History at Downing

The history course at Cambridge allows you to study a wide variety of periods and areas, and is particularly flexible as you pick your own papers (modules) right from the first year. You are required to study some British and some European history, some pre-1750, some post-1750, and some political, social and economic history.

The course is structured so that you study one paper a term for your first five terms, each of which are examined at the end of the second year. Combined with a coursework essay on your “themes and sources” option, these make up Part I History. The workload is generally an essay a week for your papers, and extra reading for Themes and Sources and other occasional classes. Timetabled lectures vary from very few hours up to perhaps 7 a week; most studying time is spent reading individually. Part II history allows for more specialised study and there is the option of doing a dissertation. Throughout the three years you take classes in Historical Argument and Practice, considering trends and themes, and the nature and practice of history. For more information about all of this and details of the papers on offer, have a look at the website.

There are several history fellows at Downing with varying fields of interest in British and European History. You are not constrained by this as your Director of Studies will find you supervisors for any paper you wish to study; thus you will be supervised outside of college for some papers.

History at Downing is well-resourced; the Maitland library contains a lot of the key books particularly for British history. Students read a mixture of books from the college and faculty libraries, and also the university library. There is also an active history society at Downing, the Maitland Society. ( website) We hear from two visiting speakers each term and dine at formal together. In the easter term we go on a field trip for a day, and enjoy dressing up for the infamous historical dinner.

Downing usually admits 6 students a year to study history, usually a mixture of some applicants who have deferred and some who have not, and often takes one or two historians from the pool.

History Faculty: http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk

History at Downing: http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/dow_server/admissions/TriposNotes/History06.pdf

Page last updated 17 Apr 2006 (bml25)