Bachelor of Arts in Modern History and Politics

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

From the Aztecs and Maya to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation on BA Archaeology with Year Abroad. Through the latest techniques and technologies, you'll investigate how our ancestors lived, from the earliest human origins, to Neolithic Britain, Ancient Egypt and the Medieval Middle East.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains, such as its:

• Buildings
• Monuments
• Artefacts
• Biological remains
• Written sources
• Landscape

Whether in the laboratory on a dig, you'll develop transferable skills through exploring questions about people in the past and in the present. This archaeology bachelor degree with year abroad explores world archaeology, on topics such as:

• Excavation and field survey techniques
• Underwater archaeology
• Artefacts analysis
• Museums, heritage and public archaeology

You'll have the opportunity to experience fieldwork, including at least 3 weeks of fieldwork as part of an active research project.

We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive practical training for a career in archaeology.

You'll spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions such as the University of Malta or the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. This will give you the chance to discover theories and findings in exotic locations and boost your career opportunities.

This degree gives you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside the main programme.

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

Develop the analytical skills for success in business and industry on this Operational Research MSc at the University of Southampton. You’ll work with multinational organisations on real-life case studies as you develop the knowledge to solve complex challenges. Prepare for a rewarding career in industry or research.

Operational Research is the application of scientific methods to the study of complex organisational problems.  

As an operational researcher, you’ll play an important role in business and industry, providing analytics and guidance to management teams. If you’re good at maths, enjoy problem-solving and have strong communication skills, this could be a rewarding area for you. 

On this UK master’s course you’ll learn the key skills and knowledge to provide effective solutions to organisational issues. 

You’ll study topics such as revenue management and forecasting, and learn techniques to improve organisational efficiency and productivity. 

You’ll work closely with industry throughout, and have the chance to develop your research skills in a commercial setting as you work on your dissertation over the summer. Our industrial liaison team will help you find a project that suits your skills and career plans. 

On this course you’ll learn: 

• The mathematical, computational and communication skills needed for the practical application of operational research
• An appreciation of related disciplines important in operational research
• How to use operational research tools in a wide range of applications  
• Research methods and current issues in operational research

You’ll also benefit from regular seminars featuring guest speakers from a wide range of organisations.

On this BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree, you'll explore past and current socio-economic systems and discover how the world works. Learn quantitative tools, historical data, and the technical skills to analyse them. Philosophy modules will teach you logic and ethics, and how to critique the present order. You'll spend a year studying abroad to experience another culture and see a different world view.

On this broad, combined honours course, you’ll get a balanced education in all three Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) subjects. It is owned by the Philosophy department.

The degree helps you properly frame the questions that unite the subject of the PPE degree, and answer them in a rigorous but free-spirited way. These include questions on:

• Inequality
• Democracy
• Justice
• Globalisation
• Happiness
• Work
• Money

You'll spend a year studying at a university in another part of the world. Destinations include countries in Europe, Asia and North America.

Compulsory modules provide a strong grounding in key areas of study. Optional modules will let you pursue your own interests in topics as varied as:

• Logic
• International security
• Chinese politics

As part of this course, you can:

• Study topics that are unique to either philosophy, economics, or politics
• Gain professional skills in economics that will be useful in your future careers
• Learn how to conduct and present research
• Take part in other philosophy events held by the lifelonglearning team, where you can discuss philosophy in a relaxed atmosphere

You can take modules from other disciplines, such as anthropology or psychology, or choose from a range of cross-disciplinary modules. You can also study a language.

Learn how to uncover the secrets of past lives through the study of human and animal skeletons. With this specialist master’s in bioarchaeology, you’ll gain expertise in human anatomy, with unlimited access to our large skeletal collection. You’ll also develop skills in faunal analysis; we have one of the largest reference collections of mammals, birds and fish in the UK.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019).

Your specialist bioarcheology learning will cover:

• analysing human bones to understand age, sex, diet, health and migration
• identifying mammals, birds and fish through skeletal remains
• understanding fossilisation and bone modification
• interpreting archaeology from collections of remains

Beyond your specialist modules you can personalise this MSc bioarchaeology degree to your areas of interest through a range of optional modules.

This archaeological science master's is a very practical degree, but you don’t need prior knowledge of biology or anatomy. You’ll spend a lot of time in our dedicated archaeology laboratories and you’ll have access to specialist isotope labs and a scanning, imaging and micro-CT suite.

You’ll work closely with experts in our Centre for Learning Anatomical Sciences and benefit from opportunities to apply your learning in real-world settings.

There's an opportunity to apply your learning on a 4-week placement, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

We bring expertise together from across the University, including Medicine, Humanities, the National Oceanography Centre, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to enable you to gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding.

This bioarchaeology master's offers a balance between vocational and research skills. During your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to do original research on a topic that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the Globe.

Enhance your knowledge of history and literature in English by studying them together on this English and History degree. You could study the novels of Jane Austen alongside the history of the naval wars at the time she wrote. Or, you could study African literature to gain a different perspective on the history of the modern city.

History at Southampton covers the ancient world to the present day. Our English modules explore writing from around the world and its connection to politics, the arts, identity and more.

With our advice you can shape your degree to suit your own development. For example, you can:

• Learn to write screenplays
• Study Victorian sensation fiction
• Take several modules on the history and literature of oceans

Your studies will include critical analysis, presentations and group work. These will help you develop your conceptual thinking, communication and research skills.

As part of this course you can:

• Join one of 40 student-led performing arts groups
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Access a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Learn a modern language at any level
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events
• Get one-to-one tutorials on writing from our Royal Literary Fund Fellows

You can deepen your links to our History community by:

• Joining the dynamic, student-run History Society
• Use one of the largest Jewish document centres in Europe, the Parkes Archive

Study the history, influence and the many genres of film, from Hollywood to Europe, and world cinema with our Film and French degree. You'll look at the cultural context of the various styles and movements, and the work of key filmmakers. You'll explore the language, culture and politics of France and can study French films across all genres.

On this joint course at Southampton, you'll study Film from a variety of perspectives: as popular art, big business and as a cultural record. You'll look at familiar classics alongside modern cinema, and genres including:

• film noir
• horror
• science fiction
• documentary
• animation

You'll take French language modules based on your ability, and will spend your third year in a French-speaking country. Your year abroad will improve your language and linguistic skills.

As part of your undergraduate study you can:

• take modules to learn more about French history and culture
• discover early film through archive visits
• use our Centre for Language Study, including a dedicated French resources room
• take modules in urban culture and ethnography
• submit your own film to our annual student film festival

Discover how the world works on our BA Philosophy Politics and Economics degree. Explore past and current socio-economic orders. You'll learn quantitative tools, historical data, and the technical knowledge to carefully analyse them. Through our philosophy modules, we'll teach you to critique the present order with logic and ethics. You'll graduate with the skills for a range of careers linked to politics, philosophy and arts.

On this broad, combined honours course, you’ll get a balanced education in all 3 Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) subjects.

The degree helps you properly frame the questions that unite the subject of the PPE degree, and answer them in a rigorous but free-spirited way. These include questions on:

• Inequality
• Democracy
• Justice
• Globalisation
• Happiness
• Work
• Money

Compulsory modules provide a strong grounding in key areas of study. Optional modules will let you pursue your own interests in topics as varied as:

• Logic
• International security
• Chinese politics

As part of this course, you can:

• Study topics that are unique to either philosophy, economics, or politics
• Gain professional skills in economics that will be useful in your future careers
• Learn how to conduct and present research
• Take part in other Philosophy events held by the Lifelonglearning team, where you can discuss philosophy in a relaxed atmosphere

Examine the people and events of the past from different but complementary perspectives. On BA Archaeology and History with Year Abroad you'll take an in-depth look at your favourite historical subjects, choosing from options like the Cold War and 17th century witchcraft trials. You'll spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions, such as the University of Malta or the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona.

Archaeology looks at the past through the study of physical remains, including buildings, artefacts and the landscape itself. History draws on written and oral sources.

This degree will give you in-depth knowledge of both archaeology and history, and develop your understanding of earlier human societies. You'll learn how to use and understand historical sources. You'll also learn how to identify and excavate archaeological sites, extracting as much information as possible from materials and records.

Study history with archaeology abroad in your third year at a partner institution to broaden your knowledge and experience.

Archaeology and History with year abroad includes a wide variety of optional modules, covering subjects such as:

• American slavery
• Women's history in modern Britain
• Apocalyptic visions of history
• The French Revolution
• Human origins
• Landscapes and seascapes
• Emergence of civilisation

As part of this course, you can choose to take a minor subject in an unrelated area.

You'll develop valuable skills for any future career, including:

• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Project management

Modern History at Southampton challenges you to critically interpret histories of societies. The study of politics encourages you to explore people’s organisation and behaviour.

You'll spend your third year at a partner university. You can choose from locations in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Australia.

On this course you can:

• Study the modern history of an extraordinary range of places, from Western Europe and the Americas, to Africa and South Asia
• Examine the rare artefacts from the university’s own collections, as well as take part in guided visits to other museums and galleries
• Learn about democracy, the modern state, comparative politics and international relations

Explore English literature in-depth with a master’s degree at the University of Southampton.

Our course gives you the opportunity to pursue literary topics and genres from a wide selection of authors and periods, including:

• Shakespeare
• Jane Austen
• Holocaust literature
• Victorian print culture
• literature and law

On completion of the course, you’ll be ready for careers in teaching, publishing and arts administration.

You’ll get the chance to carry out advanced-level research and independent critical thinking, and to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries. We'll help you examine how literature shapes the public understanding of diverse fields such as:

• Climate change
• Economics
• Medicine
• Religion

We offer a flexible module structure which is designed to give you an advanced understanding of cultural analysis, textual interpretation and theoretical method. You can specialise with one of 4 subject-specific pathways, or take a more general approach by choosing modules from each pathway.

The information on this page refers to the general pathway.

Across all pathways, you’ll explore the interrelations of text, theory and culture across the field of English literary and cultural studies. We’ll work with you to:

• Develop your knowledge of critical and research methods
• Raise your awareness of the historical and critical reception of literature in various periods
• Explore the role of literature in a contested cultural framework