Course features

It is co-taught by Dr Jack Brown of KCL and Visiting Professor Tony Halmos, who ran the Corporation of London's PR for over 20 years. The module makes great use of practitioner-led teaching, providing you with the opportunity to engage directly with key London leaders. Amongst others, previous special guest practitioners included:

• Sadiq Khan, current Mayor of London;
• Sir Edward Lister, Boris Johnson's Chief Strategic Adviser and former Mayoral Chief of Staff;
• Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London;
• Dame Cressida Dick, former Metropolitan Police Commissioner;
• Sir Peter Hendy, former Transport for London Commissioner.

Alongside seminars at King's, classes also took place at City Hall, the City of London's ancient Guildhall, and on the 30th floor of One Canada Square in Canary Wharf. There can surely be no better way for you to understand how this world-leading city works than by engaging with those who have been responsible for running it and experiencing it directly.

This module aims to provide you with:

• A detailed knowledge of London's political, economic and social history throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the key recurring issues faced by the capital.
• Historical knowledge of the differing models of London government, why they have changed, and the tools to debate and evaluate their relative merits and demerits.
• The ability to analyse and evaluate not only the policies and processes that have driven change in London, but also the role that key personalities and ideas have played in its development.
• The context for deeper comprehension of, and the ability to critically evaluate, contemporary issues and policy choices faced by today's London, as well as other major cities and the rest of the UK.
• The ability to compare London's governance arrangements and distinctive features to other 'world cities', and an ability to engage with academic debates around 'government' and 'governance'.
• An opportunity to discuss and debate the above issues, both with your peers and with current and former practitioners of London's governance.
• A specialism in the historical context of your own chosen area of London-related policy.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

• Identify the main issues and events that shaped London's political, social and economic history from 1900 to the present day.
• Evaluate the performance of different actors in London's governance, relating both to the above and to other 'world cities'.
• Analyse and evaluate the academic debates around the various models of London's governance that persist throughout the period studied to the present day.
• Use primary, secondary and contemporary source material as a means of analysing the history and the machinery of London government.
• Apply knowledge of the historical context of a specific, self-chosen policy area relating to London, (acquired through the researching and writing of an essay on your chosen topic), to current challenges faced in this area.
• Demonstrate experience in interviewing, discussing and debating with practitioners.
• Apply your experience and enhanced key skills in researching and presenting on a chosen topic related to London.
• Show that you have engaged intellectually with the challenges and opportunities faced by the city in which King's College London is rooted.

Entry requirements

• A 2:2 honours degree or international equivalent,
• A CV and personal statement outlining your reasons for study,
• English language band B (for example, IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each skill).

For information on our English language requirements please see our English Language requirements page.

Assessment

You will be assessed via coursework (3,500 words). 

The assessment period for this module will take place in January 2027.

Further information

This is an on-campus module and students are expected to attend in person. Please contact us for further information on module timetabling.