History and Politics

Message from a Student

Hi! I’m Helena and I’m a second year History and Politics (HisPol / HPol) student and your subject rep! As you’ve probably realised, HisPol is quite a small subject cohort at Jesus (in my year there’s just me and one in the year above, but this year we have three freshers). This may seem daunting but its actually great, as the degree intersects two popular degrees (History and PPE) so you get a broad choice of subjects, meet undergrads across the university, and develop good personal contact with your tutors. In your first year you study two History papers and two Politics papers. For History you pick one module between any of the British History I-VI papers, or of the European and World History I-IV paper — there’s huge scope for choice so you can pick what you’re interested or try something new. Then you have the option between a Language Paper (French, Spanish, Russian or German), Historiography (where you study four historical authors), or Quantification of History. I did EWH 1815-1914, which intersected nicely with my politics papers, and Historiography which gave me a new perspective on the study of history. For your Politics papers, the only module you have to take is the Introduction to the Practice of Politics, and you then have a choice between An Introduction to the Theory of Politics, or Theories of the State. These are both quite similar, and involve the study of political philosophers and set texts. In your second and third year, there are several ways you can structure your degree, and these depend on which discipline you decide to do your dissertation in. There are also tons of extracurricular opportunities linked to the HisPol degree, from writing for the Oxford History Review or Kronos, to speaking in the Oxford Union.