Course summary

Through the interdisciplinary foundation year you can to develop skills and knowledge both within and beyond the degree you will progress onto. The course allows you to explore different aspects of your own subject area, as well as a wider framework of contexts, approaches and crossovers with other subjects. The foundation year provides a welcoming and encouraging environment in which you can first encounter those key questions and challenges that will later inform your undergraduate study. This is the course for you if are excited about getting into higher education but don't want to dive straight into an undergraduate degree. This might be because you have been out of education for a while, you do not yet have the entry requirements for the course you want to do, or you just do not feel ready yet. As well as building your academic skills, this course is designed to build your confidence and welcome you to the diverse and inclusive community at York St John University. We will make sure that you are fully aware of the resources and opportunities available to you both during the foundation year and throughout the rest of your studies, whilst also introducing you to York, a city steeped in history and culture. Studying History and Politics together will give you a deep understanding of the institutions, processes and events that shape our lives. Contemporary states, politics and ideas cannot be fully understood without analysing their historical background. This degree emphasises the relevance of history to modern life, as you combine historical investigation with the discussion of debates and issues in current politics. By looking back at how society and political institutes were shaped throughout history, you can better understand the forces shaping them today. Throughout this course you will investigate the relationship between the past, the future and the present. In your History modules you will focus on significant social and political developments over the 19th and 20th centuries from across the world. These may include periods of British, American, European and Russian history. You will investigate historical processes such as revolution, conflict and international organisation. Throughout the Politics section of this course you will learn about the institutions and processes behind modern states. This will include a focus on the domestic government and politics of the UK, but you will also have the opportunity to explore politics from a global perspective. We will investigate crucial debates about how states interact with each other, the changing role of the state, and how states should respond to collective dilemmas such as climate change. The course includes a wide range of optional modules, and you could find yourself studying anything from Edwardian Britain to the Arab Spring. Combining the study of History and Politics will allow you to gain an in depth understanding of events, institutions and policies and their impact on people and society over time. We do everything we can to help you graduate into a great career, and you will study a specialist Work Related Learning module in your second year. Our connections include York Museums Trust, York Explore and Yorkshire Film Archive.