Studying History and Politics at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ provides the opportunity to have supervisions and lectures from leading experts in History and Politics. You will be encouraged to consider political ideas from the perspective of both disciplines, and, during small group teaching and individual supervision, engage in debate.
Overview
The minimum offer level is A*AA at A-level, or 7 7 6 (42+ overall) from Higher Level subjects in the IB. We may ask that the A*/HL7 be achieved in a specific subject from those you are currently taking. For other qualifications, please see the University .
A level/IB Higher Level History or equivalent.
Besides History, other writing-intensive, essay-based subjects will be useful preparation. .
Written work required to apply
Two history essays will be required between roughly 1500 and 2500 words and including teachers’ comments, if possible. We will not accept short answers based on document exercises or non-history essays; nor will we accept exam answers. The essay should be on a topic which has engaged your interest, and on which you feel you have something to say. Above all it should contain an argument. Each written work submission should be a stand-alone piece, rather than excerpted from a longer essay that exceeds the parameters above.
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History and Politics at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ
History and Politics at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ is a welcoming and intellectually inspiring course of study that provides a supportive environment for our students to thrive. Our priority is to admit bright and talented students with a real passion for studying the intersections between History and Politics as distinct, but related, academic disciplines. There is a lively community of about 30 undergraduate historians at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ, including single honours History students and others studying History and Modern Languages. We appreciate that our students come to university with diverse expectations and experience, and their needs as individuals often vary considerably. We take account of this and help our students to make the most of their abilities and potential. Students at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ are expected to work hard, but the college also works hard to support them as they do so. Find out more from the student profiles below.
The History and Politics course at Cambridge is characterised by its breadth and wide range of subject options. At Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ, we encourage our students to be adventurous in their choices in order to develop their interests in fields of study that they might not have considered before. In addition, History and Politics students take a ‘bridging paper’ in both the first and the third year, enabling them to explore the connections between the disciplines of History and Politics and reflect on the course of study as a whole. Apart from Faculty lectures and classes, the main teaching that students receive is the weekly supervision, which students prepare for by reading widely and writing an essay. A typical workload over a two-week period in the first and second year will be 16 hours of lectures and three essays for supervisions. In the third year this work pattern will vary more between individuals depending on the papers you choose and whether you do a dissertation.
Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Fellows derive much enjoyment from supervising our students and getting to know them. In common with other Cambridge colleges, we also find expert supervisors for our students from across the University. Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ also has an excellent college library with a comprehensive collection of history books, and the University Library is adjacent to Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ’s Memorial Court site.
We are proud of the academic successes of Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ History students, and we have a track record of students obtaining the top grades. But while we expect our students to find their work challenging, and so to study hard, we also encourage them to become involved in extra-curricular activities across the College and the wider University, including music, sport and theatre.
Helen has been a Director of Studies at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ since 1995 and has taught Politics to every generation of Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ students since then. She is the Director of Studies for Part I Human, Social and Political Sciences and for Part II Politics and International Relations. Her most recent book is Oil and the Western Economic Crisis. She has published articles in recent years on Brexit, the euro zone crisis, and the 2007-8 financial crash.
Dr. Foyster’s field of research is the social history of Britain from the seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century, with particular interests in the history of the family. Her research examines historical experiences of mental health and illness, learning disabilities and causes of mortality in early nineteenth-century Britain. You can read more about her on her College webpage.
I’m a historian of Africa. I’ve written a book about chieftaincy and political culture in precolonial and colonial Ibadan, which is a city in southwestern Nigeria not far from the town of Ile-Ife, where I grew up. As Director of Studies, I coordinate the teaching for third-year historians at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ. You can read more about me on my College webpage.
