for understanding the often-underestimated role of language in our everyday lives, with a specific focus on multilingual and intercultural settings in the broader context of global relationships between countries, cultures and individuals. 

Through lectures, seminars and small practical projects, students will examine their own language skills and enhance their knowledge of their chosen languages(s) through experimenting with different linguistic research methods. 

Students will gain critical understanding of their individual language repertoires and communication practices, learn different methods of scientific enquiry, and develop expertise in the exploration of language, communication and real-life interaction as a means of enhancing their foreign language learning, deepening their cultural understanding, and acquiring cultural agility. Finally, students will develop the ability to effectively communicate their academic insights to non-specialist audiences through innovative digital media.



 After completing this module, students will 



- know the basic properties of language and communication and their relation to culture; 

- be able to characterise the global and local relationships between English and their other languages; 

- be able to describe the differences between communication in monolingual and linguistically/culturally diverse contexts; 

- be able to differentiate between communication involving native speakers of a language and communication involving foreign language speakers of a language and derive implications for intercultural communication and foreign language learning; 

- use systematic methods to carry out investigations of language, communication and culture; 

- use digital technology to communicate their academic work to non-specialist audiences.

20 credits

The Soviet Union and the world

The module examines the formation, development and collapse of the USSR and key aspects of its international impact. Covers historiographic problems in analysing primary materials, ideological issues in dealing with the revolutionary movement and subsequent developments, debates over the nature and trajectory of the USSR and their global influence.  

20 credits

You will also have the option to select 20 credits of Languages for All modules in your chosen language.

Example core modules:

Arts of Persuasion

The ability to analyse strategies and techniques of persuasion is essential to understanding the world we inhabit. We encounter persuasion all the time: in everyday communication, when we read, speak, and interpret what we see and hear;  pamphlets and speeches; advertising; social media; literature and film; activism; and political campaigns and propaganda. As one scholar puts it, 'An awareness of rhetorical technique helps people to assess the validity of arguments and to avoid being misled by plausible but flawed appeals. It can also provide tools that will help counter them'.

This module enables students to develop the knowledge and critical acuity to examine persuasive strategies in a variety of narrative and visual forms, evaluate their likely effectiveness, and create their own persuasive artefact in their target language.

Organisation of the module: Lectures are topic-based and introduce broad principles of rhetoric and persuasion across history, incorporating examples from different cultures. Language-specific seminars focus on case studies from those countries and territories where the various target languages - Spanish, German, French, et cetera - are spoken. By the end of the module, students will be able to recognise and critique 'persuasive' culture, and apply this knowledge in a practical setting that aligns with their chosen language (one language only).

Assessment: 1 x individual written portfolio; 1 x collaborative persuasive artefact.

20 credits

History and the Public

This module explores the theory and practice of public history by providing students with the opportunity to communicate their scholarly work to an audience beyond the boundaries of our discipline. Students will work collaboratively in writing a critique of a piece of public history as part of a broader evaluation of the use of history outside academic settings. The course will engage in debate about important questions facing historians in the present, and consider ideas about the role and purposes of History as an academic subject.

20 credits

Plus the below:
- Parchment to Pixels: Interrogating Historical Evidence
- Continued study of your chosen language(s)

You’ll also have the opportunity to enhance your knowledge through a range of optional modules, which may include: Murder in the Cathedral: The Becket Affair, A History of Eastern Africa since 1940, Languages of Gender and Sexuality and Translation.

You'll also take one core language from the list below:

French Higher Advanced

This module aims to consolidate the full linguistic and cultural preparation of learners wishing to undertake an extended professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and to consolidate the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively in most situations encountered when engaging with native speakers (CEF level C1).

20 credits

French Intermediate Intensive

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively and accurately in all essential communicative situations encountered when interacting orally or in writing with native speakers during, for instance, a short stay abroad (CEF level B1-).

20 credits

German Higher Advanced

This module aims to consolidate the full linguistic and cultural preparation of learners wishing to undertake an extended professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and to consolidate the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively in most situations encountered when engaging with native speakers (CEF level C1).

20 credits

German Intermediate Intensive

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively and accurately in all essential communicative situations encountered when interacting orally or in writing with native speakers during, for instance, a short stay abroad (CEF level B1-).

20 credits

Dutch Intermediate

Delivered through small-group interactive seminars and tutorials , this unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to start interacting and socializing in a fairly authentic and spontaneous way with native speakers in a range of advanced but usually predictable situations which would be encountered during, for instance, a short stay or placement abroad (CEF level B1+).

20 credits

Russian Higher Advanced B

This module aims to consolidate the full linguistic and cultural preparation of learners wishing to undertake an extended professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and to consolidate the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively in most situations encountered when engaging with native speakers (CEF level C1).

20 credits

Russian Intermediate

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills to start interacting and socializing in a fairly authentic and spontaneous way with native speakers in a range of advanced but usually predictable situations which would be encountered during, for instance, a short stay or placement abroad (CEF level B1-).

20 credits

Czech Intermediate

Delivered through small-group interactive seminars and tutorials , this unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to start interacting and socializing in a fairly authentic and spontaneous way with native speakers in a range of advanced but usually predictable situations which would be encountered during, for instance, a short stay or placement abroad (CEF level B1+).

20 credits

Spanish Higher Advanced

This module aims to consolidate the full linguistic and cultural preparation of learners wishing to undertake an extended professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and to consolidate the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively in most situations encountered when engaging with native speakers (CEF level C1).

20 credits

Spanish Intermediate Intensive

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills to start interacting and socializing in a fairly authentic and spontaneous way with native speakers in a range of advanced but usually predictable situations which would be encountered during, for instance, a short stay or placement abroad (CEF level B1+).

20 credits

Catalan Intermediate

Delivered through small-group interactive seminars and tutorials, this unit aims to consolidate linguistic and cultural skills, to start interacting and socializing in a fairly authentic and spontaneous way with native speakers in a range of advanced but usually predictable situations which would be encountered during, for instance, a short stay or placement abroad (CEF level B1+).

20 credits

Portuguese Intermediate

Assuming a good GCSE level in the language or equivalent, this unit aims to provide the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate effectively and accurately in all essential communicative situations encountered when interacting orally or in writing with native speakers during, for instance, a short stay abroad (CEF level B1+).

20 credits

Optional modules for all students:

History and Historians

How has History developed as a subject of inquiry? Why do historians view the same issues and sources in different ways? What forces internal and external to our profession have shaped the way the past has been written? And who has had the power to write history and for what ends? This module, building on the foundational work students have done at Level 1, poses these questions. It is designed to encourage greater methodological reflection on the part of students. What kind of historian are they? And why? It also sets them up for more advanced interrogation of 'historiography' elsewhere in the programme.

20 credits

Trumpism: An American Biography

Donald Trump's election, commentators claim, was unprecedented as well as unexpected: a break with more than two centuries of custom. Yet closer scrutiny of American history suggests Trump is no aberration. The module will interrogate the U.S. past to better understand the present, looking at the likes of populism as a political language, whiteness as a psychological wage, masculinity as a path to high office, protectionism as an economic policy, and deindustrialization as a political spur. By asking historical questions about the roots of Trump's rise, we will situate the American present in a complex and often painful past.

20 credits

A History of Eastern Africa since 1940

This module introduces the history of contemporary Eastern Africa, stretching from the colonial era into the twenty-first century. It makes comparisons and connections between three continental states - Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda - plus the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros. The region's fraught politics runs through the spine of the module, as we trace the emergence of nationalist movements, projects to build new states after empire, and the struggle for democracy. But throughout these twists and turns, we foreground ordinary experiences, from the people who navigated the violence of military dictatorship or coped with HIV/AIDs, to revellers who packed out nightclub dancefloors or students who led demonstrations against their governments. Themes of race, class, gender, generation, and the continuing legacies of colonial rule run through these topics. Throughout the module, we will consider how we can 'decolonise' the study of Africa and how these contested histories shape the region today.

20 credits

Byzantine Intersectionality: Gender, Race and Power in the Medieval Mediterranean, c.500-1300

How did race and gender appear before modernity? How similar were they to how race and gender appear to us today? And can the tools of intersectionality, an approach developed by the critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw that thinks of different kinds of identities as deeply intertwined in structuring our lives, help us understand the medieval world? These questions sit at the heart of this module, which will guide you through the Byzantine world, the survivor of the Roman empire in the East, stretching from the Balkans to Syria, but with a particular focus on the manifold ways in which this world and its power hierarchies were structured by complex ideas about gender and race. From castrated men, or eunichs, sleeping at the foot of the emperor's bed, to saints assigned female at birth who decided to spend their lives as men in male monasteries, this course will ask us to reconsider the assumptions we make about gender and race today, by tracing both how far they have come from the medieval period, and how far they have deviated from it. It will both start and conclude with some bigger historiographical questions: does the existence of race and gender in the past, the realities of racial and sexual hierarchy, offer us an origins story or an opportunity for liberation today?

20 credits

Holy Russia, Soviet Empire: Nation, Religion, and Identity in the 20th Century

This module explores the twentieth-century history of Russia, the Soviet Union, and its successor states. Rather than approaching this turbulent period in history by focusing on the rise and fall of different political leaders (as is often the case in survey courses), we instead approach this subject through the prism of nation, religion and identity. The course probes the following questions: What did the 'Russian revolution mean for the multi-national empire created by the Romanovs? How far did the communist party manage to create a 'Soviet' identity, and on what was this based? Did the Bolsheviks attempt to create an atheist society succeed? And what happened to 'Soviet' identity when communist leaders began to lose their grip on power in the final decades of the twentieth century?

20 credits

Life Worth Living

What does it mean for a life to go well? How does one live life well? What is a flourishing life? These questions have shaped intellectual endeavour for millennia. Life Worth Living explores approaches to these questions through engagement with diverse traditions/thinkers including classical Greek philosophy, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Existentialism, Marx, and Nietzsche. The module includes historical analysis of these traditions, visits from individuals whose lives are shaped by them, fieldwork to discuss the ideas beyond the classroom, and assessments to help students develop their own vision of a life worth living.

20 credits

Gender and the Georgians: Sex and Society in Britain 1714-1837

Eighteenth-century Britain witnessed great change: historians have argued for a 'revolution' in industry, the 'birth of a consumer society' and the emergence of a 'public sphere' of political debate; global trade expanded, towns grew, and new Enlightenment ideas flourished. In this context, gender identities and roles were redefined, understandings of the body debated, and notions of masculinity and femininity contested. This module explores these ideas about gender, and how they informed people's experiences, from polite fashions to the criminal underworld, bluestocking sobriety to drunkenness in gentlemen's clubs, and from 'subcultures' of homosexuality to the first 'feminists'

20 credits

The Battle for China's Future, 1839-1949

This module explores a century in which nationalists and imperialists fought over China. We will begin by looking at how the Qing empire, having expanded China's frontiers, confronted the 'semi-colonialism' of foreign powers and bloody domestic rebellions. After covering the Qing's fall in the 1911 Revolution, we will examine different designs for national integration on the part of warlords, reformers, and radicals, and consider the civil wars that followed. China's history in this period is sometimes told as a straightforward story of Eastern response to Western impact. But in introducing you to China before Communist rule, we will consider a more complex story of innovation, exchange, accommodation, and resistance, as the Middle Kingdom's dynastic rulers and their republican successors tried to meet foreign and domestic challenges, balance conservatism and modernization, and redraw their country's social, political, and geographic boundaries.

20 credits

Egypt's Golden Empire

Ancient Egypt has stimulated public interest for hundreds of years.  This is because of the rich legacy left by the Egyptians to illustrate their power, wealth and belief system in elaborate temples, monuments and highly decorated tombs containing treasures, and latterly a deciphered script.  But, how much of this evidence is a skewed version of a rich past based on power, wealth and propaganda?  This module focuses on the New Kingdom Egypt, between the 16th and 11th centuries BCE, the Age of Empire, to interrogate the historical record and throw light on Egyptian society in the New Kingdom. In the late Bronze Age, from the late fifteenth century BCE, Egypt's political power and wealth reached its zenith; it dominated the political landscape and trade in and around the Mediterranean.  It had an empire that stretched beyond the Euphrates and Turkey in the north, and into what is now Sudan in the south.  This is the time of warrior kings such as Thutmose III, alleged heretics in Akhenaten whose iconoclastic rule all but erased Egyptian history, magnificent queens in Nefertiti and minor insignificant royals such as Tutankhamun who brought a powerful dynasty to its end; the so-called pharaohs of the sun.  The later meteoric rise of Ramesses II again brought dominance to Egypt only to be eroded by a succession of weak leaders around 1100 BCE.  These economic powerhouses provided the wealth to build the documentary, architectural and material legacy we have today.  This is the Egypt which excites the popular imagination.  However, these resources tell the story not only of the succession of powerful rulers, but also about how ordinary people lived their lives, and how society functioned. Through a series of fascinating case studies, this module traces the development and decline of this superpower through these empire builders, heretic kings, and young rulers who had their power usurped by generals and administrators.  It draws on wide range of sources; hieroglyphic texts document a written history through the succession lists of Egypt's rulers, economic transactions at home and abroad attesting to a powerful trade network and efficient economic system, financial accounts showing ownership and trade at home, judicial trials of treachery and plots, and poems giving a more intimate view of daily life.  Magnificent stone temples tell of power, but also of religious practice, social hierarchy and of international relations.  Statuary, effigies and art tells us of elite dominance, power and achievements, but also of conflict, control and the use of propaganda.  Extensive and elaborate funerary monuments and burial sites with rich and extremely well-preserved artefactual evidence demonstrate an elite wealth, but also illustrate trade, craft and workmanship; these tombs also contain the remains of individuals which enables us to explore lifestyle, health and, through genetic analysis, family relationships.  How science and experiment has changed our views of written history in recent years, and the apparent conflict between the different sources of data will be discussed.  Topics such as the interplay of power at both local and international levels, the lives of everyday Egyptians - social and economic inequalities, how society functioned and was organised, and the pressures of gaining and maintaining international dominance will be explored.

20 credits

From Democracy to Dictatorship: the 1973 coup in Chile

This document option explores the coup of 11 September 1973 as a turning point in Chilean, Latin American and global history. It will use primary sources to explore events on both sides of this critical date, casting light on life in Chile under both democracy and dictatorship. This module will also situate the Chilean coup in international and global history, asking why events in a small Latin American country held such global importance. We'll use government documents to explore why  the United States found it necessary to intervene against the Allende government and assist the reactionary forces who supported the military coup and transcripts of interviews to grasp how everyday life changed for Chileans in 1973. We'll also explore the significance of events in Chile for the wider global Cold War, using music, art and documents left by activists to ask why everyday people in countries across the world - including the United Kingdom - mobilised in solidarity with the Chilean people and in the name of human rights, and we'll also assess the impact this activism had.

20 credits

Murder in the cathedral: the Becket Affair

On 29 December 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was brutally murdered in his cathedral by four knights of his King and one-time friend, Henry II. In the space of ten years, a close friendship had been ruined, and Thomas' stubbornness, flight to France, and untimely death created additional tensions for the English king. This document option investigates events surrounding Thomas' death and the emergence of his cult. It asks how a minor squabble became a continent-wide cause célèbre, forcing Henry into an act of ritual humiliation to clear his name while ensuring that Thomas' memory lived on.

20 credits

The Irish Republican Brotherhood, 1858-85

Britain's 'Irish problem' has long roots. This document module examines one of the most important violent Irish organisations that challenged British sovereignty in Ireland. Founded in 1858, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) (or the Fenian movement, as it was also known) was a transatlantic movement dedicated to the overthrow of the British state in Ireland. Fuelled by hatred for the British after the dreadful Famine in Ireland of the 1840s, the Fenians constructed a sophisticated organisation that was part secret society, terrorist cell structure and propaganda machine. It was the early forerunner of the Irish Republican Army. This document option investigates aspects of Fenianism from a range of angles. Using sources written and produced by contemporaries, we will consider the dynamics of the IRB and its place within nineteenth-century Ireland.

20 credits

The Putney Debates, October 1647

Following the first English civil war there was political stalemate over the post-war settlement. By late 1647 there were calls for revolutionary political change, not least at the famous Putney debates. They came at a crucial moment in the development of the revolution, and successive editors between 1891 and 2007 presented the records of the debates in varying contexts in order to reveal the fundamental significance of the revolution. This module explores the background to the debates at Putney, what was said, and also considers how different editions of the debates reflect the shifting significance attached to the English revolution.

20 credits

A Very British Revolution? The 1926 General Strike

In this document module you will consider the significance of the 1926 General Strike to Britain's historical development in the interwar period. You will examine how the strike was interpreted by both contemporary actors and historians, and consider a range of different perspectives on its effects across class, gender and regional divides. You will gain confidence in analysing and debating different types of primary source evidence, including Royal Commission reports, government papers, press coverage, memoirs, and newsreel footage. You will also have the opportunity to develop your technique in writing gobbet-style analyses via seminar discussions, practice attempts, and formal assessment.The module covers the full chronology of the General Strike's origins, conduct, aftermath and subsequent construction in historical memory. This includes: its association with post-war problems in the coal industry; the growth of syndicalism and anti-capitalist ideologies; government attempts to resolve trade union unrest; the events of the strike itself; the information war in the press; local studies on the strike in different parts of Britain; the defeat of the trade unions and government retaliation; and how the strike has been remembered

20 credits

Plus the below:
- Contemporary Crises in Historical Perspective

Plus one of the optional modules below:

'That is not my (hi)story'. Shaping the future of our inherited past

'That is (not) my story'. Shaping the future of our inherited past We live in times  concerned with sameness and difference, with (national) identity, with the present and the future of the past. No wonder that the 'national narrative', or the self-image of the nation, is in flux when some celebrate past beliefs, achievements and power structures and others plead for reparative justice. 

In this module we will look at how narratives, in particular national narratives, are shaped; how ideas of difference and sameness are articulated; and how the 'cultural archive' of different nations is affected by and represented in, for example, texts, political speeches and party manifestos, in museum exhibitions, in films, in monuments and traditions etc. We will look at Europe (including Britain), Latin America and Africa to consider how point of view impacts on how you perceive the past, present and future.  

This is a complicated way of saying: how is the story 'we know' about the history of the nation told? Who gets to tell the tale? How do we come to believe in a collective history, a national history, a national character? And how is this shifting? 

We will look at two broad topics across the various nations and languages: 

- Representation of imperial past and its legacies- Conflict and commemoration culture

We will broadly address three questions:

- History in public spaces: What/who do we remember here and who steers this memory?- History and commemoration/celebration - History and me - what about my sense of the nation? 

20 credits

Languages of Gender and Sexuality

Gender and sexuality have always been diverse, and have been conceived in different ways over time and in specific (sub)cultural contexts or counterpublics.  Throughout history and around the world, languages change to represent gender and sexual non-conformity. Gender and sexuality are themselves acts of translation, and parts of grammar: of language, and of social relations. This module examines theories past and present, surprising and paradoxical timelines of women's suffrage, early examples of queer activism, and cultural representations - all in your languages of study (French, German, or Spanish). You shall explore texts by writers who travelled abroad, and wrote in a foreign language, to express their authentic selves. Love that dared to speak its name needed multilingual dictionaries

20 credits

Language and the Self

This module explores the complex relationship between language, identity, and sociocultural groups, encouraging you to critically engage with your chosen language(s) in personal, social, and political contexts. Through an interdisciplinary approach, you will examine what it means to be a 'legitimate' speaker, how language operates within diverse cultural groups (e.g. gender identity), and the role of cultural practices and artefacts in shaping identities. The module integrates technology as a tool for multilingual engagement and self-reflection and fosters online enquiry, communication and research skills, including in ethnography. This module encourages you to see yourselves as active participants in multilingual societies, equipping you with the critical tools, intercultural competence, linguistic confidence, and digital literacy to navigate diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes during  the Year Abroad and beyond.

20 credits

Translation

This module aims to introduce students to key concepts, approaches, and practices in translation, considering both traditional methods and contemporary developments. While translation continues to evolve, this module will cover foundational translation techniques, the role of the translator, and the principles that have shaped the field over time. You will explore core aspects of translation theory and practice, including literary and specialised translation, comparative stylistics, and the role of cultural and linguistic mediation, with extensive practice in your studied languages.The module will also consider more recent developments in translation technologies, including subtitling, dubbing, and interlingual adaptation, as well as the ethical and practical challenges translators face in various professional settings. Through a series of lectures and practical workshops, students will gain hands-on experience in translation tasks, refine their linguistic and analytical skills, and collaborate on translation projects.

20 credits

Revolutions and Revolutionary Trends

Students will examine the continuities and transformations in the political development of diverse revolutionary trends by looking at a series of global case studies. Through a combination of interactive lectures, flipped learning, and student-led discussions, students will analyse and account for the rise of diverse forms of political organisation and explore their social and cultural ramifications. This approach will enable students to critically evaluate how these movements are constructed, articulated, and occasionally interrelated, and how they reflect or shape broader social, political, and cultural dynamics. Through this process, students will deepen their comprehension of the complexities inherent in specific resistance and revolutionary movements and ideologies.

20 credits

Plus the Languages for All module

Autumn semester:

French Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Germanic Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Hispanic Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Russian and Slavonic Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Luxembourg Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub

Spring semester:

French Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Germanic Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Hispanic Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub.

Russian and Slavonic Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub

Luxembourg Studies Year Abroad

All students studying on a Modern Languages degree in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies will spend their third year either studying and/or working abroad. The year abroad enables you to immerse yourself in the language, culture and society of the language or languages you study. As our languages are spoken both in Europe and worldwide, you have the opportunity to choose destinations not only in Europe but beyond. You will be required to spend a specific amount of time abroad.

The assessment for this module is on a Pass/Fail basis and it will vary depending on how you spend your year abroad (at University, on a work placement, on a British Council placement). Full details of the assessment you are required to do, and the residency requirements, will be provided in the Student Hub

Core module for all students:

Project in Languages and Cultures

Guided by individual supervision and support seminars, you will plan and execute an extended piece of independent research on a topic that complements but does not duplicate work you have done (or will do) in taught modules. Alternatively, you may translate a substantial text into English accompanied by a full commentary to contextualize it. Your project must relate to at least one of the countries or cultures whose languages you are studying. As well as writing an extended piece of work, all students present their work.

20 credits

Plus one core language from the list below:

French Proficient

This unit aims to perfect the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to consolidate the strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture (CEF level C2).

20 credits

German Proficient

This unit aims to perfect the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to consolidate the strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture (CEF level C2).

20 credits

Dutch Proficient

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to develop strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: perform at Level C1 of the CEFR understand television programmes and films without too much effort, and extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly understand fairly long and complex factual or literary texts, including specialised articles, appreciating distinctions of style and genre express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions, using language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes, formulating complex ideas and opinions with precision, and relating their contribution skilfully to those of other speakers write about fairly complex academic, professional or personal subjects in a letter, essay or report, expressing their points of view at some length within a logical structure and in a style appropriate to the reader in mind demonstrate a critical understanding of cultural and social trends and associated behaviours in areas where the language is spoken so as to engage efficiently with native speakers in most communicative situations, including academic or professional ones demonstrate a strategic ability to study the language by themselves for specific purposes, assessing their long-term language needs and cultural interests, setting themselves goals in relation to these, and using specialist tools as well as experimenting with a range of resources and techniques to achieve these goals with maximum efficiency demonstrate advanced competence in a number of transferable skills such as IT skills, researching, presenting and analysing information, defending an argument and negotiating, intercultural and language awareness, autonomous learning, social media communication, etc.

20 credits

Russian Proficient

This unit aims to perfect the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to consolidate the strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture.

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: perform at Level C2 of the CEFR', understand without any difficulty any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed, provided they have some time to get familiar with the accent read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, structurally or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialised articles and literary works take part effortlessly in any conversation, discussion or presentation, expressing themselves fluently and idiomatically according to the context, developing an effective logical structure if necessary and conveying finer shades of meaning precisely produce a variety of professional texts (letters, reports, articles, etc.), presenting complex ideas and finer shades of meaning within an effective logical structure and with an excellent command of the appropriate style demonstrate an extended critical understanding of cultural, social and professional trends and associated behaviours in areas where the language is spoken so as to engage efficiently with native speakers in complex or conflictual communicative situations, whether academic, professional, or other study the language and culture fully independently for a variety of purposes, maintaining and enhancing their level of proficiency beyond the institutional framework through a personal routine of exposure to, and practise of, the languag demonstrate proficiency in a number of transferable skills such as IT skills, researching, presenting and analysing information, defending an argument and negotiating, intercultural and language awareness, autonomous learning, social media communication, etc.

20 credits

Czech Proficient

Delivered through small-group interactive seminars and tutorials, this unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills to start interacting and socializing in a fairly authentic and spontaneous way with native speakers in a range of advanced but usually predictable situations which would be encountered during, for instance, a short stay or placement abroad (CEF level B1+).

20 credits

Spanish Proficient

This unit aims to perfect the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to consolidate the strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture (CEF level C2).

20 credits

Catalan Proficient

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to develop strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: perform at Level C1 of the CEFR understand television programmes and films without too much effort, and extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly understand fairly long and complex factual or literary texts, including specialised articles, appreciating distinctions of style and genre express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions, using language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes, formulating complex ideas and opinions with precision, and relating their contribution skilfully to those of other speakers write about fairly complex academic, professional or personal subjects in a letter, essay or report, expressing their points of view at some length within a logical structure and in a style appropriate to the reader in mind demonstrate a critical understanding of cultural and social trends and associated behaviours in areas where the language is spoken so as to engage efficiently with native speakers in most communicative situations, including academic or professional ones demonstrate a strategic ability to study the language by themselves for specific purposes, assessing their long-term language needs and cultural interests, setting themselves goals in relation to these, and using specialist tools as well as experimenting with a range of resources and techniques to achieve these goals with maximum efficiency demonstrate advanced competence in a number of transferable skills such as IT skills, researching, presenting and analysing information, defending an argument and negotiating, intercultural and language awareness, autonomous learning, social media communication, etc.

20 credits

Portuguese Proficient

This unit aims to consolidate the linguistic and cultural skills required to operate as a near-native speaker in the target country, whether for professional, academic or recreational purposes, and to develop strategies and techniques to become a fully autonomous, life-long learner of the language and culture. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: perform at Level C1 of the CEFR understand television programmes and films without too much effort, and extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly understand fairly long and complex factual or literary texts, including specialised articles, appreciating distinctions of style and genre express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions, using language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes, formulating complex ideas and opinions with precision, and relating their contribution skilfully to those of other speakers write about fairly complex academic, professional or personal subjects in a letter, essay or report, expressing their points of view at some length within a logical structure and in a style appropriate to the reader in mind demonstrate a critical understanding of cultural and social trends and associated behaviours in areas where the language is spoken so as to engage efficiently with native speakers in most communicative situations, including academic or professional ones demonstrate a strategic ability to study the language by themselves for specific purposes, assessing their long-term language needs and cultural interests, setting themselves goals in relation to these, and using specialist tools as well as experimenting with a range of resources and techniques to achieve these goals with maximum efficiency demonstrate advanced competence in a number of transferable skills such as IT skills, researching, presenting and analysing information, defending an argument and negotiating, intercultural and language awareness, autonomous learning, social media communication, etc.

20 credits

Optional modules for all students:

Permissive Britain? Social and Cultural Change 1956-74

This module explores British society and culture as the nation moved from an era of austerity to one of unprecedented affluence. Key topics include the impact of affluence on class and gender relationships, the emergence of a national youth culture, changes and continuities in sexual behaviour, and debates about immigration and race. The unit encourages students to assess the significance of reforming legislation that relaxed the censorship regime, decriminalised homosexuality, enabled easier access to abortion, liberalised the divorce system and abolished capital punishment, examining the arguments of those who resisted, as well as those who championed the 'permissive society'.

40 credits

The World of Intoxicants in Early Modern England

Intoxicants were a key feature of early modern societies. This is as true for 'old' world alcohols like wine, beer, ale, and other fermented drinks as it is for 'new' intoxicants like opiates, tobacco, sugar, caffeines, chocolate, and distilled liquors that began to enter European diets after 1600 from the Levant, the Americas, and Asia. Focusing on intoxicants in England, this module considers a) the ongoing importance and, indeed, increasing significance of alcohols to culture, society, and economy over the course of the seventeenth century and b) the introduction and popularisation of new intoxicants over the same period.

40 credits

Cannibals and Christians: Mexico and Spain, c.1492-1600

This module examines the extraordinary clash of cultures which occurred following the 'discovery' of America, and the reciprocal relationship which developed between Europe and the 'New World' in the sixteenth century. Focusing on the sixteenth-century discovery, conquest and settlement of Central and South America, especially Mexico, the module will address such themes as the nature of the encounter, the intellectual and cultural impact, trade and exchange, migration, evangelisation and empire. The module addresses the encounter from a wide range of perspectives, evaluating the encounter from the viewpoint of sailors, conquistadors, priests, historians, explorers, missionaries, administrators and the indigenous people themselves.

40 credits

The Wars for Vietnam: Empire, Decolonisation and Liberation

In the middle decades of the twentieth century, Vietnam was wrenched by wars: a world war, a war of decolonisation, a civil war, the Cold War, and a war against its erstwhile communist allies. By studying these conflicts, we not only learn about modern Vietnam, but also the French empire, U.S. foreign policy, and communist internationalism in the mid-20th Century. As case studies, these wars shed light on larger global processes of imperial conquest, decolonisation and neo-colonial control, communist revolution and the limits of internationalism. As an archetype of national liberation, events in Vietnam also profoundly shaped anti-colonial struggles around the world and social movements in the United States and Europe, from Black Power to the women's liberation movement. This module explores the wars for Vietnam through the themes of empire, decolonisation, and liberation, paying close attention to Vietnamese perspectives, exploring the role of France, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, and uncovering the global reverberations of these conflicts. We will investigate the historiography which set the broad parameters of debate, as well as newer scholarship which has challenged these orthodox interpretations, and we will examine a wide range of primary sources, from government documents, memoirs, and oral histories, to images, fiction, and film.

40 credits

Resistance & Liberation in South Africa: Gandhi to Mandela

This module analyses resistance to segregation, apartheid, and white supremacy in South Africa. Drawing upon memoirs, oral histories, novels, films, speeches, news reporting, online databases, and document collections, we begin with the non-violent campaigns led by Mohandas Gandhi in the 1900s against the segregation of Indians in South Africa, and end with Nelson Mandela's election as president in the country's first non-racial democratic elections in 1994. We will explore the inspirations, nature, and effects of a wide range of forms of political, social, and cultural resistance by opponents of white supremacy - from ordinary people to elite politicians - both inside South Africa and around the world.

40 credits

Makers of a New World: Merchants, Scholars and Commoners in Late Medieval Europe

Between 1350 and 1450, many of the foundations of the Europe as we know it and the world has experienced it were laid by specific groups of people: merchants who established capitalist market economy and, at the same time, shaped the appearance of their cities through patronage and the promotion of new artistic models; scholars who reconsidered past evidence and the meaning of the past through the 'rediscovery' of the Classics; and commoners that developed individual and collective ways of getting their voices heard in politics and religion.The module builds on new scholarship on the late medieval period and, to an extent, the early modern period and extra-European history to engage critically with developments that have more traditionally been referenced as the Renaissance, Humanism, the Waning of the Middle Ages, and approached as transition, crisis, transformation or, more specifically, through notions including the 'disanchantment', the birth of the 'nation-state' and 'European expansion'.

40 credits

Merchants, Pirates and Planters: The English Overseas, 1570-1624

The period c.1570-1624 saw a reorientation of England's global position, as increasing numbers of English people began to venture into unfamiliar regions. This course charts the nature and significance of their travels. We will encounter merchants in Europe, the Ottoman Empire and the far east, settlers and conquerors in Ireland and America, explorers in the frozen seas of the far north, and pirates in Spanish America. The latter part of the course focuses on the foundation of England's first 'successful' American colony, Jamestown. Throughout, we consider the motives driving these ventures, and the complex nature of the encounters that ensued.

40 credits

The National Security State, Treason, and Individual Rights during the Twentieth Century

National security scares over 'whistleblowers' such as Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning or Kathrine Gun have catapulted the image of the 'traitor' back into public discourse. At the same time, controversies over Wikileaks' political agenda and Russian interference with the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential elections were as much discussed in terms of British and US national security as a threat to the security of 'the West' as a whole. These conflicts stand at the end of a century that has seen the rise of the modern surveillance state and transnational security frameworks organized through institutions such as Interpol, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact states (until 1989/91).  Over the course of the 20th century, more and more people saw themselves suspected of betrayal of the community. The First World War transformed older clearly defined criminal offences of 'high treason' against the sovereign and their immediate family members to wider accusations of treason against the nation, state, and people. The rise of communism and fascism triggered the building of new domestic public security apparatuses in the interwar period. War crimes and genocide of the Second World War further complicated debates on the morality of collaboration with the enemy. In response, security agencies professionalized their work and the early Cold War saw calls for transnational bloc-wide security regimes to combat subversion by the Cold War enemy. Since then, state surveillance has come to be seen more and more as a constant everyday threat to privacy and individual rights after the digital revolution of the 1970s.  In this special subject, we explore through rich source material the political, emotional, social, and cultural dynamics that were at play when individuals or groups from across Europe, the US and Soviet Union were accused of betraying society. We will consider how people's ethnic, gender, and class background impacted their fate of becoming 'traitors'. Taken together, their cases will provide answers to the central question of how demands for the professionalization of the national security state have impacted ordinary people's lives and rights under different forms of government and how they shape our contemporary understandings of democracy and authoritarianism.

40 credits

Italy in the Age of Dante, ca. 1200-1350

In the 13th and 14th centuries, northern-central Italy was one of the most urbanized, economically dynamic and culturally innovative parts of Western Europe, to the point that important scholars of the past have seen the Italian city-states as forerunners of modern concepts of republicanism and individualism. The cultural efflorescence of this period is still visible in the historical city centre of many Italian towns, in the frescoes of Giotto, and in the literary works of authors such as Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), best known for his exploration of the Christian afterlife in the Divine Comedy. And yet, Dante's Italy was also plagued by instability, civil wars and factionalism, as exemplified by the poet's banishment from his city, Florence, on account of political rivalries. How did the Italian city-states manage to flourish economically and culturally in such a fraught political landscape? How could they reconcile intellectual sophistication and religious revival on one side, and significant levels of violence and turmoil on the other? This module will make use of sources such as artwork, chronicles, literature and charters to explore various facets of the political, social and cultural life of the communes with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of this multi-faceted society.

The module will introduce you to the political, religious, social, and cultural landscapes of the Italian city-states between the 13th and the 14th century. It will develop your awareness of the historiographical interpretations of the period and its key features, e.g., the communal movement, merchant capitalism, the 14th century crisis and lay sanctity.

40 credits

The World Transformed? The League of Nations and the End of Empire, 1919-46

The League of Nations was a major experiment in the organisation of international relations after the First World War. Political theorists and historians have long debated its merits, and references to its failures line the pages of textbooks. But rather than reproduce these arguments about the inability of the League to prevent a second world war, this module takes a different approach. It draws our attention to the surprising role it played in international governance in former imperial territories in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In this module, we see League officials working on programmes directed at disarmament, international crime, trafficking, public health, universal children's rights, slavery, communications, and much more. The module introduces students to the League's work in practice, offering insight into the experiences of millions of ordinary men and women as they sought to rebuild their lives after the collapse of empires. 

40 credits

Short Dissertation

The short dissertation is your chance to plan, undertake, and write up a piece of research on a topic of your choice, normally connected to your special subject. The module develops your skills in research usually, although not exclusively, involving critical analysis of primary source materials alongside advanced, nuanced engagement with secondary literature. Guided by your supervisor, you will spend the semester finding material connected to your topic of interest, analysing that material and developing your understanding of the relevant historiographical and scholarly debates before writing a 5,000-word dissertation presenting your own independent argument and interpretation that you situate within those scholarly debates. As one of the final pieces submitted during your degree, the Dissertation is your chance to shape a project to your own interests and showcase your role as a historian. 

20 credits

Plus the below:
- Conflict, Controversy, Critique style module
- Digital Public History type module
- Languages for All module

Plus one of the optional modules below:

Social Approaches to Multilingualism

This module provides students with an overview of key topics in multilingualism, with an emphasis on the ways in which issues of language are linked to broader socio-political practices and debates. It allows students to gain insights into how theories of nationalism and globalisation may be applied to the analysis of texts and images in multilingual settings - with a particular focus on those in which Romance and/or Germanic languages play a central role - and it shows how debates about language are bound up with struggles over social equality and reactions to social transformations.

20 credits

Comparative Critique of Consumer Culture

Critiques of consumer cultures are as old as capitalism itself. This module takes the long view. Especially applying Critical Theory, we shall ask whether culture owes a debt to consumer society, or is a site of opposition - or both in one contradiction. Consumerism has given us growth and globalisation, for better and worse. It entails complicity in social problems, yet has been celebrated for enabling the self and individual (bad) taste. Mass consumption now threatens our shared environment, while also enabling political engagement in the everyday. Theory, the visual arts, and literature have all been critical of capitalism - but ironically, they can themselves be packaged as consumer goods. Examining a wide range of primary texts in your languages of study, from the earliest fashion magazines to film and branding campaigns, you will write two commentaries: one on a historical, and the other on a present-day source.

20 credits

Tales of Cities. Mapping and Marketing the Urban as a Site of Encounter and Conflict

Cities shape the way we see the world. In the 21st century most of us live in cities. They are archives of collective and personal histories. Cities are universes in their own right, generating social success and profound friction. They boast art galleries and epic sporting events. They are also sites of social inequalities; there is tension between heritage and modernisation, urban versus rural. 

In this module we will examine the city as a story, both real and imagined. We will look at cities as sites of conflict (think demonstrations and even revolutions); cities as places of (multi)cultural  encounter, places of languages; spaces where the relationship between the story of a city and the nation is shaped. We will examine what aspects are important in the way cities tell their own story and how their stories are constructed by others. You will bring your own language(s) and cultural experience(s) to this module by drawing on your Year Abroad (or travel) experience and your experience of Sheffield or your home town. 

We will look at formative city moments through visual and textual material such as films, documentaries, texts, photographs, monuments, buildings, etc. This module will be assessed by a portfolio you put together to respond to a specific commission from a city of your choice.

20 credits

Global Careers in Languages

To study languages, cultures and societies is to pursue a subject area that is outward-looking and which actively addresses global concerns. Our graduates boast linguistic fluency and cross-cultural expertise, and offer a unique set of skills to employers in several industries.

This module gives students the opportunity to develop and connect specialist knowledge of their language(s) and studied areas according to four career pathways: Cultural industries; Politics, Community and Civic sectors; Translation and Teaching; and Global Business. Students will explore current debates and developments in these diverse sectors and industries, drawing on and extending their understanding of cross-cultural issues.

By learning from the trajectories of industry experts, studying a variety of highly contemporary case studies, and developing vocational skills, this module allows students to reflect on and extend the substantial professional value of their advanced skills and knowledge of languages and cultures.

20 credits

Music and Performance

What place does the performed word have in different cultures, societies and times? In this module, we explore how verbal performance can both collude with and oppose established power and how it shapes the personal worlds of both performers and listeners. You will respond to poetry, drama and vocal music of all kinds both critically and creatively, and will consider how these two ways of thinking build up our understanding of language, art and society. Your own experience of performance - which could be anything from taking part in a play through singing a song to reading a poem - will expand and consolidate this understanding.

20 credits