History and Philosophy BA
Develop a deeper understanding of human thought and behaviour across time and place. Knowledge of philosophy will make you a more effective student of history, and your history modules will help you to understand the context of some of the great works of philosophy.
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A Levels
AAB -
UCAS code
VV15 -
Duration
3 years -
Start date
September
- Course fee
- Funding available
- Optional placement year
- Study abroad
- Dual honours
Explore this course:
Course description
Why study this course?
Become an expert in the human condition
With research-led teaching and flexible courses, follow your passions and develop an in-depth understanding of the issues of the past, present and future.
Top 100 in the world for philosophy - QS World Rankings 2024
Learn from world-leading staff teaching an exceptionally diverse range of modules.
History Research-led Special Subject
In small group seminars, explore the details of a specialised area of history with a true expert on the topic, working with original sources and engaging with cutting-edge historical analysis.

Uncover the past and examine the thoughts and behaviours underpinning human experience - developing a complex understanding of human behaviour across time and place.
A knowledge of philosophy can make you a very effective student of history, and your study of history will help you understand the context of the most profound philosophical thoughts and theories. This powerful combination develops the skills of independent judgement, critical thinking and constructing effective arguments - a set of skills which will open a variety of career opportunities.
Studying history, you’ll have the opportunity to explore past societies from the ancient world to the 21st century, exploring global political, social, economic and cultural themes. Studying philosophy, you’ll explore core topics such as the philosophy of language, ethics, metaphysics and logic, as well as specialist areas such as education, film and feminism.
Dual and combined honours degrees

Modules
UCAS code: VV15
Years: 2026
Core modules:
- History Workshop
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What does it take to be a historian? In this module, you will study the process of historical research, learning discipline-specific methods and essential study and writing skills through close engagement with a historical text (usually a work of narrative non-fiction) linked to your tutor's research interests. You will develop skills in critical reading, historiography, essay writing, bibliographic techniques, and reflection.
20 credits
The assessment for this module is aimed at giving you a strong foundation in the skills you will need throughout your degree and beyond: critical reading and writing, bibliographic techniques, and the ability to reflect on and articulate your skills as a historian. - Writing Philosophy
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Philosophical writing is a skill that you, the student, must hone early on in order to succeed in your degree. It is also a transferable skill that will serve you in your post-academic career. Philosophical writing combines the general virtues of clarity, organisation, focus and style found in other academic writing with particular philosophical virtues; namely, the ability to expose the implicit assumptions of analysed texts and to make explicit the logical structure of one's own and other people's arguments. A precondition of philosophical writing is a unique form of textual analysis that pays particular attention to its argumentative structure. In this module you will learn and practice philosophical writing. You will learn how to read in preparation for philosophical writing, learn how to plan an essay, learn how to rework your drafts and learn how to use feedback constructively. Short writing exercises will help you hone specific writing skills. You will bring these skills together by writing a number of complete essays. The lectures in the course will be split between lectures on the art of writing and lectures on philosophical topics in the domain of fact and value. Essay topics will be based on the topical lectures and their associated readings.
20 credits - Thinking Historically
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Building upon the foundational skills acquired in the introductory 'History Workshop,' this module will cultivate your ability to critically engage with the past, develop disciplinary awareness, and apply historical thinking. To do so it provides an introduction to the breadth of interests in the school and the way historians have made sense of patterns in historical developments. Moving from the Ancient and Medieval past to the contemporary world, the module shows how Sheffield historians approach the periods and places that interest us, whilst provoking you to ponder the issues involved in framing historical questions of your own. In this module, you will explore a recurring set of questions which inform history as a discipline: how and why have historians divided up the past into discrete periods, and with what consequences? How have historians constructed narratives that give shape and meaning to the events of the past? How can we evaluate the truth of historical representations and interpretations? How are they shaped by the availability of sources about past societies, and what determines which sources have survived to the present day? How have relationships of power influenced the sorts of stories that we tell and the voices that we hear from the past, and how do they continue to do so?By the end of the module, you will not only have a strong sense of what it means to see problems through a historical lens, but also a better understanding of the chronological and geographical range of work undertaken by Sheffield historians.
20 credits - History of Philosophy
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In Philosophy the past can be a guide to the present. The ideas that shape and guide philosophical thought can be understood by examining their historical development. This module will introduce students to key debates and the thought of key figures from the history of philosophy. The focus will be on a number of selected readings covering topics of central philosophical importance from philosophy's long past.
20 credits
Optional modules:
- Mind and World
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This module is an introduction to a range of topics in epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind. In the first half of the module we consider questions such as: How should we understand knowledge? What implications does cognitive and cultural diversity have for our understanding of knowledge? Should we privilege some points of view? Should we trust others? Can we wrong them if we don't? And what should we say about disagreement? In the second half of the module we ask questions such as: Is the mind a physical thing? Can a machine have a mind? Can you survive the destruction of your body? Do you have free will? And can a machine be responsible for its own actions?
20 credits - Religion, Reason and Reality
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Religious traditions typically understand reality as involving more than just the tangible physical world. This module tackles philosophical questions about religion and reality. These include questions about different conceptions of God and the justification for religious beliefs, such as belief in God, supernatural forces and an afterlife. And questions about the nature of religious 'beliefs': are these the same kind of thing as mundane 'beliefs'? They also include questions about reality, raised by potential technological advances, like the question of whether we are living in a simulation, and how we should think about God if we think we are. And the question of whether technologies like virtual reality can offer what people have long sought from religion.
20 credits - Death and Killing
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This module introduces students to some key philosophical questions about life and death. What is death? What happens to us when we die? Could there be an afterlife? Would it be a good thing if there were? Is it rational to fear death? Do we have moral duties towards the dead? If death is usually bad for us then killing someone, or allowing them to die, is usually wrong. But it is not always wrong. There are exceptions. The module looks at a range of life-and-death situations that may include euthanasia, abortion, killing non-human animals, war and capital punishment.
20 credits - The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, c. 1570-1770
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This module explores the fundamental shifts in mental attitudes and public behaviour that occurred in Europe between the age of the Reformation and the age of the Enlightenment. The central focus of the course will be the examination of the supernatural - religious beliefs, but also witchcraft and magic. You will explore the changing ways in which beliefs impinged on people's lives at various social levels. You will also have an opportunity to study the impact on people's world views of such changes as rising literacy, urbanisation, state formation and new discoveries about the natural world. All these will be investigated in the institutional contexts of state and church and the ways in which they sought to channel and mould beliefs and behaviour. This module enables you to understand how the early modern period is distinctive from and links medieval and later modern historical studies.
20 credits - Beyond Borders? A Deep History of the Connected World
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We live in a moment where the world is more interconnected than ever before, where big brands dominate global economies and imaginations, TikTok shapes trends across the planet, political rhetoric reverberates across borders, and pandemics and climate change offer threats on a planetary scale. We cannot avoid global thinking, and the impacts of international networks - from media to economies to culture and consumption - are so engrained that we barely even notice them. But how did we get here? How did the world become so intensely interconnected? And why do those processes of entanglement matter?
20 credits
At a time when the rise of this increasingly global outlook is facing challenges from ethnonationalism and isolationism - from Brexit to Trump and Modi's India - this module will equip you to understand the processes at work in global integration (and isolation), not as a linear narrative of 'progress', but as historically contingent, complex and messy. In this module, we will trace the ways in which these global interconnections developed, from the earliest tentative colonies and the rise of empires, enslavement and extraction. Through the lens of global history, we will see revolutions, liberation, and worldwide conflicts, the modern international order of nation states, waves of decolonisation, and ecological crises.
Through the study of transnational structures, cultures and systems which reach from Asia to Europe and from Africa to the Americas, alongside an understanding of the many peoples of every status who were agents in these exchanges, this module will challenge you to ask: what drives nations and individuals together, or pulls them apart? What makes and breaks cultures, states, and communities? And how did we end up in a place where environment; food systems; national security; human rights; political, religious and racial ideologies; culture and language; war and peace, are all so globally determined and yet so locally rooted. - The Long View: an introduction to archaeology
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This module traces the development of modern humans through to the modern era. It introduces the wide range of materials and methods that archaeologists use to study the past. The practical laboratory-based classes and field classes provide experience in the basic identification, investigation and interpretation of archaeological evidence. They are supported by lectures that introduce archaeological methods, theories and worldwide case studies. From field to laboratory using examples from throughout the world, you will learn about how archaeology shapes knowledge about the deep and recent human past.
20 credits
Through this module students will be introduced to debates on the formation and development of archaeological thought through a world-wide perspective from the Palaeolithic to the present. They will be presented with techniques and ideas used by archaeologists to explore the human record and understand the past. It offers an opportunity to explore and discover the archaeological record through practical engagement, using field and laboratory methods, while also highlighting the importance of selecting analytical techniques appropriate to the question posed and the data available. The module will enable students to develop core skills in decoding and critically understanding literature, observation, recording, analysis and interpreting archaeological evidence. - Reason and Argument
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This module teaches basic philosophical concepts and skills to do with argument. The first part of the course deals with arguments in ordinary language. It teaches techniques for recognizing, interpreting, analyzing, and assessing arguments of various kinds. It also teaches important concepts related to arguments, such as truth, validity, explanation, entailment, consistency, and necessity. The second part of the course is a basic introduction to formal logic. It teaches how to translate ordinary-language arguments into formal languages, which enables you to rigorously prove validity, consistency, and so on.
20 credits - Bodies, Sex and Desires
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This module introduces students to some key topics in the Philosophy of Sex and Queer Theory. We will begin with the surprisingly difficult questions of what sex is, and what a sexual orientation is, examining these questions from the perspective of contemporary philosophy, and also the history of sexuality and desire. We will consider a range of issues around the nature of embodiment, for example, whether there are only two biological sexes (male and female), as well as social and political implications of these categorisations. We will also discuss the nature of intimacy and relationships, including asexuality, aromanticism, polyamory; 'sexual racism'; how we should understand consent; and whether having power over someone makes it impermissible to have sex with them. Finally, we will think about some issues surrounding sex work, focusing on whether or not it is inherently different from other jobs, and whether there is anything morally problematic about pornography.The readings and perspectives covered in this module are diverse, and include examples from empirical studies, media and popular culture. You can develop knowledge of your favourite topics in the portfolio assessment, engaging with module readings in Philosophy of Sex, and Queer theory.
20 credits - Science, Medicine and Society
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This is a module on the relationship between science, society, and values and serves as an introduction to the philosophy of science and bioethics.
20 credits
Science plays an essential role in modern society. We trust science, and its results, on a day to day basis as we navigate our worlds and interact with each other. Yet, what is it about science, or scientific methodology, that makes it so trustworthy? We will investigate a range of questions that concern the epistemology and social structure of science. These include: What is the relationship between evidence, observation, and theory? Is there a distinctive scientific methodology? Does the social structure of science help or hinder scientific research? After considering these theoretical questions, we will turn to questions of value and a range of problems that arise with the application of science. Some of these problems are historic but many have emerged as we move through the 21st century. In a pandemic, for example, how should we balance concerns for liberty and protecting the vulnerable? Should we try to 'enhance' human beings, or should we be happy with the way we are? How might the use of artificial intelligence impact trust in the healthcare system? This module thus moves from the theoretical to the practical.
Plus the below - details to be confirmed.
- Empire: from the Ancient World to the Early Modern
- Common People: Everyday Lives in Modern Britain and Ireland
In your second year, you’ll continue to build your foundational knowledge of History and Philosophy, looking in depth at materials and further developing your skills.
Core modules:
- History and the Public
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This module explores the theory and practice of public history by providing students with the opportunity to communicate their scholarly work to an audience beyond the boundaries of our discipline. Students will work collaboratively in writing a critique of a piece of public history as part of a broader evaluation of the use of history outside academic settings. The course will engage in debate about important questions facing historians in the present, and consider ideas about the role and purposes of History as an academic subject.
20 credits
Plus the below - details to be confirmed.
- Ethics: From Theory to Practice
- Parchment to Pixels: Interrogating Historical Evidence
- Global History of Philosophy
Choose up to one History optional module:
- History and Historians
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How has History developed as a subject of inquiry? Why do historians view the same issues and sources in different ways? What forces internal and external to our profession have shaped the way the past has been written? And who has had the power to write history and for what ends? This module, building on the foundational work students have done at Level 1, poses these questions. It is designed to encourage greater methodological reflection on the part of students. What kind of historian are they? And why? It also sets them up for more advanced interrogation of 'historiography' elsewhere in the programme.
20 credits - Trumpism: An American Biography
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Donald Trump's election, commentators claim, was unprecedented as well as unexpected: a break with more than two centuries of custom. Yet closer scrutiny of American history suggests Trump is no aberration. The module will interrogate the U.S. past to better understand the present, looking at the likes of populism as a political language, whiteness as a psychological wage, masculinity as a path to high office, protectionism as an economic policy, and deindustrialization as a political spur. By asking historical questions about the roots of Trump's rise, we will situate the American present in a complex and often painful past.
20 credits - A History of Eastern Africa since 1940
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This module examines the history of Eastern Africa during the era of decolonisation. It focuses on comparisons and connections between three states: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The module assumes no prior knowledge of African history and seeks to provide an accessible, dynamic introduction to the region's often contentious past.
20 credits
The module begins by situating Eastern Africa within the context of British colonialism, which came under increasing strain due to the global impact of the Second World War. It then turns to the contrasting experiences of independence in the region. We will analyse the development of nationalist movements in Tanganyika and Uganda, which took peaceful if still politically contentious paths to independence. On the other hand, in Kenya the end of empire took a violent shape. We will ask whether the 'Mau Mau' conflict was an anticolonial struggle or civil war. The journey from colonial territory to independent nation-state was not the only possible outcome at this moment, as we go on to explore the rise and fall of regional integration projects and the notion of an 'East African' identity.
The region's states became democracies at independence, but multiparty politics soon gave way to single-party governments in all three countries. Yet 'authoritarianism' meant different things across the region. We will study Tanzania's turn to revolutionary socialism and Uganda's years of dictatorship and civil war, including the notorious - but poorly understood - military regime of Idi Amin. Finally, we will examine the reasons behind the return to democratic government at the end of the Cold War - and the limits of reform.
Although this political story provides a spine to the module, we will understand it not just from the perspective of state actors, but those of ordinary East Africans. Themes of gender, race, generation, and class run through the module. For example, we will assess the role of women's activists in struggles for first independence and then democracy. We will examine the changing role of the family in decolonising societies, whether under socialism or military dictatorship and in contexts shaped by rapid urbanisation and the AIDS pandemic. We will explore the experiences of the region's minorities, such as Muslim communities and South Asian diaspora.
Throughout the module, we will consider how historians can 'decolonise' the study of African history, especially by foregrounding the rich but often overlooked work of East African historians. In class, we will work at first hand with primary sources like newspapers, cinema, and short stories, to place the voices of the region's peoples at the centre of this overview. - Life Worth Living
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What does it mean for a life to go well? How does one live life well? What is a flourishing life? These questions have shaped intellectual endeavour for millennia. Life Worth Living explores approaches to these questions through engagement with diverse traditions/thinkers including classical Greek philosophy, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Existentialism, Marx, and Nietzsche. The module includes historical analysis of these traditions, visits from individuals whose lives are shaped by them, fieldwork to discuss the ideas beyond the classroom, and assessments to help students develop their own vision of a life worth living.
20 credits - From Democracy to Dictatorship: the 1973 coup in Chile
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This document option explores the coup of 11 September 1973 as a turning point in Chilean, Latin American and global history. It will use primary sources to explore events on both sides of this critical date, casting light on life in Chile under both democracy and dictatorship. This module will also situate the Chilean coup in international and global history, asking why events in a small Latin American country held such global importance. We'll use government documents to explore why the United States found it necessary to intervene against the Allende government and assist the reactionary forces who supported the military coup and transcripts of interviews to grasp how everyday life changed for Chileans in 1973. We'll also explore the significance of events in Chile for the wider global Cold War, using music, art and documents left by activists to ask why everyday people in countries across the world - including the United Kingdom - mobilised in solidarity with the Chilean people and in the name of human rights, and we'll also assess the impact this activism had.
20 credits - Murder in the cathedral: the Becket Affair
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On 29 December 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was brutally murdered in his cathedral by four knights of his King and one-time friend, Henry II. In the space of ten years, a close friendship had been ruined, and Thomas' stubbornness, flight to France, and untimely death created additional tensions for the English king. This document option investigates events surrounding Thomas' death and the emergence of his cult. It asks how a minor squabble became a continent-wide cause célèbre, forcing Henry into an act of ritual humiliation to clear his name while ensuring that Thomas' memory lived on.
20 credits - The Irish Republican Brotherhood, 1858-85
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Britain's 'Irish problem' has long roots. This document module examines one of the most important violent Irish organisations that challenged British sovereignty in Ireland. Founded in 1858, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) (or the Fenian movement, as it was also known) was a transatlantic movement dedicated to the overthrow of the British state in Ireland. Fuelled by hatred for the British after the dreadful Famine in Ireland of the 1840s, the Fenians constructed a sophisticated organisation that was part secret society, terrorist cell structure and propaganda machine. It was the early forerunner of the Irish Republican Army. This document option investigates aspects of Fenianism from a range of angles. Using sources written and produced by contemporaries, we will consider the dynamics of the IRB and its place within nineteenth-century Ireland.
20 credits - The Putney Debates, October 1647
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Following the first English civil war there was political stalemate over the post-war settlement. By late 1647 there were calls for revolutionary political change, not least at the famous Putney debates. They came at a crucial moment in the development of the revolution, and successive editors between 1891 and 2007 presented the records of the debates in varying contexts in order to reveal the fundamental significance of the revolution. This module explores the background to the debates at Putney, what was said, and also considers how different editions of the debates reflect the shifting significance attached to the English revolution.
20 credits - A Very British Revolution? The 1926 General Strike
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In this document module you will consider the significance of the 1926 General Strike to Britain's historical development in the interwar period. You will examine how the strike was interpreted by both contemporary actors and historians, and consider a range of different perspectives on its effects across class, gender and regional divides. You will gain confidence in analysing and debating different types of primary source evidence, including Royal Commission reports, government papers, press coverage, memoirs, and newsreel footage. You will also have the opportunity to develop your technique in writing gobbet-style analyses via seminar discussions, practice attempts, and formal assessment.The module covers the full chronology of the General Strike's origins, conduct, aftermath and subsequent construction in historical memory. This includes: its association with post-war problems in the coal industry; the growth of syndicalism and anti-capitalist ideologies; government attempts to resolve trade union unrest; the events of the strike itself; the information war in the press; local studies on the strike in different parts of Britain; the defeat of the trade unions and government retaliation; and how the strike has been remembered
20 credits
Plus the below - details to be confirmed.
- Contemporary Crises in Historical Perspective
- Byzantine Intersectionality: Gender, Race and Power in the Medieval Mediterranean
- Gender and the Georgians: Sex and Society in Britain 1714-1637
Choose up to one Philosophy optional module:
- Formal Logic
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The course will start by introducing some elementary concepts from set theory; along the way, we will consider some fundamental and philosophically interesting results and forms of argumentation. It will then examine the use of 'trees' as a method for proving the validity of arguments formalised in propositional and first-order logic. It will also show how we may prove a range of fundamental results about the use of trees within those logics, using certain ways of assigning meanings to the sentences of the languages which those logics employ.
20 credits - Feminism
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Feminists have famously claimed that the personal is political. This module takes up various topics with that methodological idea in mind: the family, cultural critique, language. We examine feminist methodologies - how these topics might be addressed by a feminism that is inclusive of all women - and also turn attention to social structures within which personal choices are made - capitalism, and climate crisis .
20 credits - The Philosophy of AI and Robotics
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This module will investigate a range of philosophical issues pertaining to current developments in AI and robotics. Example topics might include relationships with AI and robots, responsibility concerns in regard to autonomous technology such as self-driving cars, the rise of data ethics, and the rights of cyborgs and future artificial beings. By studying these topics and others, students will gain a broad knowledge of the philosophical questions pertaining to contemporary and near-future technology, develop their ability to critically assess and discuss philosophy in regards to real world uses and developments in AI and robotics, as well as improve their understanding of how theoretical philosophical theories can be applied and used to tackle practical challenges posed by modern technology.
20 credits - Religion and the Good Life
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What, if anything, does religion have to do with a well-lived life? For example, does living well require obeying God's commands? Does it require atheism? Are the possibilities for a good life enhanced or only diminished if there is a God, or if Karma is true? Does living well take distinctive virtues like faith, mindfulness, or humility as these have been understood within religious traditions? In this module, we will examine recent philosophical work on questions like these while engaging with a variety of religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Islam, and Judaism.
20 credits - Philosophy of the Arts
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This module introduces students to a broad range of issues in the philosophy of art. The first half asks 'What is art?'. It examines three approaches: expression theories, institutional accounts, and the cluster account. This is followed by two critiques focusing on the lack of women in the canon and problems surrounding 'primitive' art. The evolutionary approach to art is discussed , and two borderline cases: craft and pornography. The second half examines four issues: cultural appropriation of art, pictorial representation, aesthetic experience and the everyday, and the nature of artistic creativity.
20 credits
Plus the below - details to be confirmed.
- Mind and Language
- Science and the Search for Reality
- Knowing and Being
- Political Philosophy
- Social Justice Today
In your third year, as well as working on a short dissertation, you’ll continue to advance your knowledge in specific areas of History and Philosophy.
Core modules:
- Short Dissertation
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The dissertation in History is an exercise of 7,500-8,500 words in which students explore an individually chosen topic involving problems and issues derived from a module taken at level two or level three. It is expected to consist of research at a high level where interpretation and analysis will be of importance. The balance between primary and secondary materials will depend on the topic and an availability of sources. In each case students work independently under the guidance of a supervisor.
20 credits
Plus Communicating Philosophy - details to be confirmed.
Choose one History Special Subject Modules from the list below:
- Permissive Britain? Social and Cultural Change 1956-74
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This module explores British society and culture as the nation moved from an era of austerity to one of unprecedented affluence. Key topics include the impact of affluence on class and gender relationships, the emergence of a national youth culture, changes and continuities in sexual behaviour, and debates about immigration and race. The unit encourages students to assess the significance of reforming legislation that relaxed the censorship regime, decriminalised homosexuality, enabled easier access to abortion, liberalised the divorce system and abolished capital punishment, examining the arguments of those who resisted, as well as those who championed the 'permissive society'.
40 credits - The World of Intoxicants in Early Modern England
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Intoxicants were a key feature of early modern societies. This is as true for 'old' world alcohols like wine, beer, ale, and other fermented drinks as it is for 'new' intoxicants like opiates, tobacco, sugar, caffeines, chocolate, and distilled liquors that began to enter European diets after 1600 from the Levant, the Americas, and Asia. Focusing on intoxicants in England, this module considers a) the ongoing importance and, indeed, increasing significance of alcohols to culture, society, and economy over the course of the seventeenth century and b) the introduction and popularisation of new intoxicants over the same period.
40 credits - Cannibals and Christians: Mexico and Spain, c.1492-1600
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This module examines the extraordinary clash of cultures which occurred following the 'discovery' of America, and the reciprocal relationship which developed between Europe and the 'New World' in the sixteenth century. Focusing on the sixteenth-century discovery, conquest and settlement of Central and South America, especially Mexico, the module will address such themes as the nature of the encounter, the intellectual and cultural impact, trade and exchange, migration, evangelisation and empire. The module addresses the encounter from a wide range of perspectives, evaluating the encounter from the viewpoint of sailors, conquistadors, priests, historians, explorers, missionaries, administrators and the indigenous people themselves.
40 credits - The Wars for Vietnam: Empire, Decolonisation and Liberation
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In the middle decades of the twentieth century, Vietnam was wrenched by wars: a world war, a war of decolonisation, a civil war, the Cold War, and a war against its erstwhile communist allies. By studying these conflicts, we not only learn about modern Vietnam, but also the French empire, U.S. foreign policy, and communist internationalism in the mid-20th Century. As case studies, these wars shed light on larger global processes of imperial conquest, decolonisation and neo-colonial control, communist revolution and the limits of internationalism. As an archetype of national liberation, events in Vietnam also profoundly shaped anti-colonial struggles around the world and social movements in the United States and Europe, from Black Power to the women's liberation movement. This module explores the wars for Vietnam through the themes of empire, decolonisation, and liberation, paying close attention to Vietnamese perspectives, exploring the role of France, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, and uncovering the global reverberations of these conflicts. We will investigate the historiography which set the broad parameters of debate, as well as newer scholarship which has challenged these orthodox interpretations, and we will examine a wide range of primary sources, from government documents, memoirs, and oral histories, to images, fiction, and film.
40 credits - Resistance & Liberation in South Africa: Gandhi to Mandela
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This module analyses resistance to segregation, apartheid, and white supremacy in South Africa. Drawing upon memoirs, oral histories, novels, films, speeches, news reporting, online databases, and document collections, we begin with the non-violent campaigns led by Mohandas Gandhi in the 1900s against the segregation of Indians in South Africa, and end with Nelson Mandela's election as president in the country's first non-racial democratic elections in 1994. We will explore the inspirations, nature, and effects of a wide range of forms of political, social, and cultural resistance by opponents of white supremacy - from ordinary people to elite politicians - both inside South Africa and around the world.
40 credits - Makers of a New World: Merchants, Scholars and Commoners in Late Medieval Europe
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Between 1350 and 1450, many of the foundations of the Europe as we know it and the world has experienced it were laid by specific groups of people: merchants who established capitalist market economy and, at the same time, shaped the appearance of their cities through patronage and the promotion of new artistic models; scholars who reconsidered past evidence and the meaning of the past through the 'rediscovery' of the Classics; and commoners that developed individual and collective ways of getting their voices heard in politics and religion.The module builds on new scholarship on the late medieval period and, to an extent, the early modern period and extra-European history to engage critically with developments that have more traditionally been referenced as the Renaissance, Humanism, the Waning of the Middle Ages, and approached as transition, crisis, transformation or, more specifically, through notions including the 'disanchantment', the birth of the 'nation-state' and 'European expansion'.
40 credits - Merchants, Pirates and Planters: The English Overseas, 1570-1624
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The period c.1570-1624 saw a reorientation of England's global position, as increasing numbers of English people began to venture into unfamiliar regions. This course charts the nature and significance of their travels. We will encounter merchants in Europe, the Ottoman Empire and the far east, settlers and conquerors in Ireland and America, explorers in the frozen seas of the far north, and pirates in Spanish America. The latter part of the course focuses on the foundation of England's first 'successful' American colony, Jamestown. Throughout, we consider the motives driving these ventures, and the complex nature of the encounters that ensued.
40 credits - The National Security State, Treason, and Individual Rights during the Twentieth Century
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National security scares over 'whistleblowers' such as Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning or Kathrine Gun have catapulted the image of the 'traitor' back into public discourse. At the same time, controversies over Wikileaks' political agenda and Russian interference with the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential elections were as much discussed in terms of British and US national security as a threat to the security of 'the West' as a whole. These conflicts stand at the end of a century that has seen the rise of the modern surveillance state and transnational security frameworks organized through institutions such as Interpol, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact states (until 1989/91). Over the course of the 20th century, more and more people saw themselves suspected of betrayal of the community. The First World War transformed older clearly defined criminal offences of 'high treason' against the sovereign and their immediate family members to wider accusations of treason against the nation, state, and people. The rise of communism and fascism triggered the building of new domestic public security apparatuses in the interwar period. War crimes and genocide of the Second World War further complicated debates on the morality of collaboration with the enemy. In response, security agencies professionalized their work and the early Cold War saw calls for transnational bloc-wide security regimes to combat subversion by the Cold War enemy. Since then, state surveillance has come to be seen more and more as a constant everyday threat to privacy and individual rights after the digital revolution of the 1970s. In this special subject, we explore through rich source material the political, emotional, social, and cultural dynamics that were at play when individuals or groups from across Europe, the US and Soviet Union were accused of betraying society. We will consider how people's ethnic, gender, and class background impacted their fate of becoming 'traitors'. Taken together, their cases will provide answers to the central question of how demands for the professionalization of the national security state have impacted ordinary people's lives and rights under different forms of government and how they shape our contemporary understandings of democracy and authoritarianism.
40 credits - Italy in the Age of Dante, ca. 1200-1350
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In the 13th and 14th centuries, northern-central Italy was one of the most urbanized, economically dynamic and culturally innovative parts of Western Europe, to the point that important scholars of the past have seen the Italian city-states as forerunners of modern concepts of republicanism and individualism. The cultural efflorescence of this period is still visible in the historical city centre of many Italian towns, in the frescoes of Giotto, and in the literary works of authors such as Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), best known for his exploration of the Christian afterlife in the Divine Comedy. And yet, Dante's Italy was also plagued by instability, civil wars and factionalism, as exemplified by the poet's banishment from his city, Florence, on account of political rivalries. How did the Italian city-states manage to flourish economically and culturally in such a fraught political landscape? How could they reconcile intellectual sophistication and religious revival on one side, and significant levels of violence and turmoil on the other? This module will make use of sources such as artwork, chronicles, literature and charters to explore various facets of the political, social and cultural life of the communes with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of this multi-faceted society.
40 credits
The module will introduce you to the political, religious, social, and cultural landscapes of the Italian city-states between the 13th and the 14th century. It will develop your awareness of the historiographical interpretations of the period and its key features, e.g., the communal movement, merchant capitalism, the 14th century crisis and lay sanctity. - The World Transformed? The League of Nations and the End of Empire, 1919-46
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The League of Nations was a major experiment in the organisation of international relations after the devastation of the First World War. Political theorists and historians have long debated its merits, and references to its failures line the pages of textbooks. But rather than reproduce these arguments about the inability of the League of Nations to prevent a second world war, this module takes a different approach. It draws our attention to the surprising role it played in a whole range of areas of international governance in former imperial territories in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In this module, we see League officials working with institutions, governments, and non-governmental actors on programmes directed at disarmament, international crime, trafficking, public health, universal children's rights, slavery, communications, and much more. We ask: Who worked for the League or participated in its internationalist programmes? How did they realise their work? What problems, opportunities, or opposition did it cause? What was the significance of their work? And does a study of the League help us to better understand the UN and international organisations more generally today?
40 credits
In other words, instead of focusing on high politics, the module introduces students to the League's work in practice, offering insight into the experiences of millions of ordinary men and women as they sought to rebuild their lives after war, revolution, and the collapse of empires. The module draws on the completely digitised archive of the League of Nations. In this module you will be taught how to navigate this vast archive and search through its depositories. We will analyse sources ranging from reports to first-hand accounts of life in internationalised territories, where continued violence, food shortages, and other problems persisted long after the war. We will also examine magazines, film, photography, and architecture related to peacekeeping, which is held in the archive. The League's archive provides an excellent resource for writing dissertations and conducting original research.
Choose up to two Philosophy modules from the list below:
- Ethics and Belief
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We know things as individuals, but we also know things collectively. And what we know individually can depend on our relation to other knowers and collective knowledge. These relations are not merely epistemic, they are also practical and ethical. Knowledge can, for instance, be based on trust, while a failure to recognize someone as a knower can be a matter of injustice. Knowledge thereby has a social character and an ethical dimension. This course will introduce a broad range of topics in epistemology that explore this social and ethical turn.
20 credits - Memory and the Self
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Our memories of our personal past (i.e. our episodic memories) play an important role in our lives. They help us perform mundane tasks like finding our keys, but they arguably also form the foundation of our sense of self and personal identity. They let us know who we are by recording what we've done and experienced. In this module we will try to better understand what episodic memory is and to what extent it grounds our understanding of the self. This module will introduce students to the cognitive science of memory and to core issues in the philosophical foundations of cognitive science.In the first part of the module, we will look at methodological issues that arise when we attempt to describe the mind's structure within philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. In the second part of the module, we will look towards the cognitive sciences to better understand what sort of thing episodic memory is. In the final part of the module, we will consider the relationship between episodic memory and our sense of the self. This is an interdisciplinary module. Understanding how the mind is structured is a complex project. In order to make progress we need to appeal to both empirical and philosophical work (and work that blurs this distinction). We'll read scientific and philosophical papers; however, no prior knowledge of cognitive science (or neuroscience) will be presumed.
20 credits - Philosophy of Psychology
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This course provides an in-depth look at a selection of issues in contemporary philosophy of psychology. Philosophy of psychology is concerned with such questions as : What is the structure and organisation of the human mind? Is the mind one big homogenous thing, or is it made up of smaller interacting components? If it has components, what sort are they and how are they interrelated? What aspects of our minds are uniquely, or distinctively human? What is the cognitive basis for such capacities as our capacity for language, rationality, science, mathematics, cultural artefacts, altruism, cooperation, war, morality and art? To what extent are the concepts, rules, biases, and cognitive processes that we possess universal features of all human beings and to what extent are they culturally (or otherwise) variable? Do infants (non-human) animals, and individuals with cognitive deficits have minds, and if so, what are they like? To what extent are these capacities learned as opposed to innately given? How important is evolutionary theory to the study of the mind? What is the Self? What are concepts? Is all thought conceptual? Is all thought conscious? What is consciousness? This course will discuss a selection of these and related issues by looking at the work of philosophers, psychologists, and others working within the cognitive sciences more generally.
20 credits - Utopia, Reform and Democracy
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Humanity faces a recurrent political challenge: the task of steering itself towards a sustainable and just future. A crucial part of this challenge involves developing a vision of change, of an achievable good society: a vision of the harbour we are aiming for as we sail through these troubled waters. But how are those visions to be enacted in the world? What theories of change lay at the heart of various philosophical visions? This module will introduce students to some of the major schools of thought - historical and contemporary - regarding the relationship between social theory and political practice.
20 credits - Bodies and Souls
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Descartes is famous for his view that all mental activity takes place in an immaterial substance, so that what we call a human being is really two things: a thinking soul and an unthinking body. Aristotle thought that every living thing, whether conscious or not, was a compound of matter and form, and he called this form a 'soul'. This view, 'hylomorphism', dominated European philosophy throughout the middle ages. Both views are currently the subject of renewed interest. This module will examine them from a contemporary perspective.
20 credits
Plus Feminist and Queer Studies - details to be confirmed.
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we will inform students and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.
Learning and assessment
Learning
You'll learn through a mix of interactive lectures and lively discussion-based seminars.
Research is central to the student experience here in Sheffield and all our teaching is informed by the latest findings.
In your final year, you'll have the opportunity to take our History Special Subject module, which allows you to spend a year specialising in a historical topic that really interests you.
You'll be taught by world-leading experts. Our internationally renowned history tutors offer modules spanning a range of periods and criss-crossing continents, allowing you to explore great events, extraordinary documents and remarkable people.
In philosophy, you'll be taught by researchers working at the cutting-edge of their field, meaning your lectures and seminars are informed, relevant and exciting.
Assessment
You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods. As well as traditional essays and exams, our degrees include innovative assessments where you’ll write seminar diaries and reflective work, give presentations and design online historical artefacts in mediums such as blogs, podcasts or websites. This broadens your experience and the wide range of transferable skills you’ll develop during your degree.
Entry requirements
With Access Sheffield, you could qualify for additional consideration or an alternative offer - find out if you're eligible.
The A Level entry requirements for this course are:
AAB
- A Levels + a fourth Level 3 qualification
- ABB + B in a relevant EPQ
- International Baccalaureate
- 34; 33, with B in a history-based extended essay
- BTEC Extended Diploma
- DDD in a relevant subject
- BTEC Diploma
- DD + A at A Level
- Scottish Highers
- AAAAB
- Welsh Baccalaureate + 2 A Levels
- B + AA
- Access to HE Diploma
- Award of the Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 36 at Distinction and 9 at Merit
The A Level entry requirements for this course are:
ABB
- A Levels + a fourth Level 3 qualification
- ABB + B in a relevant EPQ
- International Baccalaureate
- 33
- BTEC Extended Diploma
- DDD in a relevant subject
- BTEC Diploma
- DD + B at A Level
- Scottish Highers
- AAABB
- Welsh Baccalaureate + 2 A Levels
- B + AB
- Access to HE Diploma
- Award of the Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit
You must demonstrate that your English is good enough for you to successfully complete your course. For this course we require: GCSE English Language at grade 4/C; IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component; or an alternative acceptable English language qualification
Equivalent English language qualifications
Visa and immigration requirements
Other qualifications | UK and EU/international
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school.
Graduate careers
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
Our history graduates are highly skilled in research, critical reasoning and communication. You'll be able to think and write coherently, to put specific matters in a broader context, and to summarise complex ideas in a discerning and creative way.
Our graduates have gone on to become successful lawyers, marketing executives, civil servants, accountants, management consultants, university lecturers, archivists, librarians and workers in museums, tourism and the heritage industry.
The combination of academic excellence and personal skills developed and demonstrated in your history degree will make you stand out in an increasingly competitive graduate world.
Companies that have employed our graduates include Accenture, Ernst and Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and DLA Piper. You'll also find our graduates in organisations ranging from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives, to BBC Online and The Guardian.
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
Department statistics
In the School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities, we interrogate some of the most significant and pressing aspects of human life, offering new perspectives and tackling globally significant issues.
As a history student at Sheffield, you'll develop your understanding of the past in a friendly and supportive environment.
You can tailor your course to suit you, discovering the areas of history that most inspire you most while preparing for the future you want with opportunities like studying abroad, work placements and volunteering.
History and philosophy students are based in 9 Mappin Street, at the heart of the university campus, close to the Diamond, the Information Commons and the Mappin Building.
Facilities
University rankings
A world top-100 university
QS World University Rankings 2026 (92nd) and Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 (98th)
Number one in the Russell Group (based on aggregate responses)
National Student Survey 2025
92 per cent of our research is rated as world-leading or internationally excellent
Research Excellence Framework 2021
University of the Year and best for Student Life
Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024
Number one Students' Union in the UK
Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
Number one for Students' Union
StudentCrowd 2024 University Awards
A top 20 university targeted by employers
The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers report
Fees and funding
Fees
Additional costs
The annual fee for your course includes a number of items in addition to your tuition. If an item or activity is classed as a compulsory element for your course, it will normally be included in your tuition fee. There are also other costs which you may need to consider.
Funding your study
Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for a bursary, scholarship or loan to help fund your study and enhance your learning experience.
Use our Student Funding Calculator to work out what you’re eligible for.
Placements and study abroad
Placements
There are also other opportunities to get work experience, with hands-on projects integrated into several of our academic modules. Alternatively, you can undertake a placement with a heritage or culture organisation, or join our student-led volunteering organisations History in the City and Philosophy in the City.
As part of these you can take part in activities that bring history to new audiences within the local community or introduce school children to philosophical ideas they can apply to everyday life. All of these experiences will help you build a compelling CV.
Study abroad
Visit
University open days
We host five open days each year, usually in June, July, September, October and November. You can talk to staff and students, tour the campus and see inside the accommodation.
Subject tasters
If you’re considering your post-16 options, our interactive subject tasters are for you. There are a wide range of subjects to choose from and you can attend sessions online or on campus.
Offer holder days
If you've received an offer to study with us, we'll invite you to one of our offer holder days, which take place between February and April. These open days have a strong department focus and give you the chance to really explore student life here, even if you've visited us before.
Campus tours
Our weekly guided tours show you what Sheffield has to offer - both on campus and beyond. You can extend your visit with tours of our city, accommodation or sport facilities.
Events for mature students
Mature students can apply directly to our courses. We also offer degrees with a foundation year for mature students who are returning to education. We'd love to meet you at one of our events, open days, taster workshops or other events.
Apply
The awarding body for this course is the University of Sheffield.
Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.
Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.