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History (with Foundation Year)

BA (Hons)

UCAS code: V10F

Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026

Full time: 4 Years, or 5 if year abroad is chosen

Part time: Up to 11 years

Location: Headington

School(s): School of Education, Humanities and Languages

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Overview

A history degree is about far more than studying the past. Discover why people act the way they do. Explore how societies develop. Then see how your insights apply to the present day so you can uncover answers to issues that could affect everyone's future. 

History with a Foundation Year is a unique integrated degree programme, enabling you to develop academic skills crucial to university study, such as critical analysis, academic writing and collaboration. And we'll support you as you grow your confidence, get to know your strengths and build your knowledge. 

In your first year, you'll undertake our Foundation in Humanities course, and you'll then progress to the three year undergraduate programme in History, with an opportunity to do an optional study abroad or work placement, as an additional year. With the diverse experience, confidence and skills you'll gain, you'll be fully prepared for a career in a variety of sectors - with hundreds of years of historical insight to inspire you.

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Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Perfect preparation

    Build essential study skills with an integrated foundation year. Gain academic confidence, improve critical thinking, and strengthen subject knowledge for your degree journey.

  • More than texts

    Study paintings, speeches, newspapers, artefacts, and visit historical locations to see what notable figures’ experiences tell us about life today.

  • Develop new skills

    You’ll study modules designed to help you progress through the course and have the option to go on a work placement to apply your skills.

  • Friendly and supportive

    Being a small department, we get to know everyone by name and we always offer regular one-to-one tutorials to support you in your studies.

  • Get involved

    We have an active community with the History Society running regular events like day trips, socials, and lectures.

Course details

Course structure

On this course you’ll:

  • join a tightly knit and supportive student community
  • have the opportunity to actively explore your interests
  • be taught by experts in their fields - people passionate about teaching history.

For the Foundation Year, you'll focus on the oral, written and interpersonal skills you'll need to succeed at university. You might examine international development or global politics. Or you could explore philosophy, education or even the history of art. You'll also undertake a research project, enabling you to delve deeper into your area of choice.

Once you complete your Foundation Year, you'll be fully prepared to progress onto the three year History undergraduate degree. You'll explore major themes like war and conflict, cultures, races and identities, and crime and justice. You can even choose your own topics and we'll encourage you to think about how your findings can provide insights to modern-day issues.

You can find out more via our BA History webpage.

Students studying

Learning and teaching

You’ll experience a wide range of humanities disciplines through:

  • lectures
  • workshops
  • tutorials
  • project work
  • presentations
  • group seminars
  • supervised independent learning
  • critical thinking tasks
  • skills acquisition sessions.

You’ll have a dedicated academic advisor throughout your course, for support and guidance when you need it. You’ll also have 1-1 academic supervisor for your second semester research project, providing support and guidance as you need it.

Assessment

Your assessments will build confident written skills - crucial for the workplace. You’ll be assessed mostly by coursework. Your coursework will include:

  • research essays
  • source analyses
  • creative life-writing exercises
  • book reviews
  • group projects and presentations
  • module diaries and portfolios
  • a final-year dissertation.

Study modules

Teaching for this course takes place face to face and you can expect around ten hours of contact time per week in your foundation year, and around seven hours of contact time per week during your degree. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.

Foundation Year

Compulsory modules

  • Being Human: Love, Sex and Death

    Love, sex and death - how do these make us human? In this module, you’ll gain core analytical skills, key to studying Humanities at university, as you explore human bodies and emotions through time. 

    You’ll understand the ideas, practices and experiences that we have around bodies and feelings. You’ll also explore how bodies and emotions are shaped by: 

    • politics
    • religion
    • science
    • medicine
    • literary and artistic fashion.

    You’ll analyse texts, images and artefacts to understand the core role of human emotions and bodies in our world. 

  • Cultural Moments

    How do genres - styles or categories of literature - grow from major events in history and culture? In this module, you’ll explore how drama and literary studies relate to genre. You’ll get to grips with genres as categories that have evolved historically to become key influences on culture, taste and fashion. You’ll investigate real life cases of key movements across a range of disciplines. You’ll also consider how art responds to life and life to art. 

  • Language, Vision and Representation

    In this module, you’ll learn about basic theories of meaning-making. You’ll begin to undertake a critical analysis of systems of representation - which could be spoken or written language, and virtual or physical texts. You’ll come to understand how meaning is made, but also challenged, through acts of interpretation which often we’re not conscious of making. You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your own role in producing ‘meanings’. 

  • Research Project

    This module gives you the chance to do independent research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll gain the key skills you need to succeed as a university student, as you create, manage and complete your own research project. You’ll have one-to-one guidance  from an expert academic supervisor in your chosen subject area who will support you to shape your research from your initial ideas through to your completed project. 

  • The Reflective Learner

    In this module, you’ll gain the core skills and strategies you need to succeed as a university student. You’ll build up knowledge of each of the subjects within your foundation year and learn how to turn critical reading into clear and successful undergraduate assignments. You’ll also learn effective study strategies, including: 

    • learning from lecture content 
    • taking part in seminars 
    • working and studying in groups.

  • Nation and Identity

    What is a nation? Do nations develop through shared language or the history of a people? Are they about laws and governance, or habits and customs? In this module, you’ll get to grips with core themes from subjects, including: 

    • Sociology
    • Politics and International Relations
    • History
    • Philosophy
    • English Literature.

    You’ll develop a strong understanding of the concepts of a nation (including elements such as borders and national identity) and its challenges.

Optional modules

Customs, Icons and Symbols

Explore the study and understanding of Culture and Society by looking at relevant Customs, Icons and Symbols with a particular emphasis on communicative practice of reading and written language in contexts.

Development Studies

This is your opportunity to explore some of the key issues (e.g.urbanisation, poverty and social exclusion, environmental concerns and gender issues) within the field of Development Studies. You’ll also look at the factors causing poverty in countries defined as less developed. 

Exploring the fundamentals of how sociology, human geography and economics interact in the process of development. You’ll study key topics that will teach you to draw on your own knowledge and experience where possible to evaluate the policies in pursuit of development, and to address the problems faced by least developed countries. You’ll build your skills in identifying and reflecting on some of the key social, economic and environmental issues that challenge sustainable development.

Political Philosophy

How is political opinion, authority and democracy shaped and influenced? In this module, you’ll explore foundational issues in political philosophy through exploring the main political ideologies.

You’ll start your journey with Liberalism as the default position in the West since the English, American and French Revolutions. Your focus then shifts to the ideologies that arose in response to Liberalism, including:

  • Conservatism
  • Communism
  • Fascism
  • Communitarianism
  • Anarchism
  • and Feminism. 

You’ll also consider questions linked to the theory of knowledge, such as can any ideology be rationally justified?

French beginners 2

As someone with a beginner’s knowledge of French, you’ll develop strong skills in French speaking and writing, translating and interpreting. You’ll be able to express yourself effectively in French, and gain a critical sensitivity to the intercultural differences between France and other countries. 

Spanish beginners 2

As someone with a beginner’s knowledge of Spanish, you’ll develop strong skills in Spanish speaking and writing, translating and interpreting. You’ll be able to express yourself effectively in Spanish, and gain a critical sensitivity to the intercultural differences between Spain and other countries. 

Origins of the Climate Crisis: A Global History of the Environment

You will engage with the ways in which the environment and the climate have changed over the past six centuries, looking at:

  • sustainability
  • climate change
  • and conservation.

These are pressing issues with a rich and compelling history. You will investigate environmental changes and how they were contested and experienced at communal, national and international levels. You'll think about the political, economic, social and cultural contexts of resource management, energy use, and food production, including a focus on future policy solutions.

Global Issues

What is ‘global politics’? What do we mean by ‘international relations’? And how do our personal values affect our understanding of politics and historical events? In this module you’ll explore the global challenges we face, and how they are understood by different groups. You’ll examine issues like power structures and global conflict. And you’ll come to understand how these issues impact societies and the environment we live in.

Creating Criminology 2

On this module, you'll build your sense of a criminology community through collaborating and planning a criminology newsletter. This will help you take ownership of your criminology studies. 

You'll get to use alumni as interviewees for your Criminology newsletter. You'll also engage with discussions for your future after university, and where you can make a positive impact.

Young Children's Outdoor Learning

In this module, you’ll explore how young children learn through play. You’ll also discover how adults plan exploration and play for children in outdoors environments. You’ll get to grips with two key areas: 

  • maintaining good provisions and interactions in an early years outdoors area
  • teaching and learning through the Forest School approach. 

You’ll look at how children and adults interact in a variety of situations. You’ll also gain core knowledge of health and safety training, as you study issues such as: 

  • children as risk-takers
  • off-site travel
  • maintaining a safe environment.

You’ll develop core analytical skills as you explore how research and the government affect children’s outdoor learning. 

Modern British Art

In this module, you’ll dive into art and artists through the century - from the Camden Town Group, to Modernists like Barbara Hepworth and Pop Artists like Peter Blake. You’ll examine paintings, sculptures and films as you discuss how British artists tried to create modern forms of expression. You’ll also investigate the ways they promoted their work, like:

  • exhibitions
  • manifestos
  • books
  • little magazines.

You’ll enjoy on-site visits, where you’ll examine works of art firsthand. You’ll also attend exciting lectures and seminars where you’ll explore your ideas and enrich your understanding of modern British art.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • A People’s History of Britain

    You’ll uncover Britain’s rich, multicultural history - from the Tudors to today. You’ll explore the lives of families and individuals, investigating life histories, recorded memories and material objects of the time. You’ll explore famous figures throughout the centuries. And you’ll attend seminars where you’ll discuss new perspectives on themes including:

    • fashion and consumption
    • material culture
    • class
    • demography
    • welfare.

  • Europe and the World, 1450-1750

    What was it like to live through the early modern witch trials? How did the Scientific Revolution affect society?

    In this module, you’ll explore a time of religious warfare, environmental change and political revolutions in Europe. You’ll encounter Europe’s history, and relations with the world in the early modern period, through texts, criminal records, art and buildings. And you’ll explore what life was like for people who lived through:

    • Wars between Christian and Muslim powers
    • European colonialism
    • The execution of the King during the British Civil Wars

  • Making History

    In this module, you’ll gain the key skills you need to succeed in your History degree. You’ll investigate the key
    theories, methods, and sources used by professional historians. You’ll apply them to your own investigations. We’ll teach you how to express yourself effectively in different forms, unlocking your potential for excellence. You’ll also learn about the key research interests of our dynamic History team.

  • Ideologies of the Modern World, 1750-2000

    In this module, you’ll gain critical knowledge of the ideas and concepts behind the rise of the West, and modern Western society. You’ll get to know the competing ideologies in Western society and power since the mid-seventeenth century. And you’ll explore marginalised groups and the processes of empire-building. You’ll gain the key skills to succeed in your degree, as you learn to:

    • communicate knowledge
    • present arguments
    • solve problems in a scholarly way. 

  • Superpowers: an International History of the Cold War

    Who won the Cold War? In this module, you’ll explore the rivalry between two global superpowers - the United States and Soviet Union. You’ll understand how the Cold War never featured any actual fighting between the two, yet resulted in the defeat of one. You’ll get to grips with International History, and learn about the realms of:

    • diplomacy
    • arms control
    • proxy wars
    • the creation and maintenance of alliances
    • leadership and the role of personality.

    And you’ll explore how people lived through the looming threat of nuclear destruction in the second half of the 20th Century.

  • World at War: A History of the First World War

    Why was the First World War such a pivotal moment in History? In this module, you’ll gain valuable critical skills in the study of Modern History, as you explore the depth and extent of the First World War. You’ll examine:

    • the global reach of the war, particularly in the colonial territories of Asia and Africa
    • the culture of war on the home front and how it affected men, women, and children
    • the refugee crisis across Europe, and the plight of people in zones of conflict.
    • innovations in medical care and humanitarian relief
    • the birth of the idea of “crimes against humanity” and genocide
    • the history of the military conflict from 1914-1918

Optional modules

Bloody Histories: Crime and Violence in the West

You’ll discover crimes in the West from 1400 to 2000, including:

  • Piracy
  • Treason
  • Poisoning
  • Rape
  • Blasphemy

You’ll get to know the key sources of crime historians, and the challenges in using them. You’ll connect law, crime, and punishment with the wider social context in Britain, Europe, and America. And you’ll gain key critical skills as you explore pressing debates around crime.

Origins of the Climate Crisis: A Global History of the Environment

You will engage with the ways in which the environment and the climate have changed over the past six centuries. Looking at:

  • sustainability
  • climate change
  • conservation.

You will investigate environmental changes and how they were contested and experienced at communal, national and international levels. You'll think about the political, economic, social and cultural contexts of resource management, energy use and food production, including a focus on future policy solutions.

You will engage with a wide variety of historical sources which we can use to understand environmental history, including:

  • demographic sources
  • institutional records
  • visual sources such as maps and plans.

You will gain digital history skills, through the digital mapping technology you will use on the course.

The Faiths of the West

How have religious groups shaped the West, from the ancient to the modern world? How do different religious groups interact with each other? In this module, you’ll explore:

  • different religions groups and doctrines
  • witchcraft and paganism
  • religion in everyday life

We’ll mainly focus on Christianity, but also on the role of other faiths, such as Judaism and Islam. We’ll also look at the idea of fascism as a political religion.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Creating History 1: Historians and Historiography

    You’ll gain the key practical skills you need to succeed in your dissertation. You’ll unlock your academic potential, gaining invaluable research skills and the critical knowledge you need to study History at an advanced level. 

    You’ll dive into the various approaches of historians, and get to grips with different historical methods. You’ll gain fantastic critical skills as you debate pressing historical questions. And you’ll learn to structure and develop an argument through the use of primary sources.

  • Creating History 2: Researching Primary Materials

    You’ll get to know a huge range of primary sources - including cartoons, buildings and diaries.  You’ll gain the skills to analyse primary sources in a skilled and detailed way, ready for your third year. And you’ll consolidate the practical and analytical skills you’ve gained so far in your degree.

  • Twentieth-century Britain: Democracy, Upheaval, Renewal

    In this module, you'll be introduced to key social, political and economic changes that made twentieth-century Britain. You will learn about the relationship between crisis and renewal, and will be encouraged to think critically about the nature of change and how, why and when this came about to forge the Britain we know today. You’ll explore how the politics of change and how key developments in the British state, society and economy, and the country’s place in the world, were contested, represented and resisted by some and championed by others. 

    The module aims to empower you to think independently about Britain’s twentieth-century past and twenty-first-century present and the relationship between the two. It can sometimes seem like Britain is experiencing unprecedented change and crisis; but Britons have lived through similarly challenging times in the past century.

Optional modules

Witches: Religion, Power and Magic

This module offers you the opportunity to study magic and witchcraft as central topics of social and cultural history. Covering more than 2,000 years of the history of magic, it invites you to investigate persecutions of so-called witches in their various political, social and religious contexts from Roman Antiquity to the present. 

The module discusses witchcraft in the broadest sense of the word: from medieval concepts of heresy and the pact with the devil to the rise of demonology, from the British and European witch hunts of the Reformation age to the Satanic panic of the late twentieth century. 

We also explore the contexts of spirit beliefs, learned magic and folk magic and discuss how organized religion and the states dealt with magic and (alleged and real) magicians. The module will develop your skills in using primary sources as well as introducing you to the most important debates in the history of witchcraft.

Information Revolutions: From Gutenberg to GenAI

GenAI; the worldwide web; social media: we are living through a time of great change in how we generate and consume information, but we are not the first society to do so.

Learn how information revolutions that have shaped the creation, consumption and communication of knowledge over the past 500 years. You'll explore how new technologies - from printing presses and cameras to computers and artificial intelligence - have transformed the way humans understand and interact with each other and the wider world, for good and ill.

You will learn about how information has been:
  •  generated, stored and circulated
  •  created new forms of public discussion, identity and community
  •  used and abused by state and non-state actors 
We'll think critically about the political, social and cultural impact of new information technologies and how they relate to the exercise of power and freedom, highlighting how they have profoundly shaped what we understand by knowledge, truth and facts.

Crime and Punishment through the Ages

What causes people to commit crimes? And how have we punished criminals in the past? In this module, you’ll gain a fascinating insight into crime in the British Isles, as you examine:

  • gendered criminality
  • property crime
  • the history of violence
  • attempts to regulate morality. 

You’ll explore: 

  • the birth of the prison
  • social crimes and social justice
  • moral and anti-social crimes
  • theories of punishment.

You’ll also look at the substantial changes in law enforcement that occurred in early modern Britain, giving you the key critical knowledge to study crime history. 

Genders, Sexualities and Bodies

What can sex and gender teach us about history? In this module, you’ll explore the relationship between the body and sexuality, and medicine and culture. We’ll observe how our perspectives on bodies, gender, and sexuality change according to social and historical contexts. And you’ll develop excellent critical skills, as you analyse primary sources, and dive into debates on the body and sexuality.

You’ll investigate:

  • contraception practices 
  • treatment of STIs
  • regulation of sexual behaviours
  • transgender debates through time

Jack the Ripper and the Victorian Underworld

How did Jack the Ripper - the mass murderer of vulnerable women - shape Victorian culture? And how did Victorian Britain create the Jack the Ripper phenomenon? In this module, you’ll dive into the criminal underworld of the nineteenth century. You’ll investigate a time where public ideas on crime clashed with those of the authorities. You’ll explore:

  • attitudes towards the morality and immorality 
  • the origins of the concept of the criminal class
  • the introduction of policing
  • the development of punishment.

And you’ll ask who the real Jack the Ripper was, exploring suspects and theories.

Stigma and Dehumanisation: A Modern History

This module aims to deepen your understanding of how certain individuals and groups of people have been targeted, stereotyped and stigmatised because of their different ethnic origin, sexual orientation or disability. The emphasis is on the role played by the medical and social sciences (e.g. anthropology, psychiatry, and psychology) in shaping the emergence of a dehumanising language about people considered to be ‘different’. 

Certain groups of people such as Black people, Jews, women, the lower classes and individuals with learning disabilities have been repeatedly and traumatically targeted throughout modern history.  You'll evaluate how the meaning of stigma has changed during the last three centuries, and look at how commonalities can be detected across countries.

The Making of the American Giant, 1861-1945

How did the United States become the global superpower it is today? In this module, you’ll trace the transformation of America from a British colony at war with itself, to the most wealthy and powerful nation on the planet. You’ll examine the political history behind the rise of the United States, and America’s growing actions and ambitions on the world stage, from the American Civil War through to World War Two.

Putting History to Work

In this module, you’ll have the chance to do some work experience closely linked to your History course. You’ll have help to find a placement that will support your goals. Past placements have included:

  • The Ashmolean Museum
  • The Oxford Preservation Trust
  • The Royal Air Force Museum.

The time spent in the placement will be about ten working days. After your placement, you’ll reflect on what you’ve learned. You’ll produce a review of achievements and deliver a poster presentation. You’ll also gain practical experience - from crafting a CV to the specific responsibilities involved in your working role - that will help kickstart your career after Oxford Brookes.

Investigation and Discovery 1

This module gives you the chance to research a topic that fascinates you. With support from a supervisor, you’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research, gaining in-depth knowledge of your subject. You’ll also build great project management and research skills, which will help you in your future career.

Investigation and Discovery 2

This module gives you the chance to research a topic that fascinates you. With support from a supervisor, you’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research, gaining in-depth knowledge of your subject. You’ll also build great project management and research skills, which will help you in your future career.

The Crisis of the West: Mass Culture and Mass Politics, 1900-1939

In this module, you'll  study the period of crisis that characterized Western European society from the close of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of World War II. 

We'll consider a wide range of topics dealing with social, political and cultural developments in transnational and comparative perspective, which contributed to the prevailing sense of crisis that befell Western society during this time. 

Optional Year Abroad

Optional modules

Year Abroad

This module offers the opportunity to study abroad, experience a new culture, and apply your skills in different contexts to enhance your employability. It will help you develop self-management, cross-cultural communication, and interpersonal skills.

You’ll receive support to secure a place at a partner institution abroad, where you can choose modules related to your degree or explore new areas that complement your studies.

Studying at an international university will help you enhance your interpersonal skills through cross-cultural communication with students and tutors, allowing you to build lasting relationships. You'll also improve your study skills by focusing on your chosen areas of interest, gaining valuable international experience that will strengthen your CV.

This year abroad module lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of study, once you’ve completed all your level 5 studies. Your year abroad is not credit-bearing.

Final Year

Compulsory modules

  • History Dissertation/ Project

    This module gives you the chance to do original research on a topic that fascinates you. As a History student in your final year, you’ll carry out a piece of independent research, allowing you to use the skills and expertise you’ve developed through your History degree. You’ll receive individual support from our expert tutors, in areas related to their research expertise. Whether you’re exploring wife beating and the press in Victorian England, or cycling, fashion and women’s bodies in the nineteenth century, you’ll develop key insights into primary source materials, and history itself.

Optional modules

Investigation and Discovery Module 3

This module gives you the chance to research an advanced historical topic that fascinates you and is not covered by the History course. You'll have support from a supervisor. You'll also further develop your independent working skills to an advanced level. You’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research. Gaining a deep knowledge of your subject while improving your history research skills. 

Political History: the Soviet Revolution, 1905-1941

Why was Russia ripe for revolution in 1917? And how did a small group of revolutionaries manage to overthrow the Tsar and his regime?

The Russian Revolution was one of the biggest upheavals of the 20th century. But the story of the revolution is much more than the story of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. In this module you’ll learn about the causes of Russia’s revolution. 

You’ll explore:

  • the impact of the First World War on the Russian monarchy
  • the ‘Red Terror’ and the civil war that consumed Russia after 1917
  • what happened to national and ethnic minorities in the Soviet Union
  • how the revolution changed popular culture and family life
  • the rise of Stalin in the 1930s.

You'll also learn about power struggles, and the paranoia and brutal purges of Stalin’s early years as the Soviet leader.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

Political History: Britain and the Sea

What does it mean to be an 'island nation'? And how does the sea affect areas like travel, immigration, economy and socialising? In this module, you'll examine Britain as an island nation. And you'll consider how this impacts Britons' lives - from gender and sexual identity, to trade and consumerism. You'll question topics like:

  • piracy and smuggling
  • the Royal Navy
  • trade and the British Empire
  • the seaside holiday.

This module is subject to availability in any given year.

Political History: The Unravelling of Russia

What led to the downfall of the Russian monarchy in 1917? How did reforms by the Tsar bring about decades of turmoil and change? This module charts the path to the Russian Revolution. You'll explore exciting themes like:

  • the troubled emancipation of the Russian serfs
  • the industrialisation and modernisation of the Russian economy 
  • the revolutionary underground and the birth of modern terrorism
  • the flourishing of Russian culture and cultural politics
  • the rise of Russian nationalism and imperialism.

This module is subject to availability in any given year.

Social, Cultural and Medical History: Immigrants and Minorities in Early Modern England, c. 1453–1753

Who was marginalised in early modern England? How did factors like ethnicity, sexual identity and nationality affect social standing? And how did the religious and political upheavals of the time impact minority groups? 

In this module you'll explore:

  • the restriction and persecution of immigrants and minorities 
  • early modern prostitution, sexual minorities and 'deviant' behaviour
  • the re-establishment of the Jewish population, and the rising black population
  • the understanding of ethnicity, nationality and sexual identity in the early modern period.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

Social, Cultural and Medical History: Life in Renaissance Italy

What was life like for ordinary people in Renaissance Florence, Venice and Rome? Millions of tourists flock to these cities every year. But in this module, you'll explore beyond the piazzas and palaces. You'll  discover what life in 15th and 16th century Italy was really like. You'll examine:

  • how age, gender and ethnicity affected urban life
  • the impact of warfare, disease, natural disasters and climate change
  • the stories of people on the margins - like sex workers and the homeless.

You'll emerge understanding the rich and complex history of this fascinating period.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

Social, Cultural and Medical History: Religion and Magic in Everyday Life

How does belief in magic affect our everyday lives? And how can religious beliefs shape our ideas and opinions? In this module, you'll explore beliefs - beyond the boundaries of religious institutions. You'll delve into the rituals, superstitions - and even cults - that have shaped our world view from the Middle Ages to the 19th Century. You'll examine:
  • the cult of saints and relics
  • angels and demons
  • ghosts and fairies
  • vampires
  • folk magic and divination
  • witchcraft and witch hunts.
This module is subject to availability in any given year.

The History of Crime: Forensic Medicine in Western Society

How have doctors contributed to crime history? And what's the relationship between medicine, society and the law? In this module, you'll examine the history of forensic medicine. You'll explore how medical knowledge can influence attitudes toward crime. And you'll consider how medicine has affected criminal investigations. You'll look at examples from the Medieval period through to the 20th century. And you'll delve into:

  • death investigations
  • 'expertise' and the role of witnesses
  • forensic science
  • mental health and crime
  • crimes of sex and sexuality.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

The History of Crime: Witchcraft, Magic and Belief in Early Modern Europe

How did the population of early modern Europe come to believe that there were evil witches in their midst? And what's the relationship between popular belief about evil, society, and the law? In this module, you'll examine the history of witchcraft in early modern Europe until its relative demise in the middle of the 18th century. You'll explore who was accused of witchcraft and why, as well as what happened to them. You'll consider how contemporaries thought about and dealt with witches in England, Scotland, Europe and North America. You'll delve into:

  • Witchcraft beliefs
  • Trials of witches and individual witch hunts
  • The theories offered by historians as to why this happened
  • The rise and fall of witchcraft in the early modern world
  • The enduring place of the witch in popular culture

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

The History of Crime: In Cold Blood: Violence in the Modern Era

Why does violence intrigue us? And why are we captivated by stories of crime and criminals? In the twentieth century, crime came under the spotlight in Britain and America. In this module, you'll examine murder and mayhem in modern British and American life. You'll explore:

  • The rise of serial murder and its perpetrators
  • The cult of the gangster and those who became Public Enemy #1
  • The ways in which crime came to be fought in the modern era
  • The debate over the death penalty.

And you'll come to understand how violence influences our beliefs on crime and criminals today.

This module is subject to availability in any given year.

History of America: The Vietnam War

What was behind the Vietnam war? What transformed America from a disinterested observer to an active combatant, with over 500,000 soldiers in deadly conflict? In this module you’ll examine America’s role in Vietnam. You’ll consider the decisions of multiple presidents - and how these steadily escalated America’s involvement in Vietnam. You’ll examine the military side of the conflict - and unpick key debates on military strategy. You’ll also explore the consequences of the war, and how the conflict impacted America at home.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

History of America: American Grand Strategy in the Era of Civil War and Reconstruction

Why is the American Civil War so controversial? Both when it was fought in the 1860s, and now, over 150 years later? In this module you’ll explore the origins of the conflict. You’ll uncover the aims of both the Union and the Confederacy. You’ll investigate the strategies and tactics they employed. And you’ll consider the international impacts of the conflict.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

The History of Ideas: Evil in European Thought and Culture 1750-1950

What meaning does the concept of “evil” have in an age when religion is in decline and science is on the rise? In this module you will study case studies labelled by contemporaries as “evil” - from natural disasters to political repression to mass murder - and explore how intellectuals from a variety of backgrounds struggled to understand and come to terms these events and phenomena in the modern world of reason, rationality and science.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

The History of Ideas: On Race and Racism

What is race? The concept of race, of course, has a history, and in this module you’ll trace the development of the concept across three centuries, right up to the present day. The module will take a global perspective, introducing you to alternative understandings of race and the development of racism. We will examine the treatment and influence of race in:

  • science
  • the study of history
  • the rise of imperialism
  • in former colonial territories.

This module option is subject to availability in any given academic year.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Careers

Studying History with a Foundation Year at Oxford Brookes not only instils a lifelong passion for history. It opens up possibilities for career development and makes you a versatile employee in any organisation.

Our work placement modules enable you to gain practical experience and specialist knowledge that will stand out on your CV and are valuable in a variety of fields. With the adept communication skills you'll develop, you may consider jobs in areas like advertising or journalism. One of our graduates is a photojournalist for National Geographic. Others are working in advertising, banking, and retail.

By studying in Oxford, you'll already be familiar with some of the country's best museums and historical sites. This has benefited our graduates. For example, past students are now working in places like Blenheim Palace, the National Army Museum, and the Battle of Britain Bunker.

You'll be a valuable addition to a variety of sectors like:

  • politics
  • the Civil Service
  • charity
  • education
  • media
  • law.

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 48

A Level: DD

IB Points: 24

BTEC: PPP or MP

Further offer details

Applications are welcomed from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.

How to apply

Application process


Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCAS


Part time Home (UK) applicants
Apply direct to the University


International applicants
Apply direct to the University

Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module
International full time
£15,950
Home (UK) full time
£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)
Home (UK) part time
£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,700
International full time
£16,750
International sandwich (placement)
£1,700

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module
International full time
£15,950
2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)
Home (UK) part time
£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,700
International full time
£16,750
International sandwich (placement)
£1,700

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

For further information please see our 2025-26 tuition fees FAQs.

Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Oxford Brookes Bursary for home students Undergraduate maintenance loans for part-time UK students Undergraduate maintenance loans for full-time UK students Undergraduate tuition fee loans for UK students Oxford Brookes Bursary Scheme

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.