About History
History at YSJ is not a conventional history degree in that the
diversity of approach here allows us to encompass everything from
medieval to contemporary history, the study of British events and
global affairs, the politics of the Renaissance Popes to the
understanding of contemporary crises.
It’s a flexible course, allowing students to choose from a menu
of unrelated options or to concentrate on a particular period of
study. You choose your own modules, enabling you to construct
your own study pathway. There is the opportunity to undertake
independent research and to specialise in the kinds of history that
interest you most.
“We don’t want to create
barriers – over the course of the three years you can touch on a
wide range of subjects.”
We are looking for students with an enthusiasm for
exploring the past and we offer you the opportunity to acquire a
wide range of skills from written work to oral presentations, from
teamwork to independent study.
The first year is introductory,
emphasising the breadth of study across topics and periods. In the
second year, modules focus on major periods of British, European,
American or World history, and you have the option of concentrating
on modern or medieval/early modern history if you wish to do so.
The final year offers more in-depth study of particular topics or
periods and includes a dissertation or research project.
Besides field trips to museums and historical
sites in the UK, including
Rievaulx Abbey and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,
every history student has the option to study abroad in the US,
Canada, the Netherlands or Spain.
Placements can involve teaching in schools, working in museums
such as Rockingham
Castle, in York Archives or in media outlets such as the
Northern Echo and ITV.
Our programmes are taught by an experienced team of professional
historians, each of whom is engaged in scholarship and original
research which has received national and international recognition.
Their areas of expertise include medieval Europe, the English
Reformation, modern British and American history and
international relations in the 20th century. Their research feeds
directly into our module offering and ensures that you are in touch
with new developments in a rapidly changing subject.
Our History graduates have highly marketable skills and although
many graduates will go on to history-related careers such as
heritage and tourism, library and archive work, teaching or
research, they have also entered careers in management and public
administration, the civil service, social and community work, the
police and the army, publishing, journalism and the media.