History and Politics

History and politics share a concern with power: who holds it, how it is exercised, how it is contested, and what its consequences are. History provides the evidence, the context and the long view, showing how political arrangements have emerged, changed and collapsed over time. Politics supplies the frameworks and theories for analysing how power operates in the present, examining institutions, ideologies, political behaviour and international relations.

Together, the two disciplines give you a comprehensive understanding of the past and present of political life, and they develop the critical, analytical and argumentative skills that a wide range of careers demand.

At Coventry University, this three-year full-time degree equips you to move fluently between historical analysis and contemporary political analysis. You will study significant periods and themes in history alongside the major approaches in political science, international relations and political philosophy. A sandwich year placement gives you the opportunity to develop substantial professional experience, and a year abroad broadens your international understanding of how political history and contemporary politics connect across different national contexts.

Work placement experience further reinforces the link between academic study and professional life.

You will develop strong research and analytical skills, learn to evaluate primary and secondary sources, construct well-argued essays and engage with a wide range of interpretive frameworks. Both disciplines reward intellectual curiosity and the willingness to engage seriously with difficult questions about how human societies are organised and why they change.

Graduates from history and politics programmes move into the civil service, politics and policy research, journalism, international organisations, the third sector, law, business, education and local government. The combination of historical depth and political analytical skill gives you a distinctive profile that is valued in any context where understanding power, institutions and change matters. Postgraduate study in history, politics, international relations or law is a common pathway.