History and Politics at University

This Tuesday lunchtime several ex-Nonsuch students will be visiting to talk about their experiences at university. The girls have studied:- History at Oxford, History and German at Oxford, Law at Oxford, Politics at Sheffield and History at Royal Holloway.

Please come along to Room 104 from 1.15 to meet them and ask them questions.

PS: Here are articles on why to study history (from LSE) and politics (from the Political Studies Association) at University.

PPS: Here are a whole sequence of podcasts from the Historical Association with advice from students about studying history.

How far did your studies prepare you for history at university?
What was difficult to get used to?
What does independent study mean?
Handing in your first piece of coursework
What was enjoyable and what was expected/unexpected?
What advice would you give to prospective students?

What opportunities did you have to enhance your experience?
What skills and attributes did this highlight and enhance?
What effect did the additional work have on your studies?
How will this work benefit you beyond your degree?

Politics Reading List - great for UCAS

With the preparation for UCAS applications now well under way, see here for advice about additional reading for students considering either Politics or any related subjects at university. Comments on any books on the list would certainly look good on a UCAS application but remember - if you mention a book on a personal statement make sure you actually read the book!!

A-Level Blacklists

One of the most difficult decisions to make: choosing your A-Level subjects. Now after all of that meticulous planning, you find out that you have fallen into the trap of taking...a Blacklisted A-Level. These are subjects that some universities consider to be of "more limited suitability". Set aside are 13 subjects including sociology, psychology, business studies and archaeology which are less favourable than traditional choices.

What is to become of those who have chosen one of these fateful few? Well rest-assured, they are acceptable in some departments, presumably the ones you are hoping to apply to. The Government is planning to restrict the growth of these subject, arguing that they could potentially damage students' chances of a University place also calling for lists to be published. Considering the tution fee rises and influx of applicants, it will be more difficult than ever to have a University place.

I always knew thirteen was unlucky.

PS: Here is further reading on the subject from the BBC and the Daily Mail.

PPS: The image is from Dongguan in China - there are 1200 students in the hall!

Many thanks to JN for this post.

Emmett Sullivan

Dr Emmett Sullivan will be speaking today at the HP Society in the library at 1.15. He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Royal Holloway, which not only has the largest history department in the University of London, but was also Miss D'Souza's old college! He will be speaking about what it's like to study History at university. All are welcome to attend. Dr Sullivan will be returning to Nonsuch on 25 January to speak about the events which led to the collapse of the USSR.

Browne Review

Lord Browne's review of Universities in the UK has been published, and includes the controversial recommendation that the £3290 cap on fees should be scrapped. This would allow universities to charge what they like, with the possiblity of fees of up to £12000 a year. Graduates would now not have to start paying this back until their annual salary reached £21000, up from the current level of £15000. Other proposals include the creation of a Higher Education Council to oversee standards, and that lecturers would be required to have teaching qualifications. The proposals will not necessarily be accepted in full by the government, and go clearly against the pledges made by the Liberal Democrats before the election. It will be interesting to see what happens next - what are your views?

PS: Here is a summary of the details

UPDATE: Vince Cable has suggested that the government may cap fees at £7000 but has endorsed "the main thrust" of the report. This is likely to cause disquiet amongst his Lib Dem colleagues, and can be considered a "rehearsal" for the strains that will follow the announcement of the spending review on 20 October. One final point - Cable says that the reforms will be in place in time for Autumn 2012 - ie the current Year 12 will have to deal with this...any thoughts?

Summer Reading

NOTE: This has been adapted and updated from an article that was first published last year and gives you a few ideas to get started on what books to read if you are considering history at university.

For people with UCAS and university interviews on their mind, Summer is a good time to find inspiration by reading some history books.

David Aaronovitch of The Times has helpfully made some recommendations, which include "The Ascent of Money" by Niall Ferguson, which looks at the global history of finance and "The Birth of the Modern World 1788-1800" by Jay Winik, which considers the connections between the momentous political events of the late 18th Century. Both books would obviously provide helpful parallels with our current political and economic problems.

Tudor Historians may find "Mary Tudor:England's First Queen" of interest as it takes quite a sympathetic view of her and David Starkey's "Henry-The Virtuous Prince" looks closely at the often neglected early years of Henry VIII's life. Here is a further selection of Tudor History books and here is a guide from tudorhistory.org to useful authors.



EH Carr's "What is History" is the classic introduction to the nature of the subject and some ideas of historiography. Although it was published 48 years ago, it still contains many stimulating ideas to get the historian thinking. Other books that follow similar ideas, often written in response to Carr, include Geoffrey Elton's "The Practice of History, Richard Evans' "In Defence of History" and John Tosh's "The Pursuit of History". More information about these ideas can be seen at the Institute of History's special section on "What is History" here and in the Open University's website here.

If you are looking for further inspiration on what to read, check the "History Reviews" sections of the newspapers. Here is a links to the The Guardian'sand The Telegraph's history books secions. The Institute of Historical Research also has an extensive Reviews Section

The Amazon.com history section of course has a vast range of books and is worth checking for the latest to be published.

Please pass on any recommendations for books you have enjoyed, and happy reading!

PS: Here is a list of books and articles recommended for old AEA course (for A Level Students who wanted to stretch themselves further) which are worth considering.

History and Politics at University

If you are thinking of studying History or Politics (or a similarly themed degree) at university, please come along to the HP society on Tuesday (1.20 in Room 104) where there will be the chance to hear from former students about their experiences and get advice on personal statements and UCAS applications. There might even be a chance for the teachers to reminisce about their student days!

PS: Here is some data from the Guardian about univeristies offering History and Politics - although its provenance is a little unclear. There is some more general information here.