Honour School of History and Modern Languages

Differences from 2014/15 to 2021/22

A

  • 1. The subjects of the examination in the Honour School of History and Modern Languages shall be (a) History, and (b) those modern European languages and literatures studied in the Honour School of Modern Languages.

  • 2. All candidates must offer both (a) and one of the languages in (b) with its literature.

  • 3. No candidate shall be admitted to examination in the School unless he or she has either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination. 

  • 4. The examination shall always include a period of General History selected by the candidate from periods to be named from time to time in the Regulations of the Honour School.

  • 5. The examiners shall indicate in the lists issued by them the language offered by each candidate obtaining Honours or satisfying the examiners under the appropriate regulation.

  • 65. The examiners in the Honour School shall be under the joint supervision of the Boards of the Faculties of History and Modern Languages, which shall appoint a standing joint committee to make proposals for regulations concerning the examination. Such proposals shall be submitted to the boards of the two faculties which shall make regulations concerning the examination and which, in case of difference of opinion, shall hold a joint meeting at which the matter in dispute shall be resolved by the vote of the majority.

  • 6. The lists of specific papers available in this School from the Honour Schools of History and of Modern Languages will be published by the relevant Faculty Boards at the dates defined in the regulations for those schools.

  • 7.

    • (i) The examiners in the Honour School shall be such of the Public Examiners in the Honour Schools of History and Modern Languages as shall be required.

    • (ii) It shall be the duty of the Chair of Examiners in the Honour Schools of History and Modern Languages to consult together and designate such examiners as shall be required for the Honour School, whereupon the number of examiners shall be deemed to be complete.

B

Candidates will be examined in accordance with the examination regulations set out below.

They will also be required to spend, after their matriculation, a year of residence in an appropriate country or countries, and to provide on their entry form for the examination a certificate that they have done this, signed by the Head or by a tutor of their society. Candidates wishing to be dispensed from the requirement to undertake a year of residence abroad must apply in writing to the Chair of the Medieval and Modern Languages Board, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JF, stating their reasons for requesting dispensation and enclosing a letter of support from their society.

Candidates should during this year abroad undertake a programme of activity acceptable to their college or society.  They will also be expected to carry out during this year abroadperiod such academic work as their society may require. It is strongly recommended that candidates should apply through the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges for an Assistantship, where these are available, and should accept one if offered. Candidates who are not able to obtain an Assistantship should during their year abroad follow a course or courses in an institution or institutions approved by their society, or should spend their time in such other circumstances as are acceptable to their society.    Candidates will agree with their College Tutor in advance of their year abroad an independent course of study to be followed during that period.

Save in a Special Subject, each candidate shall offer in his or her language and literature papers one language and literature only.

Oral Examination: as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages.

CandidatesCertain are advised, where possible, to ensure that their choicecombinations of optionspapers provideswithin some chronological overlapor between their history and literature papers.

In addition to the compulsorytwo papersparent listed below, candidates who so desire may offer an optional additional thesis in accordance with Regulation VII. An Optional Additional Thesis of the Honour School of History q.v., modified as follows:

  • (a) the subject shall, to the satisfaction of the examiners, fall within the scope of the Honour School of History and Modern Languages; or

  • (b) the prizes listed in that regulation with the addition of the Sir John Rhys Prize;

  • (c) theses must be submitted to the Chair of the Examiners, Honour School of History and Modern Languages, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford.

  • (d) Cl.10 For 10. The Final Honour School Examiners will arrive at a formal degree result […] all papers awarded a mark below 50schools will be included.’ read ‘The Final Honour School Examiners will arrive at a formal degree result for candidates who submit an Optional Additional Thesis by taking the marks awarded for the 2 language papers and the oral examinationillegal, togetheror withsubject theto highestadvice sevenabout marks outduplication of thematerial; eight content papers submitted, except that 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, itthese will be disregardedspecified andin the formal degree result will be determined solely by the marks awardedHandbook for thethis compulsory papersSchool.

    • (ii) In the event that the Optional Additional Thesis is awarded a mark of 50 or above, the content paper awarded the lowest mark of 50 or above (which may be the Optional Additional Thesis) will be disregarded. All other content papers awarded a mark of 50 or above, and all content papers awarded a mark below 50, together with the marks awarded for the 2 language papers and the oral examination, will be included.

Every candidate shall offer:

  • 1.  An OneOutline periodor ofTheme Generalpaper in European & World History as specified for the Honour School of History (except for candidates offering Celtic, who shall offer onea periodpaper ofin The History of the British Isles as specified for the Honour School of History).

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

  • 2. A bridge essay of between 8,000 and 10,000 words on an interdisciplinary topic, designed to draw together interests and develop skills from both sides of the course. The limit of 10,000words includes footnotes, but excludes bibliography, and, in cases for which specific permission has been obtained from the convenor of the joint school, appendices. Candidates must follow the guidelines on word count, presentation, and referencing as outlined in the course handbook.

    The candidate will submit a title and short statement of up to fifty words on the manner in which he/she proposes to treat the topic, together with a note from his/her tutor approving the topic, addressed to the convener of the Joint School of History and Modern Languages, c/o the History Faculty, no later than Monday of sixth week of Trinity Term of his/herthe secondfirst year of the Final Honour School. Titles will be approved by the convener and one other member of the Standing Committee of the Joint School of History and Modern Languages. Notification of whether or not approval is forthcoming will be given by eighth week of Trinity Term.

    Changes to the title must be submitted to the convener of the joint school at the latest by the Friday of fourth week of the Hilary Term of the candidate's final year of the Final Honour School. Notification of whether or not approval is forthcoming will be given no later than fourthsixth week of the Hilary Term of the candidate's final year. Bridge essays on approved titles should be submitted to the Chair of the ExaminersFinal for the JointHonour School. ofCandidates Historymust andsubmit Moderntheir Languagesbridge atessay the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford,electronically by not later than noon on the Tuesday of ninth week in9 of the Hilary Termterm precedingof the examinationfinal year of the Final Honour School using the approved online submission system. EveryProcedures candidategoverning shallthis presentprocess awill certificate,be signedpublished by him or herself and by his or her College History Tutor, in a separate envelope bearing the candidate's examination numberBoard. The certificate should declare (using a specified form available from the History Faculty Office and Faculty website) that (a) the bridge essay is the candidate's own work, (b) that it does not exceed 10,000 words in length (including footnotes but not including bibliography and translations from quotations), (c) that no more than the specified maximum amount of advice and assistance (no more than five hours of preparatory or advisory meetings and/or email consultations) from college or external advisers has been received.  In the rare cases when a candidate is dispensed from the requirement to spend a year abroad after their second year, that candidate shall not be required to submit their Bridge Essay until noon on Friday of noughth week of the Trinity Term precedingof the examinationfinal year of the Final Honour School. Any changes in title for such candidates should be submitted to the convenor of the joint school by the fourth week of Hilary Term of the final year. Notification of whether approval is forthcoming will be given no later than sixth week of Hilary Term of the final year of the Final Honour School.

    A first draft of the bridge essay may be read and commented on, but not corrected in matters of detail and presentation, by the bridge essay adviser.    

  • 3. Honour School of Modern Languages, Paper I.

  • 4. Honour School of Modern Languages, Papers IIA and IIB.

  • 5. Honour School of Modern Languages, one paper chosen from Papers VI, VII, or VIII.

  • 6. Honour School of Modern Languages, one paper chosen from Papers IV, V, IX, X, XI, XII, or XIIXIV.

  • 7, 8, 9. Either (a) a Special Subject as specified for the Honour School of History (two papers, paper (b) of which shall be examined by extended essay) and one of the items (b), (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) below.

    or (b) any three of the following four items:

    • (i)  An AnyOutline periodor ofTheme paper in The History of the British Isles as specified for the Honour School of History; (except for candidates offering Celtic, who may offer onea periodpaper ofin GeneralEuropean & World History as specified for the Honour School of History);

    • (ii) A Further Subject as specified for the Honour School of History;

    • (iii) Any one of the Papers IV, V, IX, X, XI, XII or XIV not already offered, as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages; except that a candidate who has chosen a Special Subject (Paper XII) at clause B6 above may not choose another such Special Subject;

    • (iv) AnA ExtendedDissertation Essay(Paper XIV) as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages or a thesis based on original research as specified in Regulation VIB6 for the Honour School of History, except Cl.sub-clause 5. of that regulation should read beginning of Trinity Full Term of the academic year preceding that in which the candidate spends a year abroad.

TheOptional individualAdditional detailedThesis

In specificationsaddition andto prescribedthe textscompulsory papers for thethis FurtherSchool, andcandidates Specialwho Subjectsso asdesire specifiedmay foroffer an optional additional thesis in accordance with Regulation B7 An Optional Additional Thesis of the Honour School of History willq.v., bemodified givenas infollows:

(a) the Handbooksubject forshall, to the satisfaction of the examiners, fall within the scope of the Honour School of History and Modern Languages;

(b) Candidates must submit their theses electronically using the approved online submission system;

(c) Sub-clause 10. Thisfor 10. 'The Final Honour School Examiners will arrive at a formal degree result […] all papers awarded a mark below 50 will be publishedincluded.’ read ‘The Final Honour School Examiners will arrive at a formal degree result for candidates who submit an Optional Additional Thesis by taking the marks awarded for the 2 language papers and the oral examination, together with the highest seven marks out of the eight content papers submitted, except that the Optional Additional Thesis may not substitute for a mark lower than 50. Thus, the papers to be included are determined by the Historyfollowing Boardprocedures:

(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 Monday of Week 1 of the firstmarks Michaelmas Full Term of candidates' workawarded for the Honourcompulsory Schoolpapers.

Depending

(ii) onIn the availabilityevent that the Optional Additional Thesis is awarded a mark of teaching50 resourcesor above, notthe allcontent Furtherpaper andawarded Specialthe Subjectslowest mark of 50 or above (which may be the Optional Additional Thesis) will be availabledisregarded. toAll other content papers awarded a mark of 50 or above, and all candidatescontent inpapers everyawarded year.a Candidatesmark maybelow obtain50, detailstogether ofwith the choicemarks of Further and Special Subjects availableawarded for the following2 yearlanguage bypapers consultingand the supplementoral to the Handbook for the Honour School of History. Thisexamination, will be issued by the beginning of the fourth week of the first Hilary Full Term of candidatesincluded.' work for the Honour School and will contain full specifications and prescribed texts for any Further or Special Subjects specified for History introduced for the following year, and any amendments to the specifications and prescribed texts of existing Further and Special Subjects approved by the History Board by its first meeting of the preceding Hilary Term.

Mutual exclusions and other restrictions

No candidate may offer a period of British History which he or she has offered as a successful candidate in the First Public Examination.

Candidates may offer both the History Further Subject Culture and Society in Early Renaissance Italy 1290-1348 and the Modern Languages Early Texts paper in Italian. Where candidates offer both the Further Subject and Early Texts papers, they may not answer on Dante in the Further Subject paper.

Candidates offering a paper from the Honour School of Modern Languages and a paper from the Honour School of History, both of which involve the study of the same author or authors, may not make the same text or texts the principal subject of an answer in both the papers. The same regulation applies to the use of material in the Bridge essay and any other papers.