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University of Portsmouth Portsmouth PO1 3AS
The University Size. The University of Portsmouth has some 15,000 students. The University of Portsmouth recruits some 70 students to the degrees in the History subject area each year, with a broadly equal mix of males and females, and around a quarter of these students are over 21. Location. Portsmouth is located on the south coast of England, about 90 minutes by car or train from London. There are frequent train services to London, other South Coast towns, including Brighton and Southampton, and the West Country. Heathrow, Gatwick and Eastleigh airports are within easy reach and ferries depart regularly from the Continental Ferry Port near the City Centre for the Normandy coast and the north of Spain. Portsmouth The historic City of Portsmouth with its neighbouring Victorian seaside town of Southsea is an ideal place in which to live and study. The University's excellent academic reputation, up to date facilities and lively social scene together with the City's colourful past and its optimism for the future, offer the student a stimulating atmosphere in which to learn. The City of Portsmouth, surrounded by the waters which have brought fame and fortune through the ages, is located on Portsea Island on the south coast of England. To the north lie rolling Downs, to the south the busy shipping lanes of the Solent and the picturesque Isle of Wight. Langstone Harbour to the east is a sheltered sanctuary for many species of wildlife and the Naval Dockyard to the west has been in existence since the days of Richard the Lionheart. Much of the City was destroyed during the second world war but new housing, shopping areas and office developments have replaced the old slums and bomb sites. Today's modern city centre is located to the north east of Old Portsmouth with modern suburbs extending onto the mainland and along the coast. The city boasts many excellent facilities, sports enthusiasts are well catered for with swimming pools, sports centres, tennis courts, golf courses and sailing and windsurfing in the Solent. The Guildhall is Portsmouth's major entertainment venue with regular bands, comedy acts and orchestral concerts. Two historic theatres, one in Portsmouth the other in Southsea, feature a wide variety of productions throughout the year and a number of smaller clubs regularly feature local bands and alternative entertainment. Southsea in particular boasts a lively entertainment scene with two piers, a funfair, lots of pubs, wine bars and nightclubs. Portsmouth's Naval Heritage area - with HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and HMS Warrior as 'star' attractions is visited by people from around the world. The City Museum and Art Gallery, Charles Dickens' Birthplace, the D-Day Museum, Sea Life Centre and Royal Marines Museum are also popular places to visit, particularly in the summer months. The two main shopping areas are in Commercial Road, with its large shopping mall and regular street market, and Palmerston Road in Southsea. However, there are numerous smaller specialist shops catering for all tastes in food, fashion and music and a wide variety of ethnic restaurants and grocers may be found throughout the City. The University of Portsmouth is a large and thriving institution, committed to excellence of student experience, and to the employability of its graduates. Portsmouth is consistently above the national average for graduate employment, and places strong emphasis on tutorial support for students throughout their degree. History at Portsmouth History at Portsmouth offers a lively, up-to-date approach to the subject. Our students are encouraged to think critically and to engage with current debates and controversies within the historical profession. Importantly, the emphasis at Portsmouth is on an active, analytical and ‘hands-on’ approach to history. Students are expected to develop and argue for their own points of view, and also have the opportunity to carry out research (for example in oral history or local heritage), rather than simply learning about how research is done. Emphasis is also placed on demonstrating the relevance of the subject to understanding of everyday life, for example through study of the idea of ‘heritage’ and its impact on public life and leisure. You may be studying History or a related subject (such as Sociology, Politics, or Geography) at A / AS-level or as part of an Access course, and you wish to develop your interest in the subject. Equally, it is possible that you have had no experience of studying History academically, but you have an interest in historical issues. This might be shown, for example, through membership or activity in local history or heritage organisations, or by experience of work or volunteering in museums, heritage sites, etc. We do not assume that students have a particular level of knowledge and understanding. Instead, we try to offer all students fresh and challenging ways of making sense of the past. In doing so, we assume that many of the ideas and different ways of thinking introduced will be new to you. Other aspects of the course such as project work or group work may be more familiar to you as you may have undertaken this type of activity before. This may also be the case if you are taking a more vocationally-oriented qualification such as an Advanced GNVQ. We have found that such courses offer a good grounding in the study skills that are required to study History at degree level. Clearly, you will need to be interested in studying past societies. You might have aspirations to work in historically-oriented fields, such as heritage, museums, archives, or the teaching of history in schools, but that is not a necessary qualification. You are likely to be interested in developing a critical form of knowledge about history. In other words, you are not interested simply in learning collections of facts. Rather, you are more likely to be interested in challenging or making sense of so-called ‘facts’. You may be curious to understand different points of view, or at the same time, you may like to argue and engage in debate. All of these qualities are desirable in historians. To succeed in studying History at degree level you will need a certain amount of independence and self-motivation, or at least be prepared to develop these skills. You do not need formally to meet any specific subject requirements. Applications Entry requirement guidelines (2000): 10-14 points (A Level) UCAS application course codes. Load the free UCAS CD-Rom. UCAS address: Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ The details: History degree courses and options BA (Hons) History [V100] BA (Hons) English and History [VQ13] BA (Hons) History and Politics [VM11] BA (Hons) History and Sociology [VL13] BA (Hons) International Relations and History [MV11] Joint-honours courses generally combine some of the core units of the History degree with others from the other subject. Students may choose optional units from either degree-area, although they will in general take fewer optional units than single-honours students. Outline course structure for BA (Hons) History Year 1 Core Units in both semesters: Society in Early Modern Europe c1450-1780; Historical Methods; Modern European Society c1870-1970; Study Skills. One option per semester from a range of possibilities including: Early Modern Political Thought; Maritime Developments and British Society in the 18th Century; French, Italian or German Language; Popular Culture and Popular Rebellions in Europe c1380– 1530; Sorcery, Rebellion and Popular Culture during an Era of Crisis; War in European Society 1600– 1770, Modern Political Thought, Introduction to Sociological Analysis.
Year 2 Core Units in both semesters: Themes in European History c1780-1914; Career and Research Management. An Option project in semester 1, and an Independent Study project in semester 2. Options: two per semester from a range of possibilities including: The Politics of Sexuality in Europe 1780-1914; Europe’s Maritime Empires c.1600-1800;State and Society in France 1660-1789; Dickens and British Culture; British Film in the 1930s; Revolutionary Russia 1860-1920; Stalinism 1920-1960; Women in Germany and Russia 1860-1940; Public History and Heritage I & II
Year 3 Core units in both semesters: Research Methods; Special Subject; Dissertation Special Subjects provide an opportunity for students to conduct some in-depth research in one of: The French Revolution; British Social History 1930-1951; Social Conflict, Cultural Change and State Formation in Britain, 1830-1850; Witchcraft Prosecutions and Society in the Early Modern Era; Women, War and Social Change 1900-1960; Working-Class Culture in Urban Britain 1870-1939; Society and Economy in Hampshire, c. 1700-1860. Research Methods offers the opportunity for extended group-project work on primary historical materials. The dissertation is a 10,000-word piece of writing linked to the Special Subject, giving students the opportunity of extended independent research and writing. One option per semester from a range of possibilities including: Feminism and the Politics of Gender; International Politics of the Middle East; Origins of Fascism in Western Europe c1880-1940; Working-Class Culture in Urban Britain 1870-1939; De-Stalinisation and Soviet Society 1945-1990; Fascist Society and Culture in 20th Century Europe; France and West Africa; France and Algeria Contacts For more information see: http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/sshs/Courses.htm Admissions Tutor for History School of Social and Historical Studies University of Portsmouth Milldam, Burnaby Road Portsmouth PO1 3 AS
Contact for History applicants: History Course Administrator: Tel. 023 9284 2202
Web address Instutition: http://www.port.ac.uk/ |
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