King's College London

Study history and political economy from the fall of Rome right up to the present day. You’ll cover the evolution of the world economy as well as the history of Western political ideas from Plato to the present.

Develop research skills and gain knowledge of different methodological approaches (quantitative and qualitative) used in the fields of History, Political Science and Economics. Develop a deep understanding of history and its impact on today’s world to equip you for a range of careers.

Depending on the modules you choose, you can graduate with either a BA or a BSc degree.

Course essentials
This History and Political Economy BA/BSc will train you in the historical political economy. You’ll study a blend of politics and economics, but with an essential historical perspective, to truly understand the current political economy.

You will be taught how to use the techniques and methods of political economy to do a number of things, like tracing the origins of important institutions, understanding historical persistence, or exploring how past events could inform our thinking about similar challenges today.

At the same time, you’ll get a strong grounding in the disciplines of history and political theory. You’ll learn how to analyse sources, deal with different kinds of evidence, and come to rigorous and well-argued conclusions that you can communicate and present clearly.

You’ll divide your time during this history and political economy degree, with 50% of your modules focused on history and the other 50% centred on political economy.

Your first year of the History and Political Economy BA/BSc is comprised mostly of required modules. You’ll study one required history module, introducing you to historical methodologies, sources, and approaches. You’ll have two required political economy modules; the first will outline the world economy and its history, while the second will dive into the principles of economics. In addition, you will choose one history module which will give you an overview of the global history of either the medieval, early modern, or modern world.

At the end of the first year, you will have sufficient knowledge and skills to decide whether you study for a BA or a BSc from your second year onwards. If you choose the History and Political Economy BSc, you’ll take an additional required module on political statistics in your second and third years.

Your second-year history and political economy studies will be shaped by three required modules. The history modules will take you through the history of political ideas, from Plato to the present day, while the political economy module will teach you about the critical issues and methods of this field of study. BSc students will also take their first required module in statistics for political science.

You’ll get to choose the rest of your second-year programme, picking one 30-credit or two 15-credit modules from a list of history topics. For example, you might learn about the history of Australia, the Middle East since 1800, South Asia’s international relations, or immigration, citizenship and the nation in 20th century Britain. Or you could opt to balance modules on a world history of the Vikings, the first Islamic state, the US-Mexico borderlands, globalisation since the 1970s, queer histories, modern China and more.

You will also decide which other political economy modules you’d like to focus on, with BA students picking three and BSc students picking two. The kinds of topics you could investigate usually include the economics of politics, postcolonial theory, elections and political communications, issues in international politics, the European Union, international politics of energy, and beyond.

It’s possible to take a language module from the Modern Language Centre as part of your optional modules. You could also study abroad for the second semester of your second year and head to a partner university in Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, and France.

The third year of your history and political economy degree allows you to choose a ‘special subject’ from a list of history modules. You could delve into the Enlightenment, the making of independent India, sexual politics in early modern England, British imperial policy and decolonisation, or the transformation of the Roman West between 350 and 700, amongst a range of options.

You will also choose at least two optional political economy modules from a broad list that usually includes democracy and its critics, the economics of crime, the political economy of inequality, race and racism in political theory, and beyond.

Should you opt to take a dissertation, you’ll choose whether this focuses on history or political economy. If you were to decide to produce a history dissertation, you’d need to pick a research topic that relates to the special history subject you chose at the start of your third year—but if you choose a political economy dissertation, you can pick any research question of your choice.
If you decide not to do a history dissertation, you’ll get to pick a thematic special history module to make up your credits. The kind of theme you could study typically includes war, nations, god, wealth, crime and punishment, media, and bodies.

The dissertation is optional, so you can choose not to take one altogether. In this scenario, BA students will pick an additional two political economy modules. BSc students will select one extra political economy module while also completing their final required module on statistics for political science.