| History and Joint Schools |
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Courses Offered :
Current Fellows and Lecturers Dr Jane Garnett (Tutorial Fellow) Admissions History has traditionally been a strong subject at Wadham, both in quantity and quality. The broad mix of single-honours history and joint-school students is a deliberately distinctive feature of history at the college, and provides a stimulating interdisciplinary environment. The Course The History syllabus set by the University provides a huge variety of choices, ranging over time, geographical area, and approach (e.g. papers on the history of art, the inter-relationship of history and literature, the history of science, political and social thought, and economic history). In the joint schools choice is even wider; but in general we encourage students to make their choices in such a way as to bring the two parts of their subject together. In some joint schools there are designated bridge papers which address the comparative methodology of the two subjects. Your tutor will offer advice and suggestions, but those students who get the most out of their degree put increasingly independent thought into choosing to focus on those issues which will develop their particular historical imagination. The Tutors Dr Jane Garnett is one of three tutorial Fellows in history and teaches modern history in the period after 1700. Dr Matthew Kempshall teaches medieval history up to 1500. Dr Ari Reimann researches and teaches European and world history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Between them, the college tutors cover a significant range of the papers on offer. Students also have the opportunity of being taught for specialist papers by tutors in other colleges, but the College tutors retain oversight of each student’s individual course of study. Lectures and seminars are provided on a University basis. Careers A fair number of our students go on to graduate work, either in history or in related subjects, often with the aim of a career in higher education. Others go into teaching in the school or further education sector. Most of our students will, however, look for careers outside the educational world, and move into such varied fields as public administration, social policy, business and management consultancy, publishing, the media and law. Further Information Further information about the course and applying can be found in the University Prospectus. Student Profile
Samir Hamdoud, 1st Year, History  History is an amazing subject: conflict, revolution, reform, aspiration, hope, challenges, anything can happen in a discipline which unravels the uniqueness and unpredictability (or inevitability if you read some historians!) of human affairs. The history course at Oxford encapsulates all these riveting aspects of history and much more! I applied to Oxford primarily because of its academic tradition and its unique style of teaching through tutorials. Yet I strongly believed that the university experience was also about personal development and having fun, a balance which Wadham keenly promotes. History at Oxford is highly rewarding: you quickly come to grips with a topic you have never studied before and are able to write an essay, and defend (and modify) your views when questioned by a leading expert. It is also a surreal experience to study in place where so much history was made: cue a tutorial where, when discussing Elizabethan architecture, my tutor at another college got up, walked to the window, and informed us that the main emblem of the quad was in the Elizabethan style! Everywhere you look, history oozes out of Oxford. I was initially apprehensive about applying to Oxford because of all the stereotypes: but as soon as I stepped into Wadham, and met students from private schools, these myths were immediately dispelled. Choosing to apply to Wadham was an easy choice: its liberal/left-wing tradition, friendly and homely atmosphere and its excellent academic standards perfectly suited my personality. I also currently play football for the 1sts at Wadham, pool, and basketball and am involved in university-wide access schemes helping state-school students from non-university backgrounds apply to research-intensive institutions. This is what I believe is uniquely attractive about Wadham: its ability to cultivate personal development as an important compliment to helping you flourish intellectually. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! |