Undergraduate Study

History and Politics

Undergraduate

History and Politics

The History and Politics tutors at St Anne’s are strongly committed to this popular course.  They uphold the commonsense propositions that past and present are seamlessly united; and that the notionally separate fascinations of modern politics and history must and do go together. The front-line tutors for this school are our 20th century Americanist (currently Dr Gareth Davies, but he is moving on and will be replaced); Peter Ghosh, whose subjects in intellectual history have included Max Weber, Antonio Gramsci and Maurice Cowling; and in Politics Dr Todd Hall, who is a Chinese specialist within International Relations.

Oxford has the largest history faculty in the world, and the largest Department of Politics and International Relations in the UK. The presence in College of five History tutors and lecturers as well as two active and senior members of Oxford University’s Politics and International Relations Department has helped make this College a powerfully attractive intellectual home for students of History and Politics.

A great advantage of History and Politics as a degree course is its breadth. Students on this course sharpen their judgement; refine their arguments; think hard about questions, problems and evidence; and they can detect when ignorant people (as can happen in politics) are faking knowledge and the authority that comes from knowledge. In career terms this degree is a way of keeping your mind and your options open: some of our graduates progress to work at postgraduate level; whilst others move into demanding professions such as the law, the City and the civil service. The College’s History and Politics graduates are strongly represented both in journalism and in public service, not least through teaching and or charitable foundations.