Honour School of History

A

• 1. The examination in theHonour School of History shall beoffer underboth thewide supervisiondiversity in terms of thechronology, Boardgeography ofand thehistorical Faculty of Historythemes, and a range of methodologies encompassing breadth, depth and theoretical awareness.  The examination shall always include:

  • (1) The History of the British Isles (including the History of Scotland, Ireland,Outline and Wales;Theme andpapers of British India and of British Colonies and Dependencies as far as they are connected within the History of the British Isles);

  • (2) GeneralOutline and Theme papers in European & World History during some period, selected by the candidate from periods to be named from time to time by the Board of the Faculty;

  • (3, 4)  Papers Ain two specialist historical subjects (‘Further’ and ‘Special Historical subject,’) studied with reference to originalprimary authoritiessources;

    (5) A methodological and historiographical paper;

    (6) A thesis.

• 2. No candidate shall be admitted to examination in this schoolSchool unless heshe or shehe has either passed or been exempted from the First PublicPreliminary Examination or has successfully completed the Foundation CourseCertificate in History at the Department for Continuing Education.

• 3. The examination shall be under the supervision of the Board of the Faculty of History shall, bywhich noticewill fromspecify timerules toand time, make regulationsprocedures respecting the above-named branches of examination, and shallwill havedefine power

  • (1) To name certain periods of General History, and to fix their limits;

  • (2) To issuethe lists of Specialspecific Historicalpapers from which candidates will choose within the various subjects, prescribingdescribed particularbelow.  These authoritieslists wherewill theybe thinkpublished itby desirablethe beginning of Trinity Term prior to candidates beginning their studies for the Honour School.

• 4. The Board of the Faculty may include in the examination, either as necessary or as optional, other subjects which they may deem suitable to be studied in connection with History, including translation from foreign languages of passages not specially prepared, and may prescribe books or portions of books in any language.

B

The History Board shall issue annually the Handbook for the Honour School of History by Monday of Weekfirst 1week of the first Michaelmas Full Term of candidates'’ work for the Honour School.

5. AThe supplementBoard towill thecategorise handbook shall be issued to candidates at the beginning of Week 4each of the first Hilary Full Term of their work for the Honour School, and postedpapers in the History Faculty Building and circulated to tutors.

All candidates are required to offer Subjects I, II, III, V, and VI, below. No candidate may be placed in the Class List unless he or she also offers Special Subject IV, below.

Candidates who have taken the Foundation Course in History rather than the Preliminary Examination are required to offer at least one paper from either Subject I or Subject II which relates to a period between 285 and 1550 (this may be taken to include Periods (I), (II), or (III) of the History of the British Isles, orand PeriodsEuropean (i),& (ii),World (iii),History (iv),in (v),both (vi),the orPreliminary (vii)Examination and the Honour School as falling into one of Generalthree History)chronological groups: Early, Middle and Late.

StudentsThree participatingOutline papers in the academic exchange scheme with Princeton University will substitute the courses taken at Princeton for either a General History or History of the British Isles and European & World History offered by a candidate in the Preliminary Examination and the Honour School must be drawn from each of these three periods.

Candidates who have been exempted from the First Public Examination, or have passed the First Public Examination in a course other than History or one of its Joint Schools, and who choose Outline papers in both the History of the British Isles and European & World History, must draw those papers from two different periods.

Candidates who have passed the Preliminary Examination in one of the History Joint Schools must choose an Outline paper in the History of the British Isles or European & World History so as to cover at least two of the three periods across the two examinations.

Candidates who have passed the Foundation Certificate in History must choose at least one Outline paper in the History of the British Isles or European & World History which differs in its chronological and geographical scope from the Outline papers which they took for the Foundation Certificate.  The Board will specify which Outline papers overlap significantly with those in the Foundation Certificate.

6. The PrincetonBoard courseswill categorise every paper in the Preliminary Examination and the Honour School as covering British or European or World history.  Candidates who take both examinations must offer at least two papers in European History and at least one paper in World History from amongst the following subjects: the European & World History papers; the Optional Subjects in the Preliminary Examination; and the Further and Special Subjects in the Honour School.

7. Each candidate shall offer six subjects, as follows.  Subjects 2, 3, 5 and part of 4 will be assessed by timed written examinations taken in candidates’ final Trinity Term.  Subjects 1, 6 and part of 4 will be examined at Princeton, and the grades awarded will be reviewed and moderated by thesubmitted Examinerswritten towork produce a single University standard mark, accordingsubject to procedures laiddescribed down in the Handbook and Examining Conventionsbelow.

B

• IB1. History of the British Isles: any one from a list of Outline and Theme papers defined by the followingFaculty periods:

  • (I) c Board.300-1087;

  • (II) 1042-1330;

  • (III) 1330-1550;

  • (IV) 1500-1700;

  • (V) 1685-1830;

  • (VI) 1815-1924;

  • (VII) since 1900.

    No candidate may offer a period similar to one offered when passing the First PublicPreliminary Examination. Illegal combinations will be specified by the Board.

• The History of the British Isles is taken to include the history of theEngland, IrishWales, RepublicScotland inand the twentieth centuryIreland, and of Britishother Indiaterritories andin British Colonies and Dependencies asso far as they are specifically connected with the History of Britain. 

• II. General History: any one of the listed periods:

  (i) 285-476; (ii) 476-750; (iii) 700-900; (iv) 900-1150 and (v) 1100-1273; (vi) 1273-1409; (vii) 1409-1525; (viii) 1500-1618; (ix) 1618-1715; (x) 1715-1799; (xi) 1789-1871; (xii) 1856-1914; (xiii) 1914-1945; (xiv) 1941-1973; (xv) Britain's North American Colonies: from settlement to independence, 1600-1812, (xvi) From Colonies to Nation: the History of the United States 1776-1877, (xvii) The History of the United States since 1863, (xviii) Eurasian Empires 1450-1800; (xix) Imperial and Global History, 1750-1914.

• The four periods of British and General History offered by a candidate in the First Public Examination and the Honour School must include at least one from the following groups:

  • 1. Medieval History

    (I) c.300-1087; (II) 1042-1330; General History (taken in the First Public Examination): I: 370-900, II: 1000-1300; (taken in the Final Honour School). (i) 285-476, (ii) 476-750, (iii) 700-900, (iv) 900-1150 and (v) 1100-1273, (vi) 1273-1409.

  • 2. Early Modern History

    (III) 1330-1550, (IV) 1500-1700; General History (taken in the First Public Examination): III: 1400-1650; (taken in the Final Honour School): (vii) 1409-1525; (viii) 1500-1618; (ix) 1618-1715; (xviii) Eurasian Empires 1450-1800.

  • 3. Modern History

    (V) British History 1685-1830; (VI) 1815-1924; (VII) since 1900, General History (taken in the First Public Examination): IV: 1815-1914; (taken in the Final Honour School): (x) 1715-1799; (xi) 1789-1871; (xii) 1856-1914; (xiii) 1914-1945; (xiv) 1941-1973; (xv) Britain's North American Colonies: from settlement to independence, 1600-1812; (xvi) From Colonies to Nation: the History of the United States 1776-1877; (xvii) The History of the United States since 1863; (xix) Imperial and Global History 1750-1914.

  Candidates with Senior Student status, and candidates who have passed the First Public Examination in a course other than Modern History are required to offer one paper in British History and one in General History, to be taken from two out of the three period groups (1. Medieval History, 2. Early Modern History, 3. Modern History).

  Candidates who participate in the Princeton Exchange are required to offer one period in the History of the British Isles or General History, so chosen that the periods offered in the First Public Examination and the Honour School are taken from at least two out of the three period groups. This requirement shall also apply to candidates who participate in the Princeton Exchange having taken the First Public Examination in a joint school involving History papers.

• III. Further Subject: any one of an approved list of Further Subjects, as detailed in the Handbook for the Final Honour School in History published by the Board of the Faculty of History by Monday of first week of Michaelmas Term each year for the academic year ahead.

• Candidates who have taken or are taking the Further Subject ‘The Soviet Union 1924-1941’ cannot also take the Special Subject ‘Terror and Forced Labour in Stalin’s Russia’.

  Candidates will be examined by means of athree timed paper, except in the following cases:

  Further Subject, ‘Writing in the Early Modern Period, 1550-1750’ and ‘Britain at the Movies: Film and National Identity since 1914’.

  Candidates taking the Further Subject paper(s) listed above will be examined by meansessays of anno essay,more whichthan shall not exceed 52,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography)each, andunder shall be on a topic or theme selected by the candidatetitles from a question paper published by the examiners on the MondayWednesday of the seventh week of Hilary Term in the year preceding final examination. Essays should be typed or word-processed in double spacing and should conform to the standards of academic presentation prescribed in the course handbook. Essays (two copies) will be completed during the eighth week of the Hilary Term in the year preceding final examination, and must be delivered by hand to the Examination Schools (addressed to the Chair of Examiners, Honour School of History, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford) not later than 12 noon on the Friday of the eighth week of the Hilary Term of the year preceding final examination. Candidates delivering essays will be required to complete a receipt form, which will only be accepted as proof of receipt if it is counter-signed by a member of the Examination Schools staff. Each essay must be accompanied by a sealed envelope (bearing only the candidate's examination number) containing a formal declaration signed by the candidate that the essay is his or her own work. The University's regulations on Late Submission of Work will apply.

  Further Subjects ‘Representing the City 1558-1640’ and ‘Post-Colonial Historiography: writing the Indian nation’.

  Candidates taking the Further Subject paper(s) listed above will be examined by means of an essay, which shall be between 5,000 and 6,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography), and shall be on an interdisciplinary topic relevant to the Further Subject concerned. Candidates must submit their proposed essay title to the Chair of Examiners for History, care of the History Faculty Office, not later than Friday of the eighth week of Hilary Term in the first year of study for the Honour School. Approval of the title may be assumed unless the Chair of Examiners contacts a candidate’s tutor by Monday of the second week of the Trinity Term.

  The candidate must deliver two copies of the essay by hand to the Examination Schools (addressed to the Chair of Examiners, Honour School of History, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford) not later than 12 noon on the Thursday of the eighth week of Trinity Term in the first year of studythe for theFinal Honour School.  The Aessays certificate,must signedbe submitted electronically by noon on Friday of ninth week of that term using the approved online submission system.  Detailed procedures governing this process will be published by the candidate to the effect that each essay is the candidate’s own work, and that the candidate has read the Faculty’s guidelines on plagiarism, must be presented together with the submission. Candidates delivering essays will be required to complete a receipt form, which will only be accepted as proof of receipt if it is counter-signed by a member of the Examination Schools staff. The University’s regulations on Late Submission of Work will applyBoard.

• IVB2. TheEuropean Special& SubjectsWorld available inHistory: any givenone year,from asa approved by the Boardlist of theOutline Facultyand ofTheme History,papers will be publicised in the list posteddefined by the Faculty ofBoard.  No Historycandidate inmay offer a period similar to one offered when passing the HilaryPreliminary TermExamination.  Illegal combinations will be specified by the Board.

• B3. Further Subject: any one from a list of subjects defined by the precedingFaculty yearBoard, to be studied with reference to primary sources.  Illegal combinations of Further and Special Subject will be specified by the Board.

• B4.   Special Subjects: any one from a list of subjects defined by the Faculty Board, to be studied with reference to primary sources.

• Candidates will be examined byin meanstwo ofways: a timed paper includingcomprising compulsory passages for comment,; and by means of an extended essay, whichof shallno notmore exceedthan 6,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography), and shall be onunder a topic or theme selected by the candidatetitle from a question paper published by the examiners on the Friday of the fourth week of Michaelmas Term in the year of examination.

  Essays should be typed or word-processed in double spacing and should conform to the standards of academic presentation prescribed in the course handbook.

  Essays (two copies) shall normally be written during the Michaelmas Term in the final year of examinationthe andFinal Honour School.  The extended essay must be deliveredsubmitted electronically by hand to the Examination Schools (addressed to the Chair of Examiners, Honour School of History, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford) not later than 12 noon on the Friday before the beginning of Hilary Full Term ofin the final year of examinationthe Final Honour School using the approved online submission system. CandidatesProcedures deliveringgoverning essaysthis process will be required to complete a receipt form, which will only be accepted as proof of receipt if it is counter-signed by a member of the Examination Schools staff. Each essay must be accompanied by a sealed envelope (bearing only the candidate's examination number) containing a formal declaration signedpublished by the candidate that the essay is his or her own work. The University's regulations on Late Submission of Work will apply.

  Depending on the availability of teaching resources, not all Further and Special Subjects will be available to all candidates in every year. Candidates may obtain details of the choice of options for the following year by consulting lists posted at the beginning of the Week Four of Hilary Full Term in the History Faculty, on Weblearn and circulated to History TutorsBoard.

• VB5. Disciplines of History

• Candidates will be expected to answer two examination questions selected from a paper divided into two sections. One question shouldmust be answered from each section.

  
The sections are:

  • 1. Making Historical Comparisons;

  • 2. Making Historical Arguments.

• VIB6. A thesisThesis from originalOriginal researchResearch

  • 1. Candidates must submit a thesis as part of the fulfilment of their final examination.

  • 2. Theses shall normally be written during the Hilary Term of the final year of the Final Honour School. All theses must be submitted electronically not later than noon on Friday of eighth week of the Hilary Term of the final year using the approved online submission system.

  • 3. A candidate may submit

    • (a) any essay or part of any essay which the candidate has submitted or intends to submit for any university essay prize; or

    • (b) any other work

      provided in either case that (i) no thesis will be accepted if it has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for a final honour school other than one involving History, or another degree of this University, or a degree of any other university, and (ii) the candidate submits a statement to that effect, and (iii) the subject is approved by the Chair of the Examiners for the Honour School of History.

  • 4. The provisos in cl.sub-clause 3 above shall not debar any candidate from submitting work based on a previous submission towards the requirements for a degree of any other university provided that:

    • (i) the work is substantially new;

    • (ii) the candidate also submits both the original work itself and a statement specifying the extent of what is new. The examiners shall have sole authority to decide in every case whether proviso (i) to this clause has been met.

  • 5. Every candidate must submit the title proposed together with a typed synopsis of the thesis topic and proposed method of investigation (no more than 250 words) and the written approval of their College History Tutor to the Chair of the Examiners for the Honour School of History, the History Faculty, George Street, Oxford, not earlier than the beginning of Trinity Full Term in the first year preceding that in whichof the candidateFinal takesHonour the examinationSchool and not later than the Friday of sixth week of Michaelmas Term in the final year of the Final Honour School. If no notification is received from the Chair of Examiners by the first Monday of Hilary Full Term of the final year, the title shall be deemed to be approved. Any subsequent changes to title require formal application to the Chair of Examiners by the Friday of Week 4 of the Hilary Term of the final year and subsequent approval.

  • 6. Theses should normally include an investigation of relevant printed or unprinted primary historical sources, and must include proper footnotes and a bibliography. They must be the work of the author alone. In all cases, the candidate's tutor or thesis adviser shall discuss with the candidate the field of study, the sources available, and the methods of presentation. Candidates shall be expected to have had a formal meeting or meetings with their College History Tutor, and, if necessary, an additional meeting or meetings with a specialised thesis adviser in the Trinity Term of their second year, as well as a second formal meeting or meetings with their thesis adviser in the Michaelmas Term of their final year, prior to submitting the title of their thesis. While writing the thesis, candidates are permitted to have further advisory sessions at which bibliographical, structural, and other problems can be discussed. The total time spent in all meetings with the College History Tutor and/or the specialised thesis adviser must not exceed five hours. A first draft of the thesis may be commented on, but not corrected in matters of detail and presentation, by the thesis adviser.

  • 7. No thesis shall exceed 12,000 words in length (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography and, in cases for which specific permission has been obtained from the Chair of Examiners, appendices), except in the case that a candidate is submitting a thesis as a critical edition of a text, in which case the regulations on word length in VIsub-clause 10, sections iii and x, below, apply. The thesis should conform to the standards of academic presentation prescribed in the course handbook. Failure to conform to such standards may incur penalties as outlined in the course handbook.

  • 8. All candidates must submit two copies of their thesis, addressedelectronically toby the Chair of Examiners, Honour School of History, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, notno later than noon on Friday of eighth week of the Hilary Termterm of the final year in which they are presenting themselves for examination. The University's regulations on Late Submission of Work will apply. Every candidate shall present a certificate, signed by him or herself, in a separate envelope bearing the candidate's examination number, addressed to the Chair of Examiners. The certificate (forms are available from the History Faculty Office) should declare that (a) the thesis is the candidate's own work, (b) that no substantial portion of it has been presented for any other degree course or examination, (c) that is does not exceed 12,000 words in length, except in the case that a candidate is submitting a thesis as a critical edition of a text, in which case the regulations on word length in VI 10, sections iii and x, below, apply, (d) that no more than five hours have been spent in preparatory or advisory meetings between the candidate and his or her College History Tutor or thesis adviser, and (e) that only the first draft of the thesisFinal hasHonour beenSchool seenusing the approved online submission system. Procedures governing this process will be published by the thesis adviser. Candidates delivering theses will be required to complete a receipt form, which will only be accepted as proof of receipt if it is countersigned by a member of the Examination Schools staffBoard.

  • 9. Candidates shall not answer in any other paper, with the exception of Disciplines of History (Vregulation B5), questions which fall very largely within the scope of their thesis. Candidates should not choose a thesis that substantially reworks material studied in the Further or Special Subjects, and should demonstrate familiarity with and use of substantially different and additional primary sources.

  • 10. As an alternative route to fulfilling the requirement for the compulsory thesis, or to submitting an optional one, a candidate may prepare an edition of a short historical text with appropriate textual apparatus, historical annotation and introduction. This exercise, which is different in kind from the writing of a normal dissertation, is governed by the following additional regulations:

    • i. The original work selected for editing may be a narrative, literary, or archival text of any kind, and may be of any period and in any language. It must be susceptible to historical analysis and commentary, and of a kind that requires the application of editorial and historical skills and techniques, including linguistic and palaeographical skills where appropriate.

    • ii. The choice of text must be approved by the submission to the Chair of the FHS in History, with the support of a supervisor, of a 250-word outline of the text and its context, and specifying its length. This submission must be made by Friday of noughth week of the Michaelmas Term of the candidate’s final year, but candidates are advised to seek permission well before this. The Chair must consult appropriate colleagues before approving the project: they will need to be satisfied that it provides scope for displaying appropriate levels of knowledge and expertise.

    • iii. The length of the chosen text will depend upon the linguistic and technical challenges which it poses, and the scope it offers for historical analysis and commentary; the advice of the supervisor will be essential. A complex text in a difficult language may only run to a few thousand words. The absolute maxima are 15,000 words for a non-English text, and 30,000 for one in English; but these are not norms or targets. An extract from a longer text is permissible, so long as the selection is rationally justified, and the extract can stand on its own for purposes of historical commentary.

    • iv. A text in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English translation.

    • v. The examiners must be provided with a facsimile of no less than 30 per cent of the text in its primary manuscript or printed form. Where there are several versions, the most important should be chosen.

    • vi. A textual introduction should state how many versions (whether manuscript or printed) there are to the text, how they relate to each other, and what editorial principles have been employed.

    • vii. A textual apparatus should list variant readings, emendations and textual problems in accordance with normal editorial practice.

    • viii. Historical notes to the text should comment as appropriate on people, places, events and other references, and should draw out points of wider historical interest.

    • ix. A historical introduction should discuss the immediate context of the work, including its author or the record-creating system that produced it, and should explain its wider historical context and significance.

    • x. The textual and historical introductions and the historical notes should not exceed 8,000 words (for an English text) or 6,000 (for a translated one).

    • xi. The dissertation should be arranged and bound in the following order: historical introduction; textual introduction; text, with textual notes (keyed to the text in the sequence a, b, c, etc.) at the foot of the page; historical notes (keyed to the text in the sequence 1, 2, 3, etc.) on separate pages; sample facsimile.

• VIIB7. An optionalOptional additionalAdditional thesisThesis

  • 1. Any candidate may offer an optional additional thesis.

  • 2. Regulation VIB6, sub-clause 3. above applies.

  • 3. Regulation VIB6, sub-clause 4. above applies.

  • 4. Every candidate intending to offer an optional thesis except as defined in VIregulation B6 sub-clause 3(a) above must submit the title proposed together with the written approval of a thesis adviser or College History Tutor to the Chair of the Examiners for the Honour School of History, the History Faculty, George Street, Oxford, not earlier than the beginning of Trinity Full Term in the year preceding that in which the candidate takes the examination and not later than Friday of the first week of the following Hilary Full Term. The Chair shall decide whether or not to approve the title, consulting the Faculty Board if so desired, and shall advise the candidate as soon as possible.

  • 5. Optional additional theses should normally include an investigation of relevant printed or unprinted historical sources, and must include proper footnotes and a bibliography. They must be the work of the author alone. In all cases, the candidate's College History Tutor or thesis adviser shall discuss with the candidate the field of study, the sources available, and the methods of presentation (which should conform to the standards of academic presentation described in the course handbook). The College History Tutor or thesis adviser may comment on the first draft.

  • 6. No optional additional thesis shall exceed 12,000 words in length (including footnotes but excluding bibliographies), except in the case that a candidate is submitting a thesis as a critical edition of a text, in which case the regulations on word length in regulation VIB6 sub-clause 10, sections iii and x, above, apply. All theses must be typed or word-processed in double spacing on one side of A4 paper with the notes and references at the foot of each page, with a left-hand margin of one-and-a-half inches and all other margins of at least one inch.

  • 7.  Candidates must submit two copies of their theses,thesis addressedelectronically toby the Chair of Examiners, Honour School of History, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, notno later than noon on Monday of first week of the Trinity Termterm of the final year inof whichthe theyFinal areHonour presentingSchool themselvesusing forthe examinationapproved online submission system. EveryProcedures candidategoverning shallthis presentprocess awill certificatebe signedpublished by him or herself and by a College History Tutor or thesis adviser, in a separate envelope bearing the candidate's examination number, addressed to the Chair of Examiners. The certificate (forms are available from the Faculty Office) should declare that (a) the thesis is the candidate's own work, (b) that no substantial portion of it has been presented for any other degree course or examination, (c) that is does not exceed 12,000 words in lengthBoard.

  • 8. Candidates shall not answer in any other paper, with the exception of Disciplines of History (Vregulation B5), questions which fall very largely within the scope of their optional additional thesis.

  • 9. Candidates may submit an optional additional thesis in the form of an edition of a short historical text with accompanying scholarly apparatus, in which case the requirements detailed in regulation VIB6 sub-clause 10, above, apply.

  • 10. The Final Honour School Examiners will arrive at a formal degree result for candidates who submit an Optional Additional Thesis by inclusion of the 7 highest marks awarded for the 8 papers submitted, except that the mark awarded for the Optional Additional Thesis may not substitute for a mark lower than 50. Thus, the papers to be included are determined by the following procedures:

    • (i) In the event that the Optional Additional Thesis is awarded a mark below 50, it will be disregarded and the formal degree result will be determined solely by the marks awarded for the compulsory papers.

    • (ii) In the event that the Optional Additional Thesis is awarded a mark of 50 or above, the paper awarded the lowest mark of 50 or above (which may be the Optional Additional Thesis) will be disregarded. All other papers awarded a mark of 50 or above, and all papers awarded a mark below 50 will be included.