Diploma in English Social and Local History

Overview

Do you have a passion for English history? Are you fascinated by the interweaving of historical events with the lives of ordinary people and their communities?

This undergraduate level course provides a stimulating introductory survey to the social history of England and the development of English local communities from the early medieval period to the late twentieth century. You will have the chance to study two topics in depth, either relating to a specific period, or to one theme over a long period of time.

The wide historical span of the course gives you scope to engage with periods in local and social history you may not yet be familiar with. We will also guide you through some of the major sources you are likely to encounter, helping build your skills of critical interpretation and your ability and confidence in undertaking independent research.

Taught mainly through residential weekends, the course makes excellent use of Oxford’s historical resources, with activities including a tour of the city’s pre-Reformation college chapels and work on 18th-century crime and punishment at Oxford Castle.

Who is this course for?

To enjoy and do well on this course, you must have a high level of motivation, enthusiasm and interest in local history, and a willingness to devote time to study over a two-year period.

Although prior historical study will be an advantage, you do not need any formal academic qualifications in history to apply for the course. If you have little or no recent experience of study or examinations, don't be deterred, as help and guidance will be provided as part of the course. Our current and previous students come from a wide range of backgrounds, from acting to banking and from retail work to social work.

How you will study

Per year, the course is usually taught through:

• Six residential weekends of 12 hours each
• one field trip (for example to Winchester, or Georgian Bath)
• three online chat tutorials.

Most of the teaching is undertaken by the Course Director and academic staff, with support from additional specialist lecturers.

The course’s two modules (see below) alternate annually, with a new intake of about 12 students each year. This means that students in their first and second years are taught together.

Students starting the course in 2022 will study Module 1 first, followed by Module 2 in 2023-24.

The course in detail

Course content

The Diploma has two modules, which divide at about the year 1660. Students can take the modules in either order.

• Module 1: English Social and Local History to c.1660

• Module 2: English Social and Local History from c.1660

Module 1: English Social and Local History to c.1660

This module covers the period from the later Anglo-Saxons (roughly c.800CE) to the Restoration of the monarchy following the Civil Wars and Republic (1640–60). Its emphasis is on the lives, occupations, beliefs and environments of people and the communities they lived in. It covers such diverse topics as church and religion, monasteries, the changing nature of towns and rural communities, the worlds of work and leisure, migration and population change, and the Black Death. Later parts cover the Reformation, social change under the Tudors and early Stuarts, and the breakdown of English society leading up to and during the Civil Wars. Additional activities usually include a tour of medieval Oxford, a visit to Oxford churches and chapels, a session at the Ashmolean Museum, and a trip to Winchester. Special subjects currently cover popular politics and rebellion, 1381-1607 and the English Civil War and Republic.

Module 2: English Social and Local History from c.1660

This module covers the period after the Restoration and up to the late 20th century. It looks at how the dramatic social changes of modernity have changed the lives of English people and their communities. Topics range from the vibrancy of Restoration society – the age of Samuel Pepys, the Great Fire of London, coffee houses, William Hogarth, and the East India Company – through the Georgian and Victorian worlds. It covers the impact of enclosure, industrialisation, and the growth of empire, as well as the wealth and poverty of Victorian England. Later topics include the impact of the World Wars, and the drastic social changes brought by the 20th century. Additional activities include a field trip to Bath, a workshop on sources about crime and poverty, and a workshop on oral history. Special subjects currently cover Family and Community in Rural England, 1650-1900 and Social Unrest and Popular Politics, 1840-1940.

Assessment

Each year, you will work on:

• three essays of 2,500 words: these are traditional, university-style history essays based on a set question. You will have a choice of around six questions per essay, usually one per topic.
• one source exercise of 2,000 words: these are commentaries based on primary sources (in transcription/translation where appropriate). You will usually have a choice between three topics/sets of sources. These could include, for example, manorial court records, poor law papers or diary extracts. Students will be expected to comment on the usefulness of the sources for historians.
• one extended essay of 6,000 words: this will be set by special subject tutors. You will have a choice of around six different essay topics.

Award and credit transfer

Successful students will be awarded an Oxford University Undergraduate Diploma in English Social and Local History. Outstanding performance will qualify for a Distinction. You will be invited to receive your diploma at the annual Awards Ceremony of the Department for Continuing Education, held at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre.

The Diploma carries a Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) rating of 120 points at FHEQ Level 5. You may be able to transfer these credit points to other HE institutions.

Application details

Please visit the course page on our website for details of fees and costs, funding opportunities and how to apply.