Program Overview

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History with Foundation Year

Overview

The History with Foundation Year program at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of historical events, processes, and cultural contexts. The program is structured to facilitate students' independent choice of focus and topics, with a dedicated team providing tailored feedback and support.

Why Study This Course

• Ranked 1st in the UK for Teaching Quality (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
• 2nd in the UK for Teaching (NSS 2023)
• Vibrant engagement with English Literature
• Dedicated team and student support
• Tailored feedback

Course Summary

The History with Foundation Year program explores a range of fascinating topics spanning various historical eras, in local, national, and global contexts. Students will investigate how people today engage with history and consider how the past can be brought alive.

Key Facts

• Award: BA (Hons)
• UCAS code: V10F
• Duration: 4 years
• Mode of study: Full-time
• Start date: September 2025
• Awarding institution: Bishop Grosseteste University
• Institution code: B38

Course Structure

The program consists of a Foundation Year, followed by three years of undergraduate study.

Foundation Year

• Self as Learner
• Resourcing Learning
• Critical Engagement
• Critical Thinking
• The Digital Learner
• Effective Communication
• Reflective Learning
• Academic Writing
• British Libraries, Museums and Archives: A History of Collection
• Histories of Identity: Sexuality, Race, Class and Gender
• The Early Modern British Isles: From Reformation to Revolution
• At War with Itself: the United States from Civil Rights to Vietnam
• Democratic Dictators
• The First World War
• The Historian’s Craft: Doing History at University
• The merrie folk of Late Medieval England: from king to the poorest widow

Year 1

• Invented Histories: Understanding Popular Representations of the Past
• People and Places: Researching Local and Regional History
• Creative Destruction: The Atlantic World in the 17th and 18th centuries
• A Better World is Possible: British protest movements
• Work Placement

Year 2

• The Dark Arts: A History of Magic, Witchcraft and Folklore
• The Transformation of the West, 300-900 CE
• The City in Global History: The Rise of Urban Societies in the Modern Age
• The Long Weekend: Britain between the wars
• Blitzkrieg: Armoured Warfare during the Second World War
• Fighting Back: The History of (counter) insurgency

Year 3

• Special Subject
• ‘The Sun Never Set and the Blood Never Dried’: The British Empire in the 19th Century
• History Dissertation
• The Global Cold War
• Kill Your Masters: The French and Haitian Revolutions
• Crime and Punishment in Modern Britain, c. 1800 to the present

Entry Requirements

Application for this course is via UCAS, although there is no formal requirement for UCAS points to access the course (normally GCSE English or equivalent is desirable).

Careers and Further Study

Studying History at BGU enhances employability by focusing on highly desirable and transferable critical thinking and analytical skills, professional writing practices, and the art of constructing persuasive arguments. Possible future careers for History graduates include education, marketing, journalism, law, policing, public policy, information research, and management.

Assessment

In History, we believe in utilizing assessments that will accurately test your key skills, knowledge, and understanding. We select only those assessments that will enable you to learn, improve, and progress over the course of the degree program and which will prepare you for challenges beyond university.

Academic Staff

• Dr. W. Jack Rhoden
• Dr. Hazel C Kent
• Professor Andrew Jackson
• Dr. Tim Galsworthy
• Dr. Derwin Gregory
• Dr. Alan Malpass
• Dr. Darren Poole

What Our Students Say

"Studying Single Hons history at BGU has been the best journey and it was the best decision I made! Can't believe I'm on the final stretch and know I'm going to miss it tremendously" - Francesca, 3rd Year BA (Hons) History Student

Moments from Our Undergraduate Course

Studying History at BGU is more than just lectures and books - it’s about bringing the past to life! From hands-on workshops and field trips to lively discussions and research projects, our course offers a dynamic and engaging way to explore history.