History

In this course, Professor Andrew Preston (University of Cambridge) explores why the United States decided to escalate the Vietnam War. In the first module, we look at the historical debate surrounding the US’s involvement in the Vietnam War. In...

In this course, Dr Marcel Thomas (University of Manchester) explores life in East Germany between 1945-89 via six key questions: (1) Why was housing seen as so important to the building of a socialist society?; (2) Were women more emancipated in...

In this course, Professor Miri Rubin (Queen Mary University) examines the medicine of medieval Europe. We start by looking at what medical knowledge was available during the middle ages. We then look at where this knowledge came from and who had...

In this course, Professor Simon Ditchfield (University of York) explores the Catholic Reformation. We begin by thinking about approaches to the period, focusing in particular on the various terms that historians have used to describe the reforms...

In this course, Dr Marjorie Dryburgh (University of Sheffield) explores the relationship between China and Japan between c.1840-1945, with a particular focus on the events that led to the outbreak of war between the two nations in July 1937. In...

In this course, Professor Eric Rauchway (UC, Davis) discusses the New Deal. We start by looking at the economic conditions of the election year of 1932. After this, we compare and contrast the beliefs and motivations of the two candidates of the...

In this course, Dr Nandini Chatterjee explores the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire, from the reign of Aurangzeb (1658-1707) to the disintegration of the Empire after his death. We begin by thinking about the reign of Aurangzeb, looking...

In this course, Professor Mary Fulbrook (UCL) examines Nazi Persecution and the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945. In the first module, we look at some of the key historical debates that historians have tackled in relation to Nazi persecution and the...

In this course, Dr George Gosling (University of Wolverhampton) explores healthcare in Britain prior the establishment of the NHS in 1948. In the first module, we think about when the NHS began, looking at the importance of the Second World War...

In this course, Professor Matthew Jefferies (University of Manchester) looks at Germany during the period before the First World War. In the first module, we explore what Germany was like in 1914, particularly how the country was geographically...

In this course, Dr Hannah Skoda (University of Oxford) explores crime and punishment in the Later Middle Ages. In the first module, we look at the types of crime in this period and explore the common responses to it. We then turn to look at the...

In this course, Professor Andrew Gregory (UCL) explores the life of William Harvey and his discovery of the circulation of the blood. We will look at why Harvey's discovery is so important and why it was such a difficult discovery to make given...

In this course, Dr Estelle Paranque (New College of the Humanities) explores the reign of Elizabeth I through the eyes of the French monarchy. In the first module, we think about the French perception of Elizabeth at the very beginning of her...

In this course, Dr Sally Frampton (University of Oxford) explores how surgery developed in the 19th-century. In the first three modules, we look at how surgeons in the 19th-century sought to tackle the three issues of pain, bleeding, and...