4-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate in Humanities - Continue to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - History and Sociology (Placement Year)

Program Description For students who've finished high school but don’t meet the entry requirements for university, a Foundation Certificate can help them gain entry to an undergraduate degree. After completing this pathway option students qualify for progression to the 1st year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Essex.

A student’s course length is determined mainly by their English language level (UKVI IELTS score). Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. Students taking a course longer than 2 terms, will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - History and Sociology

On the BA History and Sociology, students are encouraged to explore the ways in which the two disciplines influence and inform one another.

As students of history, they discover both the early modern and modern periods, and explore challenging questions concerning the impact of political, social and cultural change on individuals, social groups, and regions.

As sociologists, they investigate what connects people with each other, as well as what divides them. People consider every aspect of their daily lives, from how they relate to politicians, celebrities and friends, to how they define themselves, their families, and others. Students study topics ranging from digital media and society, to psychiatry and mental illness, to Japanese culture, to the art, film and personal testimony of war.

Students have the opportunity to choose modules from a wide range of specializations, including:

• Colonialism and the British Empire • Urban life in Germany • Social divisions, inequality, the nature of work and commercial culture • Culture, identity and subjectivity • Citizenship, multiculturalism and human rights

The Department of History has developed a strong research and teaching profile, with the majority of its research rated as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014). They also have strong links with the Essex Record Office, which is one of the best county record offices in the UK.

The Department of Sociology is Top 10 in the UK for research quality (REF 2014) and the majority of its research is rated as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. It is also ranked among the top 50 departments in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2020)