BA Joint Hons History & Law
ApplyKey facts
- UCAS Code: VM11
Ranked: 6th for Law / 9th for History (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023)
Study abroad: exchange partnerships with overseas universities
Part-time study: available
Study with us
Our BA (Hons) Humanities & Social Sciences degree, explained.
Why this course?
Studying history – the story of humanity through the ages – develops your knowledge of the past and gives you a better understanding of the present. Our classes cover some of the most important and interesting historical periods at home and abroad, including Scotland’s ‘Highland Problem’ in the 16th century, Slavery in World History and Cold War Europe, 1945-1991.
There are a number of ways you can study Law at Strathclyde, one such way being the BA degree in combination with another subject. Law is concerned with the study of the obligations, duties and rights which every member of society has in relation to one another and to the state. Please note that studying Law within the BA degree will not qualify you for entry to the legal profession. For professional qualifications in Law students follow the LLB programme. The study of Law is regarded not as purely vocational, but part of a broader education.
Studying History & Law, you'll benefit from excellent teaching in a range of professionally relevant areas, such as problem-solving, communication, research methods and interpretation that enhance your employability.
Our BA degrees in Humanities & Social Sciences are initially broad-based. In Year 1, you'll study three subjects, including your chosen subject(s).
What you’ll study
History
Year 1
You’ll look at the origins and shaping of our modern world by introducing themes including industrialisation, empire, political reform, war and social change.
Year 2
You’ll choose from a range of national history classes, most of which cover a period of a century or more.
Year 3
If you intend to study at Honours level you must take the class in Historiography and Research Methods. You also choose further classes from a list that includes: Theory & Practice of Oral History, Slavery in World History and Scotland & the Americas in the 17th century and many more.
Year 4
In your final year, you’ll write an Honours dissertation on a topic of your choice and choose from a range of classes. Student numbers for optional classes may be limited in Years 3 and 4.
Dissertation
All single Honours History students and many joint Honours students complete a 10,000-word dissertation, in which they demonstrate their research skills on a topic of their own choosing. The dissertation draws on scholarly literature and as much primary source material (documents, for example) as students can acquire. Honours students often say that this is the most satisfying part of their History degree.
Facilities
Our location in the Lord Hope building provides a social hub and access to student services such as the library, cafés, meeting areas and exhibition spaces.
The Andersonian Library, directly opposite in the Curran Building, has around a million print volumes as well as access to one million electronic books and over 105,000 e-journals. The library covers all subjects taught at Strathclyde and offers over 550 networked computers with access to the internet, email, a wide range of software and databases and extensive Wi-Fi zones for laptops/tablets.
Law
Year 1
In first year, you'll study Legal Methods and Public Law 1. These modules will introduce you to the history, structure, institutions and sources of law in the Scots legal system, as well as the roles of and relationship between the different branches of governmental power. The modules form essential building blocks to the understanding of most other areas of law, which you'll have the opportunity to study in later years.
Years 2, 3 & 4
You select classes according to your interests from a wide range of options, including:
- Human Rights
- Environmental Law
- Criminal Law
- Public International Law
- Law, Film and Popular Culture
Single & joint Honours information
English, English and Creative Writing, History, Politics and International Relations and Psychology may be studied to Single or Joint Honours level.
Education, French, Spanish, Law, Journalism, Media and Communication and Social Policy are available only as Joint Honours Programmes. Economics, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Mathematics and Tourism can also be studied alongside a Humanities and Social Sciences subject.
The available subject combinations may change each year. Once accepted on the programme you'll be allocated an advisor of studies who will be able to let you know which subjects can be combined, in first year, and beyond.
Learning & teaching
History
As a history student, you'll be expected to attend lectures and seminars and take part in group projects. Bibliographic search sessions in the University Library will also be provided. We encourage close, critical reading of texts and the evaluation of historical controversies to help self-directed learning and improve your analytical skills.
Law
Our teaching aims to help students develop knowledge and understanding of the principles, nature and development of law and legal institutions in Scotland and in other jurisdictions. The programme is delivered by leading academics through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and webcasts.
Assessment
History
You'll be assessed using methods including:
- group work
- projects
- presentations
- dissertations
- document analysis
- essays
- exams
Law
Our assessment methods include:
- exams
- multiple choice exams
- problem-based and critical analysis essays
- presentations
- group work
- reports
- case studies
- reflective diaries
History
History 1A
This class focuses on the history of the British Isles from 1700 to 1914. It was a period of phenomenal change in terms of who ruled the country, the main economic activities, emerging cultural expression and attitudes and the growth of British power overseas on an unprecedented scale.
In the class we'll use the British Isles as a historical 'laboratory' to discuss key themes that have shaped the modern world.
We'll look at:
- the formation of the British state
- the ideas that were shaped by the Enlightenment, in which Scottish writers played an important part
- why Britain industrialised and Ireland did not
- the often dire social consequences of industrialisation
- how and why Britain created the Empire
- the growth of British overseas trade will be looked at
- the impact of Britain on Asian, African and American societies
- the ideological effects of the American War of Independence, the French Revolution and the 1798 rebellion in Ireland
- the meaning of Victorian values in Scotland and the development of modern political parties and the growth of democracy
- the roles of gender and class in shaping modern British and Irish society
History 1B
This class follows on from History 1A and takes the story up to the end of the 20th century. We'll look at:
- the effects of World War I on Scottish society and why Ireland broke away from the United Kingdom
- the growth of the Labour Party and the rise of socialism will be traced
- the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s on British society
- the reasons why the British government formulated a policy of appeasement, to show how foreign policy and domestic policy were inextricably linked
- the impact of World War II on British society
- the demands that led to the creation of the Welfare State will be explored
- the new international realities facing Britain in 1945
- the beginnings of the Cold War, to show how effectively Britain adapted to the loss of Great Power status
- post-war society and the cultural revolution of the "Swinging Sixties". We'll ask whether a generation gap emerged
- the long slow march of women's rights
- the impact of immigration, to show the ways in which British society was changing fundamentally
- the collapse of the traditional industrial economy in the 1980s and changes in Scottish family life, to show how social norms were being overturned
- the advent and effects of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Just as in the first semester History class, we will use carefully selected documents in tutorials to help us analyse each topic.
Law
Constitutional Law
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the institutions, actors, processes and concepts that make up the UK constitution including its particular application to Scotland. It is designed to introduce students to methods of critical engagement with constitutional law in both theory and practice.
Legal Processes & Systems
The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to the concepts, structures and processes that make up a legal system. It is designed to equip all students studying law with the knowledge and understanding that they will utilise in all other law modules: the “tools of the trade”.
History
Choose three from this list
Scotland: Renaissance and Reformation
This course will focus on the period from the final establishment of the territorial boundaries of the Scottish kingdom in James III’s reign through to the Union of Crowns in 1603. In covering the era of the Renaissance and Reformation in Scotland, as well as the regnal union of 1603, it will focus on the reigns of successive Stewart monarchs and their subsequent accession to the English and Irish thrones, thereby creating a British imperial monarchy.
Scotland’s contact with Europe and its strained relations with England form core themes but political history will be studied in the light of the social, religious, economic and cultural developments that lend early-modern Scotland its distinct identity, thereby examining issues such as trade and economic development, the impact of the Renaissance in Scotland, literacy and the spread of reforming ideas, the arts, education and issues of identity.
Disease & Society
This class provides a broad introduction to the historical relationship between diseases and human societies in the early modern and modern periods.
It examines the core thesis that diseases and other health conditions have had dramatic impacts on history, shaping economic relations, political and social structures and cultural and religious beliefs. However, it also explores the reverse of this, the thesis that human activities, ideas and behaviours have radically altered the diseases and conditions that afflict our societies over the last five hundred years.
The course is grouped around three themes:
- infectious disease
- chronic disease
- society's responses to disease
Lectures in the first two sections focus on exploring the origins of key diseases/debilities, the ways in which social structures/behaviours have caused or abetted these conditions, and their impacts on society, economics, politics and culture.
In the final section, lectures focus more on the ways in which societies have sought to conceptualise, control and cure diseases. The key questions that students should be able to answer by the end is how have diseases and debilities shaped human societies, and how have human societies shaped diseases and debilities?
History of Scotland 1700-1832
This course will explore Scotland’s political, economic, religious, intellectual and social development in the aftermath of the Union of 1707 through to 1832. The benefits, disadvantages and tensions that arose from the process of becoming part of the British state will be explored through such issues as:
- causes and impact of union
- the significance of Jacobitism
- the nature and consequence of agricultural and industrial change
- Empire
- the role of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Modern Europe
This class examines some of the principal developments in international history of twentieth century Europe. It pays particular attention to:
- the causes of the First World War
- the impact of the war upon the international system
- the rise of new powers within the international community after 1919
- the causes of the Second World War
- the Cold War and the forces driving European integration since 1945
- the role of the USA and USSR in recent European history
Law
Public Law 2
Following on from Public Law 1, Public Law 2 aims to consolidate knowledge and understanding of constitutional and administrative law. Students taking this class will be required to have taken Public Law 1 in the first year. It'll build upon knowledge of the key concepts and institutions of the UK constitution.
As a second year class, its rationale is to give you the opportunity to progress from an understanding of the constitution to an understanding of the role of the law in the constitutional control of public power. This course encourages you to adopt an evaluative and critical stance towards ongoing constitutional developments. The course will focus on control of administrative action, both by the judiciary and by ombudsmen. The protection of individual rights will be a key feature, focusing on judicial protection but also encompassing the role of human rights institutions in the UK and Scotland. The future control of public power will be discussed, including topical debates concerning constitutional reform in this area.
Domestic Relations
Family law concerns the control which the law exerts over domestic relationships and families; it affects everyone to a greater or lesser degree.
Topics include:
- the legal status of children, parental responsibilities and rights and the upbringing of children - including issues in adoption and fostering, local authority care and the Children's Hearing system
- legal consequences of marriage/civil partnership
- divorce - including what happens to the family and its financial consequences
- unmarried domestic relations, opposite-sex and same-sex
Commercial Law
Commercial law is a second year compulsory subject on the LLB (and LML) degree. The class provides you with an understanding of commercial law in a Scottish context. It partially meets the commercial law subject requirements and related skills outcomes of the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates (albeit that some of the commercial professional topics, for example sale of goods and insurance law, are dealt with by other courses).
Building on the knowledge you acquire in first year, the general academic objective of the course is to examine the basic principles and rules concerning core aspects of commercial law, including the main principles of agency, partnership and company law, the law relating to various methods of payment (including consumer credit and bills of exchange) the rules governing the ways in which creditors can ‘secure’ repayment of a debt (for example, through taking personal guarantees from third parties for repayment of the debt, or by establishing rights in security over debtor property); the basic principles of diligence; the consequences of both corporate and individual debtor inability to repay debts (corporate insolvency and personal bankruptcy respectively).
While the focus of the class is on ‘a black letter’ analysis of relevant statutory and common law in the broad commercial area, in order to aid understanding of relevant principles, the class also examines the policy rationales underlying the current law and recent and projected reforms in this area.
Clinical LLB students may opt to replace the regular essay in this module with an essay topic based on a clinic-related case relevant to this module.
Involuntary Obligations: Delict & Unjustified Enrichment
The design of this class is primarily aimed at enhancing your ability to read cases, deal with case law and apply the techniques of case-analysis and common law development.
You'll acquire an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge and understanding, from both a legal and a social perspective, of the rules of law governing involuntary obligations, that is to say the law of delict and the law of unjustified enrichment.
You'll acquire the ability to apply the rules of law to particular fact situations in order to provide definitive answers to the problems exposed in these situations.
You'll develop critical and reasoning skills, giving you the ability to make and present personal and informed judgments on the rules of law and their application within the domestic legal system.
Property Trusts & Succession
The general rationale of this class is to provide you with a contemporary understanding of the law of property, trusts and succession in Scotland, and to meet Law Society of Scotland requirements in this subject-area.
EU Law
The EU law class focuses on the constitutional and institutional order of the EU as well as one the internal market. To this end, the class looks at the European integration process, the EU institutions, EU competences, the decision-making process within the EU, the principles underpinning the EU legal order and the principles governing the internal market.
History
Oral History: Theory and Practice
Please note that this is compulsory for students who wish to use oral history in their dissertation.
Oral history is a way of engaging with the past via the experiences and memories of those who were there. ‘Oral history’ is a multifaceted term that refers to the sources (interviews), the methodology (interviewing), theory (analysis), and products (of which there are many).
This new class aims to alert students to the possibilities of using oral history as a way of understanding the past. It will examine key concepts and methodologies in oral history and explore how oral history has helped to shape historical understanding.
This class also has an important practice-based focus – students taking the class will gain an opportunity to develop practical skills in oral history interviewing and analysis as well as to reflect critically on theory in relation to practice. They will also get an opportunity to explore the application and use of history in the public arena through engaging with work on oral history and public history.
Because of the practical nature of this class and the limited supply of equipment, numbers are capped at 25.
Cold War Europe
Disability in Modern Britain
The aim of this class is to gain an understanding of the key role that disability plays in the study of the historical past.
The class will explore the ways in which disability has been defined, treated and experienced. It will place developments in disability policy within wider social, cultural and political contexts. Students will engage with, and think critically about, primary sources ranging from official papers, newspaper articles, and oral testimonies, in addition to relevant secondary source material.
The use of oral testimonies in particular will help you to consider the lived experiences of disabled people and the ways in which society sought to define and treat disability.
Medicine & Warfare
This class explores the role that health and medicine has played in the major wars of the twentieth century. In particular, it considers the vital contribution that medicine has made to manpower economy, discipline and morale.
Focusing predominantly on Britain, the USA and Europe, the class analyses the ways that different countries have responded to the medical issues posed by modern warfare in both military and civilian contexts. As such, it considers issues such as wartime disability, welfare provision, occupational health and psychiatry, and explores the role that military doctors, women and humanitarian organisations have played in shaping medical responses to war.
The key objective of this class is to place military-medical developments within their wider social, cultural and political contexts and to examine the impact of military health and medicine on the lived experience of war.
France at War
The class begins with the traumatic episodes of the Franco-Prussian War and the Communes of 1871. By analysing the often problematic political and cultural consolidation of the Third Republic, this class will explore the ‘culture wars’ and the internal divisions that culminated in the Dreyfus Affair. After the humiliation of losing its status as Europe’s dominant power, France sought greatness in colonial expansion in Africa and Indochina, while seeking to consolidate national identity by transforming ‘peasants into Frenchmen’.
You'll explore the experiences of the First World War, assessing the strength of French unity in the face of the German enemy. The interwar clashes between fascism and the Popular Front will then be examined and how the First World War impacted upon French foreign policy and attitudes towards future war.
You'll spend three weeks exploring the enduring controversies of the Second World War, focusing upon the collapse, resistance, collaboration, and French involvement in the persecution of the Jews, as France faced its ‘hereditary enemy’ once again.
The class concludes with an analysis of the French withdrawal from Indochina and Algeria and an assessment of France’s position in the post-war global order.
A variety of sources will be explored throughout the class, including paintings, monuments, films, literary sources, newspaper reports, memoirs and archival documents.
Propaganda & War in the Twentieth Century
This class examines means by which states conduct informal activities to promote their domestic and foreign objectives during wartime. In particular, it analyses the role of propaganda throughout the twentieth century, focusing on the use of modern mass communication and technology by states involved in conflicts.
The class is structured around a number of historical themes, which help shed light on the emergence of propaganda as an important means of modern warfare. Key themes analysed throughout the course include:
- the First World War as the first ‘total war’
- the growth of international radio broadcasting
- the creation of centralised propaganda machines in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
- home-front propaganda during the Second World War
- propaganda, disinformation and the Cold War
- the United States and the experience of Vietnam
- information, media coverage and the Gulf War
- 9/11 and the war on terrorism
Historiography
This class is compulsory for students who want to study history at Honours level.
This class will introduce students to the methods used by historians to reconstruct the past, exploring and analysing the techniques used by historians in doing primary research. The class is designed to demonstrate how students can use these techniques in their own work, particularly their 4th year/Honours dissertation.
Among the topics that will be covered are:
- constructing bibliographies
- using evidence
- using academic conventions
- constructing research plans
- writing historical prose
Madness and Society
Genocide in the 20th Century
The objectives of this class include introducing students to recent examples of genocide and related mass atrocities, and writing and thinking about these cases in a critical and engaged manner through analysis of primary and secondary materials.
Students will be introduced to historical, sociological, anthropological, and legal perspectives related to the occurrence of genocide and related atrocity crimes. Using case studies from the 20th century, we'll discuss:
- contemporary issues related to the labelling of cases
- the evolution of international legal, diplomatic, economic and military measures to prevent, interdict and punish atrocity crimes
- the phenomenon of genocide denial
- the politics of commemoration
- the lingering legacies of violence on individuals and communities in the post-genocide period
Case studies will include clear-cut (recognized in international humanitarian law) examples of genocide, including:
- the Armenian genocide
- the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Europe
- the 1994 Rwandan genocide
Less clear-cut examples will also be looked at, such as:
- Canada’s Residential School System
- Stalinist crimes in Soviet Russia
- Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia
- the scorched earth policies in Guatemala
- ethnic cleansing surrounding the Bosnian War.
Society and Politics in Colonial India: 1880s-1947
This class will cover the political developments and social groups from the late-nineteenth century till the decolonisation of South Asia in 1947.
This is a key period in the social and political history of modern South Asia as it witnessed the growth of a mass-based anti-colonial struggle. Simultaneously, the involvement of different social groups in this process led to the emergence of community and caste based identity politics. Under pressure from demands for independence, the colonial state initiated a process of phased devolution of power, and decolonisation after the Second World War. The class will compare these developments to raise questions about the 'modernity' of colonial society and polity. The class will analyse how different social groups - such as the peasantry, the working class and tribal groups - participated in and shaped political movements in South Asia.
Students will also be encouraged to use the regional perspective of South Asian history to understand the different expressions of class, gender and ethnicity in non-Western societies.
Scotland’s Highland Problem
Historiography had tended to isolate Highland history from Scottish political development during the late medieval and early modern periods. This class will re-address this trend, emphasising the Highlands as an integral part of Scottish society, at the same time exploring the division within Scotland between the ‘barbaric’ Highlands and the ‘civil’ Lowlands.
Students will study the nature and structure of clan society and place Highland events within the wider context of national and British politics during the sixteenth century. While relations between the Scottish crown and its Highland subjects is the key theme of this class, students will analyse the extent to which such relations changed through time, and why.
The class will also highlight divergent policies within clan society itself, a factor which warns against treating the Highlands as a homogenous whole, instead taking into consideration regional, local and personal biases.
Scottish Society since 1914
The class provides a broad survey of Scottish social history since 1914. The aim of this class is to explore the nature and development of Scottish society in the twentieth century by assessing the impact of industrialisation and the problems associated with de-industrialisation, as well as the development of an urban society.
By the end, the successful student should have expanded their knowledge of contemporary Scottish history and have a good idea of the diversity of issues, techniques and arguments which historians have deployed in the study of twentieth-century Scotland. Among the themes to be covered are:
- the extent to which Scotland had a recognisable culture and identity
- the myths and realities of 'Red Clydeside'
- the notion that Scotland was a more intensely patriarchal society than the rest of Britain
- the idea that Scotland was an anti-immigrant, racist and religiously intolerant society
Law
Elective classes
Law, Film & Popular Culture
Legal Theory
The main aim of this class is to introduce you to the major theoretical ideas and values of law, and to debates about those ideas and values, thereby enhancing their understanding of law in general.
The class explores relationships between law and morality, law and society and between law and power. In doing so, the course also explores what we mean by law, morality and power. The course requires you to work on your own and make an oral presentation and trains you in concise thinking.
Housing Law
The aim of the class is to introduce you to the law of landlord and tenant, and to concepts of housing need and market allocation of housing resources and the different ways in which such concepts are interpreted and operated in modern Britain. The method of teaching and assessing the class is designed to enhance learning, academic and transferable skills.
International Private Law
This class aims to provide you with an understanding of the problems inherent in situations involving a foreign element and the basic concepts and principles of Scots international private law. More particularly, attention will be given to the rules which establish when the Scottish court has jurisdiction in any case involving a foreign element. The class will also determine the applicable law in cases involving international elements heard before a Scottish court and the rules on recognition and enforcement of judgments in certain contexts.
The International private law rules in relation to:
- contract
- delict
- marriage
- divorce & nullity
- parent & child
- property
- insolvency & succession
Tutorials for this class take place on Saturday mornings.
This class is not recommended for Erasmus exchange students.
Competition Law
Most industrialised countries, and the European Union now have elaborate laws, rules and procedures for ensuring the maintenance of a competitive economy. This course looks at how the competition laws of the United Kingdom and the European Union affect how business operates in Britain.
If you're contemplating a career in business, or are simply a consumer, some knowledge of competition is useful. If you're a student of industrial economics, or of marketing, some knowledge of competition law is a wise precaution. Moreover there are considerably more job opportunities in this area, whether as an economic adviser, legal practitioner or in-house lawyer advising on effective compliance.
Discrimination Law
Although we are all equal in the law, some are treated more equally than others. This module examines the nature of discrimination and some of the reasons for it, and the history of the law which tries to prohibit it and promote equality. The class looks in depth at the Equality Act 2010 and relevant case law. It covers the protected characteristics, direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation and disability discrimination, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments. As well as individual anti-discrimination law in employment and goods and services, the class examines preventive and pro-active measures, including positive action and the public equality duty and the arguments around their nature.
Assessment consists of a group presentation on an approved topic of your choice and a piece of coursework requiring problem solving skills and analysis of law and policy.
Ethics & Justice
Ethics & Justice will introduce you to the world of work by bridging the gap between theory and practice, and by providing you with the intellectual and practical tools to deal with the personal and practical dimensions of law in a competent, ethical and socially responsible manner.
The module will help to develop your legal, intellectual and practical skills, and provide you with an opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness and ethics of what you do and how this fits in with problems of access to justice. It will also enhance your understanding of the social and economic context in which legal rules operate.
This module is only open to Law Clinic students with case experience.
Internet Law
The extensive uptake of new digital information technologies and particularly, the internet, has resulted in expanding our legal universe, with new laws being created, the application of older laws being challenged and reconfigured and, unavoidably, new legal challenges arising due to conflicts of regulatory decisions with technological advances.
The aim of the class is to address the basic issues arising from the advent of the internet and related digital technologies and familiarise you with important legal developments that have taken place in the last 20 years.
Crime & Punishment
This class encourages you to think constructively and critically about contemporary issues in the field of criminology. It also focuses on contemporary responses to crime in the fields of punishment, imprisonment and penal policy, with reference to developments in Scotland and beyond.
Human Rights Law
This class deals with the questions, what are those 'basic' or 'fundamental' rights and freedoms to which every individual is entitled in a democratic society, and how to protect them against possible violations.
The class focuses on a selection of the most prominent human rights which have resulted in considerable amounts of litigation. You'll consider the right to life, right not to be tortured, freedom of expression, children’s rights and issues regarding terrorism.
Employment Law
This class aims to provide you with an understanding of employment law in a UK and EU-wide context and to introduce you to the sources, principles and main features of employment law.
You'll learn about key employment protection provisions and the major collective provisions of employment law in the UK, including the legal position of the contract of employment, the status of employee, the law and practice of unfair dismissal, discrimination law and working time regulations.
The class will focus on practical employment law involving practitioners, an Employment Judge and an Employment Tribunal visit.
Banking Law & Finance
This course is concerned with the legal relationship of banker and customer and the services offered by bankers in the community. It examines the financial instruments employed in financing trading and other transactions and is especially concerned with the law and practice of lending, both secured and unsecured.
Intellectual Property Law
Intellectual property is integral to all our daily lives, whether it is the music we listen to, the news we read, or chair we sit on, as well as providing the resources necessary to produce new medicines, and the superabundance of brand marketing to which we are routinely subjected.
The class will study the law of patents, trademarks (registered and unregistered), copyright, and moral rights, and the law of confidence (which includes trade secrets). Both the substantive law, and the underlying policy behind providing exclusive rights for this type of property will be examined.
Public International Law
Interested in what is going on in Syria? Concerned about what may or may not be going on in North Korea? Pondering why troops are still in Afghanistan? Then public international law might be the class for you.
The class explores the relationships between states as among themselves and with international institutions. As well as giving an overall view of the area, we'll also look at specific incidents which have arisen and which have been dominated by international law, and which in turn have made huge contributions to the area.
The syllabus looks at sources including treaties and customary law, statehood, the collective use of force, state responsibility and terrorism, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
Local Government Law
This class is evening teaching only.
In Scotland, local government employs around 250,000 people. Every council has its own legal department and nearly 10% of practising solicitors in Scotland are employed by local authorities. It is essential that lawyers in private practice have knowledge of how local government works.
The course will cover a selection of the following topics:
- what local government is and what does it do
- the constitutional position of local government
- the structure of Scottish local government and its statutory framework
- elections to and membership of a local authority
- rights, duties, liabilities and restrictions of councillors
- the councillors’ Code of Conduct and registration of interests
- the powers of local government; the ultra vires rule; community planning; the power of wellbeing; publicity powers
- byelaws, management rules and private Acts of Parliament
- how councils work; the political dimension
- external controls on local government; the courts; the ombudsman, the Standards Commission, the Accounts Commission
- a brief guide to local government finance
History
Compulsory classes
The Scramble for the Middle East: Arab Nationalism, Zionism and European Colonial Powers, 1914-1939
The interwar years are central to any analysis of the decline of European colonial rule in the Middle East and the formation of nation states. It was in the 1920s and 1930s that British and French mandatory authorities faced the emergence of nationalist movements throughout the Arab world as well as the increasing competition and penetration of hostile forces.
Students will examine historical themes and events that are significant to the development of political and cultural identities in the Middle East. Through the analysis of primary sources, students will focus on:
- the debate surrounding British and French colonial practices
- the emergence of the Zionist movement and the creation of a Jewish home in Palestine
- the radicalisation of Arab nationalism and its impact upon the relations between local political elites and European colonial powers
- the increasing tension between Jewish and Arab communities in Palestine
- the creation of the mandates in Palestine, Transjordan, Syria and Lebanon and the process that led to the independence of Egypt and Iraq
- the challenge brought by German and Italian subversive activities to British and French strategic interests in the region
Twentieth-Century Czechoslovakia
The class will explore major themes in twentieth-century European history:
- the post-World War I settlement
- the rise of fascism
- the origins and course of the Second World War, Soviet expansion, the Cold War, the social and political revolutions of the 1960s and the waning of the Soviet Union in the 1980s and 1990s -- from the perspective of a central European country which was created in 1918, dissolved in 1993, and whose opinions were seldom taken into account by the Great Powers.
Students will obtain a solid grounding in the history of Czechoslovakia from its creation to its dissolution. The class should also offer a useful introduction to themes in twentieth-century European history more generally.
Independent reading will concentrate heavily on source material, enabling students to taste the excitement as well as the frustrations of historical research. By being encouraged to view European affairs from a Czech perspective while at the same time having special responsibility for one other European country, students will be led to consider the problems of historical bias and subjectivity, and should develop historical empathy as well as considerable sensitivity to the complexity of international affairs.
Rwanda: Peace, Conflict & the Politics
The purpose of this special subject is to introduce students to the study of peace and conflict, broadly defined, and to encourage them to write and think about these subjects in a critical and engaged manner informed first and foremost by history-based discourse, but also borrowing from political science, anthropology, and related disciplines.
The module will focus on the case study of Rwanda, with individual classes proceeding chronologically.
The first semester will cover the pre-colonial period to the start of the second Hutu Republic in 1973, while the second semester will cover 1973 to present.
Throughout, students will analyse relevant primary and secondary sources to explore the benefits of applying a historical lens to understanding a nation whose recent history includes both periods of peace and political stability, and several manifestations of state-sanctioned violence, including colonialism, small-scale ethnic, regional, and political conflicts, civil war, genocide, and authoritarianism.
Students seeking careers in human rights advocacy, international law, diplomacy, and journalism will also find this course particularly relevant.
Plantation in Ulster
This class will explore the plantations that took place in Ulster during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
Students will examine the emergence of the idea for plantation in Ireland, why Ulster was regarded as suitable for plantation, and the various endeavours by English and Scots to settle in the north of Ireland, whether by private enterprise or by the state. This will culminate in the official Plantation of Ulster, a 'British' project initiated by James VI and I in the early years of his reign as king of England, Ireland and Scotland.
Students will also look at a couple of cases studies of individuals who were involved in plantation, enabling a detailed study of the political, social, economic and confessional reasons why they chose to migrate to and settle in Ireland at this time.
Elective classes
France at War, 1870-1962
The class begins with the traumatic episodes of the Franco-Prussian War and the Communes of 1871. By analysing the often problematic political and cultural consolidation of the Third Republic, this class will explore the ‘culture wars’ and the internal divisions that culminated in the Dreyfus Affair. After the humiliation of losing its status as Europe’s dominant power, France sought greatness in colonial expansion in Africa and Indochina, while seeking to consolidate national identity by transforming ‘peasants into Frenchmen’.
You'll explore the experiences of the First World War, assessing the strength of French unity in the face of the German enemy. The interwar clashes between fascism and the Popular Front will then be examined and how the First World War impacted upon French foreign policy and attitudes towards future war.
You'll spend three weeks exploring the enduring controversies of the Second World War, focusing upon the collapse, resistance, collaboration, and French involvement in the persecution of the Jews, as France faced its ‘hereditary enemy’ once again.
The class concludes with an analysis of the French withdrawal from Indochina and Algeria and an assessment of France’s position in the post-war global order.
A variety of sources will be explored throughout the class, including paintings, monuments, films, literary sources, newspaper reports, memoirs and archival documents.
Medicine & Warfare in the Twentieth Century
This class explores the role that health and medicine has played in the major wars of the twentieth century. In particular, it considers the vital contribution that medicine has made to manpower economy, discipline and morale.
Focusing predominantly on Britain, the USA and Europe, the class analyses the ways that different countries have responded to the medical issues posed by modern warfare in both military and civilian contexts. As such, it considers issues such as wartime disability, welfare provision, occupational health and psychiatry, and explores the role that military doctors, women and humanitarian organisations have played in shaping medical responses to war.
The key objective of this class is to place military-medical developments within their wider social, cultural and political contexts and to examine the impact of military health and medicine on the lived experience of war.
Cold War Europe
Scottish Society
The class provides a broad survey of Scottish social history since 1914.
The aim of this class is to explore the nature and development of Scottish society (and place it in a wider context) and to examine dominant narratives of Scotland and Scots in the twentieth century.
By the end, the successful student should have expanded their knowledge of contemporary Scottish history and have a good idea of the diversity of issues, methodologies and arguments which historians have deployed in the study of twentieth-century Scotland. Among the themes to be covered are:
- gender relations (for example, analysis of the Scottish ‘hard man’ narrative)
- religion (including sectarianism and secularisation)
- health and deprivation
- the arts and culture (including festivals, theatre, cinema and television)
- industry (and de-industrialisation and its impacts)
Scotland’s Highland Problem
Historiography had tended to isolate Highland history from Scottish political development during the late medieval and early modern periods. This class will re-address this trend, emphasising the Highlands as an integral part of Scottish society, at the same time exploring the division within Scotland between the ‘barbaric’ Highlands and the ‘civil’ Lowlands.
Students will study the nature and structure of clan society and place Highland events within the wider context of national and British politics during the sixteenth century. While relations between the Scottish crown and its Highland subjects is the key theme of this class, students will analyse the extent to which such relations changed through time, and why.
The class will also highlight divergent policies within clan society itself, a factor which warns against treating the Highlands as a homogenous whole, instead taking into consideration regional, local and personal biases.
Madness and Society
Genocide in the 20th Century
The objectives of this class include introducing students to recent examples of genocide and related mass atrocities, and writing and thinking about these cases in a critical and engaged manner through analysis of primary and secondary materials.
Students will be introduced to historical, sociological, anthropological, and legal perspectives related to the occurrence of genocide and related atrocity crimes. Using case studies from the 20th century, we'll discuss:
- contemporary issues related to the labelling of cases
- the evolution of international legal, diplomatic, economic and military measures to prevent, interdict and punish atrocity crimes
- the phenomenon of genocide denial
- the politics of commemoration
- the lingering legacies of violence on individuals and communities in the post-genocide period
Case studies will include clear-cut (recognized in international humanitarian law) examples of genocide, including:
- the Armenian genocide
- the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Europe
- the 1994 Rwandan genocide
Less clear-cut examples will also be looked at, such as:
- Canada’s Residential School System
- Stalinist crimes in Soviet Russia
- Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia
- the scorched earth policies in Guatemala
- ethnic cleansing surrounding the Bosnian War.
Society & Politics in Colonial India
This class will cover the political developments and social groups from the late-nineteenth century till the decolonisation of South Asia in 1947.
This is a key period in the social and political history of modern South Asia as it witnessed the growth of a mass-based anti-colonial struggle. Simultaneously, the involvement of different social groups in this process led to the emergence of community and caste based identity politics. Under pressure from demands for independence, the colonial state initiated a process of phased devolution of power, and decolonisation after the Second World War. The class will compare these developments to raise questions about the 'modernity' of colonial society and polity. The class will analyse how different social groups - such as the peasantry, the working class and tribal groups - participated in and shaped political movements in South Asia.
Students will also be encouraged to use the regional perspective of South Asian history to understand the different expressions of class, gender and ethnicity in non-Western societies.
Entry requirements
Highers |
(including English plus at least one other social science subject from those listed under preferred subjects below; plus National 5 Maths or Application of Maths at B to C.)
(including English at B plus at least one other social science subject from those listed under preferred subjects below; plus National 5 Maths or Application of Maths at C.) Preferred subjects
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A Levels | ABB-BBB |
International Baccalaureate | 32-30 |
Irish Leaving Certificate | Two H2 passes and three H3 passes including English
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HNC | Social Sciences: Year 1 entry: A in Graded Unit; Maths National 5 B, or equivalent |
International students | View the entry requirements for your country. |
Additional Information
Students are required to register with the Scottish Government’s Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme.
*Standard entry requirements
Offers are made in accordance with specified entry requirements although admission to undergraduate programmes is considered on a competitive basis and entry requirements stated are normally the minimum level required for entry.
Whilst offers are made primarily on the basis of an applicant meeting or exceeding the stated entry criteria, admission to the University is granted on the basis of merit, and the potential to succeed. As such, a range of information is considered in determining suitability.
In exceptional cases, where an applicant does not meet the competitive entry standard, evidence may be sought in the personal statement or reference to account for performance which was affected by exceptional circumstances, and which in the view of the judgement of the selector would give confidence that the applicant is capable of completing the programme of study successfully.
**Minimum entry requirements
Contextual Admissions for Widening Access
We want to increase opportunities for people from every background.
Strathclyde selects our students based on merit, potential, and the ability to benefit from the education we offer. We look for more than just your grades. We consider the circumstances of your education and will make lower offers to certain applicants as a result.
Placements
The Flexible BA
With our BA (Honours) degree, you can choose from subjects in Humanities, Social Sciences and Business, with two of your three subject choices taught by the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences.
The BA degree is a four-year course allowing you try new subjects, develop your own ideas, build a broad range of knowledge and enhance your employability.
Subject combinations
Use our subject picker tool to see the combinations available to you in Year 1 of the BA Humanities & Social Sciences degree. Please note that in Year 2 you'll continue with two of these subjects.
Explore the structure of the BA Humanities & Social Sciences degree for detailed information on Single and Joint Honours options.
University preparation programme for international students
We offer international students (non-UK/Ireland) who do not meet the academic entry requirements for an undergraduate degree at Strathclyde the option of completing an Undergraduate Foundation Programme in Business and Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre.
Upon successful completion, you can progress to your chosen degree at the University of Strathclyde.
Life at the University of Strathclyde
Hear from Law student, Anna, on life at Strathclyde.
There are a lot of opportunities to connect with employers while studying, that will help you upon graduation. And this is an ethos that runs throughout the Strathclyde, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
International students
We've a thriving international community with students coming here to study from over 140 countries across the world. Find out all you need to know about studying in Glasgow at Strathclyde and hear from students about their experiences.
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.
Scotland | £1,820 Fees for students who meet the relevant residence requirements in Scotland are subject to confirmation by the Scottish Funding Council. Scottish undergraduate students undertaking an exchange for a semester/year will continue to pay their normal tuition fees at Strathclyde and will not be charged fees by the overseas institution. |
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England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £9,250 Assuming no change in fees policy over the period, the total amount payable by undergraduate students will be capped. For students commencing study in 2024/25, this is capped at £27,750 (with the exception of the MPharm and integrated Masters programmes). MPharm students pay £9,250 for each of the four years. Students studying on integrated Masters degree programmes pay an additional £9,250 for the Masters year with the exception of those undertaking a full-year industrial placement where a separate placement fee will apply. |
Republic of Ireland | If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process. |
International | £19,600 |
University preparation programme fees | International students can find out more about the costs and payments of studying a university preparation programme at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre. |
Additional costs | Course materials: No additional costs for law modules and all compulsory material is in the library. Study abroad: If a student is studying abroad, they are responsible for all costs. International students: International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information. |
Available scholarships | Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities. |
Please note: All fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
How can I fund my studies?
Students from Scotland
Fees for students who meet the relevant residence requirements in Scotland, you may be able to apply to the Student Award Agency Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish government. Scottish students may also be eligible for a bursary and loan to help cover living costs while at University.
For more information on funding your studies have a look at our University Funding page.
Students from England, Wales & Northern Ireland
We have a generous package of bursaries on offer for students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales:
You don’t need to make a separate application for these. When your place is confirmed at Strathclyde, we’ll assess your eligibility. Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities.
International Students
We have a number of scholarships available to international students. Take a look at our scholarship search to find out more.
Glasgow is Scotland's biggest & most cosmopolitan city
Our campus is based right in the very heart of Glasgow. We're in the city centre, next to the Merchant City, both of which are great locations for sightseeing, shopping and socialising alongside your studies.
Apply
Please note that you only need to apply once for our BA degree programme.
For instance, if you have applied for BA Honours English and are considering your options for a Joint Honours degree, e.g. a BA Joint Honours in English and French you only need to apply for one or the other on UCAS.
If accepted on to the BA programme, you can study one of the many available subject combinations.
Start date:
History & Law (1 year entry)
Start date:
History & Law (1 year entry)
Start date: Sep 2025
History & Law (1 year entry)
Chat to a student ambassador
If you want to know more about what it’s like to be a Humanities & Social Sciences student at the University of Strathclyde, a selection of our current students are here to help!
Our Unibuddy ambassadors can answer all the questions you might have about courses and studying at Strathclyde, along with offering insight into their experiences of life in Glasgow and Scotland.
Discover Uni
Discover Uni includes official statistics about higher education courses taken from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges about all their students.