- UCAS course code
- VR12
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course description
"What has stood out for me is the interest and dedication the lecturers have for their modules.
"It's quite impressive to be taught by a leading expert in the field, and the courses have all been tailored to inspire you to want to find out more."
Imogen Wheeler / 2017 graduate
BA History and German provides you with the opportunity to study aspects of history that interest you most, from ancient, medieval, modern, and economic and social history, to the history of science, technology and medicine.
You will also develop a firm grounding the German language, and the opportunity to explore German culture, linguistics, history and literature. You will be equipped with the skills and expertise needed to thrive in a German-speaking environment.
History
- We offer one of the most diverse history courses in the UK, with course units covering almost all human history, including British, European, American, Asian and African history, and ranging from the classical era (Greece and Rome), through the medieval and modern periods, to the late 20th century.
- We offer a wide variety of approaches to history, from political and economic history, to gender, social, cultural, and colonial history.
- You will benefit from studying in the historically rich and multi-ethnic city of Manchester, itself a living history book, from Peterloo to the anti-slavery and suffragette movements, and from Roman and Anglo-Saxon forts to medieval monuments.
- You can draw on the abundant library, archive and museum holdings of the local area, including the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre, Chetham's Library, The Museum of Science and Industry, The People's History Museum and the Working-Class Movement Library
- You will also have access to one of only five National Research Libraries, including the special collections of The John Rylands Library, as well as the exclusive holdings of Manchester Museum.
German
- Our core German language courses (at post A-Level or beginners' level) are complemented by a variety of other subject areas, including linguistics, and a wide range of cultural and historical units that use German-language sources to improve your core language competence, as well as your wider knowledge of German-speaking countries.
- Specialisms in German include historical and contemporary linguistics, literary studies, screen studies, gender and sexuality, modern cultural history, minority cultures and Holocaust studies.
- Our teaching, praised in the Teaching Quality Assessment and by external examiners, is backed up by an innovative Independent Language Learning Programme, enabling you to take control of your own learning experience.
- Enjoy strong links with the Goethe Institute and the Austrian Cultural Forum, which sponsor a varied programme of cultural events.
The course unit details listed below are those you may choose to study as part of this programme and are referred to as optional units. These are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this programme. Although language units may show here as optional, they are a mandatory part of your modern languages degree and you will take the units relevant to your level of language in each year of study. It is compulsory to study language at all levels of your modern languages degree.
Special features
Study abroad
Your year abroad will offer the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of life in a German-speaking country, and further develop your language skills.
Connect with like-minded students
Join the History Society, which plays a key role in building a community among History students at Manchester by organising trips (in the UK and on the continent) and hosting social events, and get involved with the student magazine, The Manchester Historian .
Teaching and learning
Our courses take maximum advantage of our well-established areas of research expertise, including everything from modern British and European cultural history, to economic and social history from the later Middle Ages to the 20th century.
You will learn through:
- lectures;
- seminars;
- web-based seminars;
- small group tutorials;
- field trips.
We encourage you to study a diverse range of types of history and to develop your own original and imaginative approaches.
You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions. For every hour spent at University, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study. You will also need to study during the holiday periods.
The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed in various ways, including:
- written and oral examinations;
- coursework essays;
- research reports;
- practical tests;
- learning logs;
- web contributions.
Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.
In your final year, you will write a dissertation.
Course content for year 1
Your time will be split equally between History and German Studies with 60 credits in each area.
History
- You will have broad range of options covering a variety of topics, thematically, temporally and geographically.
- All students take History in Practice, in which students learn important skills in research and writing to equip them for historical study at university level.
German
- The first year equips you with a range of important skills: linguistic expertise; the ability to read and analyse material; and skills in presentation, group work and independent language learning. You are trained in modern spoken and written German through a core language course in which you work with German texts, write short essays and engage in discussions in German (this language instruction takes place in German and is taught principally by native speakers). At the same time, you reinforce your grammar and vocabulary through monitored self-study.
- You are given a detailed introduction to the German-speaking countries: their geography, politics, culture and society. You also get to explore a variety of important issues within these countries, such as the challenges faced by multicultural German society following Germany's reunification.
- In addition, you take a set of other broad-based courses designed to give you an essential grounding in key areas of German culture, history and linguistics. Most of the teaching on these courses is in English, so that you can focus fully on the new concepts introduced to you. In this way we hone not only your German language skills, but also your expression and accuracy in English: key transferable skills for the workplace following graduation.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
History in Practice | HIST10101 | 20 | Mandatory |
From Reconstruction to Reagan: American History, 1877-1988 | AMER10002 | 20 | Optional |
Constructing Archaic Greek History | CAHE10011 | 20 | Optional |
From Republic to Empire: Introduction to Roman History, Society & Culture 218-31BC | CAHE10022 | 20 | Optional |
The Odyssey | CAHE10101 | 20 | Optional |
The Making of the Mediterranean | CAHE10132 | 20 | Optional |
Cities and Citizens | CAHE10232 | 20 | Optional |
Discoveries and Discoverers: Sights and Sites | CAHE10282 | 20 | Optional |
Introduction to the History and Culture of Pharaonic Egypt | CAHE10651 | 20 | Optional |
Decoding Inequality: Reimagining Digital Culture | DIGI10031 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
As you move into your second year you can choose to maintain an equal weighting between the two subjects or devote more time to either History or German.
History
- You will write an individual independent research project with one-on-one supervision, as well as choosing from a range of courses.
- Your work will build on knowledge and skills gained in your first year developing each subject area to provide a greater breadth and depth of experience. There is greater flexibility of choice than in your first year.
German
- Build on the grounding already established in year one. This year's core language course develops that of the previous year and prepares you for the linguistic challenges of your year abroad. Within it you can continue with a study of culture and society in Germany and Austria or take a course in business German (Wirtschaftsdeutsch).
- You also continue your programme of monitored self-study to complement your language classes.
- The other courses available in your second year are more numerous and more specialised than in the first year, allowing you to explore a diverse range of areas including history, culture and power in twentieth-century Germany, post-1990 German literature and film, and German-Turkish and German-Jewish relations.
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
From Jamestown to James Brown: African-American History and Culture | AMER20141 | 20 | Optional |
The American Civil War | AMER21001 | 20 | Optional |
The Conquering Hero: The Life, Times and Legacy of Alexander The Great | CAHE20041 | 20 | Optional |
The Roman Empire 31BC - AD313 Rome's Golden Age | CAHE20051 | 20 | Optional |
Politics and Society in Classical Greece | CAHE20062 | 20 | Optional |
Roman Women in 22 Objects | CAHE20532 | 20 | Optional |
Weimar Culture? Art, Film and Politics in Germany, 1918-33 | GERM20261 | 20 | Optional |
German Long Essay | GERM20802 | 20 | Optional |
Spectres of Fascism: Literature, Film and Visual Arts in Germany and Austria since 1945 | GERM20902 | 20 | Optional |
German Language 3 | GERM51030 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
Your third year of study is spent abroad under approved conditions.
For more information on the period of residence abroad please consult Residence abroad .
Course content for year 4
On your return to Manchester in your final year you will again have flexibility about how to weight your study time in each subject.
History
- You will undertake a more extensive personal research project resulting in a History dissertation, again completed under personal academic supervision.
- The variety of History course units on offer is unrivalled.
German
- Resume your studies with a core German language course and choose from a wide range of specialised courses. Language study is centred on translation into and out of German, essay writing, and oral work involving discussion of texts, debates and presentations.
- Also available in this year are course units that cover topics closely related to the research interests of individual members of staff, covering a broad range of linguistic, literary, historical and cultural topics.
- As part of your final-year work, you can write a dissertation on a theme of your choice related to one of your courses, which students find an especially rewarding experience.
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
German Language 5 | GERM51050 | 20 | Mandatory |
American Hauntings | AMER30811 | 20 | Optional |
The Roman Army and the North-West Frontiers | CAHE30882 | 20 | Optional |
German Dialects | GERM30341 | 20 | Optional |
Screening the Holocaust | GERM30482 | 20 | Optional |
Culture and Society in Germany 1871-1918 | GERM30722 | 20 | Optional |
Empire, Gender and British Heroes, c.1885 - 1985 | HIST30622 | 20 | Optional |
Gender and Sexuality in Modern Africa | HIST31002 | 20 | Optional |
Wealth and Welfare: Reconceptualising British Economy and Society between 1832 and 1942 | HIST31051 | 20 | Optional |
China and the West: the Age of Empire and Beyond | HIST31202 | 20 | Optional |
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Facilities
The University of Manchester owns the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and Tabley House, giving you unique access to outstanding cultural and historical resources.
As well as making use of the wider University library network, you will have access to the University Language Centre , a modern open learning facility where you can study independently and make use of a library and audio-visual resources. There are also language laboratories and multimedia facilities.
Learn more on the Facilities page.