History at Streatham Campus: New undergraduate students
New undergraduates Streatham
New undergraduates Streatham
Welcome to your History studies at the University of Exeter, in our new department of Archaeology and History
During your time studying for a degree with us, we will make learning exciting, engaging and fun – exploring hidden treasures, secret worlds, and famous historical events from new perspectives. You will have the chance to choose from a huge range of History options, covering hundreds of years and many different cultures and continents. We will encourage you to broaden your horizons by taking modules that interest you beyond our Department, and you will be challenged along the way to move out of your comfort zone, not just by what you study, but what you learn about yourself and your capabilities during your degree. This, we believe, will prepare you well for life beyond graduation, including tools that will help you thrive in an increasingly complex, rapidly-changing world.
We will work with you on your personal development so that you can become:
- an open-minded and internationally-engaged individual and an informed participant in uncovering the fullest range of human histories, particularly in decolonising the study of the past.
- a mature and critical reader able to observe, understand, analyse and interpret a wide variety of historical sources, from ancient archives to digital collections.
- a confident, independent thinker and researcher adept at constructing reasoned arguments based on historical evidence.
- an effective listener, communicator and collaborator able to use your knowledge, insights and creativity to work with others and independently.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Professor Naomi Sykes
Head of Archaeology and History
Ahead of your arrival, please complete our online pre-arrival induction which is available via FutureLearn; your Exeter email will have a message with the link. The induction is full of important information and advice about your studies and life as a student here. It also contains activities and discussion boards so you can start to get to know other students even before you start your course.
We strongly recommend that you access this as soon as possible and make the most of this fantastic opportunity to learn more about us, your peers and your programme.
Freshers’ Week 2022: Monday 19 September - Sunday 25 September
During Fresher's Week you should attend the Academic Induction events and activities for your subject/s, as detailed below. If there is any reason why you may not be here for Fresher's Week, please contact the Amory Hub, who support History students, as soon as possible by emailing history@exeter.ac.uk.
The Student's Guild is also running welcome events throughout the week, including a Welcome Festival and regular guided tours of campus.
Please check your academic timetable during Freshers’ Week, so that you know exactly where and when you need to attend your first classes and lectures! If you have any timetable-related problems or questions, please contact the Amory Hub at history@exeter.ac.uk.
The purpose of Academic Induction is to introduce you to your academic programme, complete any necessary pre-registration tasks, familiarise yourself with your academic buildings, and meet fellow students and the academic staff for your subjects. These sessions form the core part of your Freshers' Week timetable and we expect all students to be present at these compulsory sessions, either in person or online as appropriate. If you need any advice about issues or clashes within your Freshers' Week timetable please contact history@exeter.ac.uk.
Academic Induction timetable
For new undergraduate students studying History: Single Honours (SH) and Combined Honours (CH).
| Date | Start | Finish | Details | Location |
| Tuesday 20 September | 12:00 | 13:30 | Welcome to the Department! | Forum Alumni Auditorium LT |
Social activities timetable
Please note that attendance at the events below is optional.
| Date | Start | Finish | Details | Location |
| Tuesday 20 September | 13:00 | 15:00 | Queen's Picnic - Eventbrite link here | Queen’s Arboretum |
| Wednesday 21 September | 12:00 | 15:00 | Explore the Lab - Eventbrite link here | Digital Humanities Lab |
| Thursday 22 September | 16:30 | 19:00 | Welcome to the Department social event - Eventbrite link here | Positive Light, 184-7 Sidwell Street |
| Friday 23 September | 12:00 | 14:00 | Playful Cafe - Eventbrite link here | Harrison 103 |
Please also be aware that an optional Humanities and Social Sciences Information Fair will be held in Amory C501 from 13:30 to 15:00 on Wednesday 21st September.
If you are a Combined Honours or Flexible Combined Honours student please ensure you view the New Students information for all your subjects since each will have its own Academic Induction information and timetable.
New undergraduate student information
Joining instructions
Preparatory reading
In readiness for the start of academic work, you should read some works relating to the core 'Making History' module. You should read any two of the following books:
- Peter Claus and John Marriott, History: An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice (Harlow: Pearson, 2012)
- Ulinka Rublack ed., A Concise Companion to History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011)
- Ludmilla Jordanova, History in Practice (London: Arnold, revised 2nd ed. 2006)
- John Tosh, The Pursuit of History (London: Longman, revised 3rd ed., 2002)
See also the History at Streatham 2022 Reading list‌. Please note that this reading list is only here as guidance and for those interested, you are not expected to purchase these books.
Modules for Combined Honours programmes
For students on Combined Honours programmes, module choice information will be released and co-ordinated by the lead discipline for the programme, that is the first named subject in the degree title. For example, BA Archaeology and Anthropology is led by the Archaeology department; BA Philosophy and Theology is led by the Philosophy department. (Please see the ‘Combined Honours or Flexible Combined Honours Students’ link above for more information).
Useful information
Modules are available at a range of levels from Beginners to Advanced via the Language Centre in:
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Mandarin Chinese
• Russian
• Spanish
• British Sign Language
We can help you get the language you study with us named on your degree title. This involves successfully completing a minimum of 60 credits in one language taken through the Language Centre. You could choose to start a new language from scratch or develop an existing one. For example, a Geography student who passes 30 credits at Spanish Beginners and a further 30 credits at Spanish Intermediate 1 could have their degree title amended to BA (Hons) Geography with proficiency in Spanish.
If you are not able to take a language as part of your programme due to timetabling constraints, or if you are interested in studying a language that is not currently available via modularity, our Language Centre also runs an Evening Language Programme with many more language options.
To find out more about language modules and other languages offered by different departments see the Language Centre webpage.