BA History

Above all else, you have a curiosity about and a passion for understanding events, people, societal transformation in the past; you love to read and engage with historical debates about the past; you are excited about ‘discovery’ and rise to the challenge of working with original sources and documents. You want to give yourself the opportunity to read path-breaking historical works and to learn more about the writing of history. You want to engage with past events and processes that have helped us to understand ourselves and the world that we live in. You want to know more about culture, in the broadest sense. You have an ability to both narrate and analyse phenomena, and you want to express yourself as eloquently and effectively as possible. You are open to new ideas, and to the power of the past to inform, influence, and convince.

Why Study History at UL?

The historians at UL are acknowledged leaders in their fields of research, and are committed to student-centred learning; they offer exciting and innovative modules throughout the four years of study. The programme at UL will enable you to develop critical and analytical skills through an appreciation of primary sources, historiography and key events and changes, as well as through the study of the social, cultural and historical contexts in which change was produced. You will learn about source analysis, the processes informing history writing from the fifteenth century to the contemporary world. You can choose electives to suit your own interests, in Irish, European, American, Australian and Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean history; you can focus on political, social, cultural, urban, gendered approaches to history.