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History and Politics

History and Politics offers an excellent opportunity to study the two subjects from scratch.

The Oxford history curriculum ranges from the end of the Roman Empire and the rise of Islam to modern America and China. All varieties of History are pursued to excellence in Oxford: the faculty is one of the largest and best in the world. As students of the past we become specialists in some areas whilst retaining an interest in the connections and differences between individuals and societies across time and space.

Politics as a social science is studied using several approaches: through both qualitative and quantitative methods in the first year. The first year course comprises a study of practical contemporary politics (democratic and non-democratic politics, institutions, parties, social movements, revolutions…), an introduction to political philosophy (liberty, equality, democracy…), and a course introducing quantitative methods in political science. None of the course assumes any prior knowledge, and is open to candidates studying many different school subjects.

I’m at a place where eminent people of the past lived and studied just like me, standing on the same spot and taking part in the same traditions.

Harriet Claire Strahl|History

Admission Criteria

Short-listing by History Aptitude Test and GCSE results (contextualized by school performance data). Admission by written work, interviews, and AAA at A-level or equivalent. There are no required subjects, and we consider applicants who do not have A-level History.

Number of places

Usually 1

Departments

Faculty of History

Department of Politics and International Relations

Teaching Staff

Dr Lucia Akard

Lecturer in Medieval History

Dr Valerio Zanetti

Sir John Elliott Junior Research Fellow in History

Professor Simon Skinner

College Lecturer in History

Professor Julia Mannherz

Fellow & Tutor in History

Dr David Damtar

Turpin Junior Research Fellow in History

Dr Richard Coggins

College Lecturer in Politics

Organising Tutor
Professor Teresa Bejan

Professor of Political Theory | Fellow in Politics

OTHER COURSES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

History
Number of places 9 Admission Criteria The admissions process at Oriel is exactly the same as at all other colleges. For further information, please visit the History Faculty admissions pages.

History (Ancient and Modern)
Number of places Usually 1 Admission Criteria Short-listing by History Aptitude Test and GCSE results (contextualized by school performance data). Admission by written work, interviews, and AAA at A-level or equivalent. There are no required subjects, and we consider applicants who do not have A-level History.

History and Economics
Number of places From History quota Admission Criteria Short-listing by History Aptitude Test, Thinking Skills Assessment (Section 1), and GCSE results (contextualized by school performance data). Admission by written work, test result, interviews and AAA at A-level or equivalent. There are no required subjects, and we consider applicants who do not have A-level History, but A-level (or at least GCSE or AS-level) Maths would be an advantage.

History and Modern Languages
Number of places From the Modern Languages quota Admission Criteria Short-listing by History Aptitude Test, Language Test, and GCSE results (contextualized by school performance data). Admission by written work, interviews, and AAA at A-level or equivalent. Conditional offers: AAA at A-level (or equivalent), with A grades required for any language to be studied (except ab initio languages). We consider applicants who do not have A-level History.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Number of places 9 Admission Criteria Conditional offers: normally AAA at A-level (or equivalent). Applicants are not required to submit written work. All candidates must take the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) in early November, normally at their own schools or colleges. Separate registration for this test is required and prospective applicants should refer to the test website for further information.

What next?

Applying to Oriel

Applying to Oriel

Fees and funding

Fees and funding

Open days

Open days