History and Theology BA (Hons) (with Foundation Year)

HISTORY

The study of History helps you to understand how individuals, communities and societies have lived in the past and how those past experiences have helped to shape the present world. History helps us make sense of our world and understand what may lie ahead because the future is shaped by its history in so many ways. Our History degree gives you the opportunity to study a wide-range of historical periods from the Early Modern period to more recent contemporary historical issues and events. You will encounter important themes such as nationalism and imperialism; colonisation and decolonisation; gender and identity. Our course will encourage you to engage with, and challenge, existing views of the past: history is always controversial and contested.

Liverpool’s long-standing connections with Ireland and many other places across the globe, and its diverse traditions and cultures, make it a fascinating place to study history. Historic sites in the University’s local area, Childwall – which is mentioned in Domesday Book – form part of our programme of study visits, which also includes the city’s impressive Museum of Liverpool, International Slavery Museum and the World Museum, and sites further afield, such as the Elizabethan wonder that is Hardwick Hall.

History at Liverpool Hope is part of the supportive and friendly environment within the subject areas of History, Politics and International Relations. You will benefit from being taught by a team of recognised scholars, who have published widely in their fields and who are dedicated and experienced teachers. You will work with a wide variety of historical evidence throughout the whole of your degree programme, including rare books housed in our Special Collections.

Our course offers the option of a placement year so that you can practise your research and communications skills in a professional setting. Our close links with National Museums Liverpool also enable us to offer final-year dissertation topics linked to museum research projects, providing valuable experience of handling artefacts. Whatever you choose to work on for your dissertation, it will showcase the important skills that you have developed during your degree course that are much in demand with a wide range of employers.

THEOLOGY

*This course is for 2025 entry only

Studying our Theology Major provides you with the opportunity to study the core disciplines of the subject in-depth. You will engage with important issues in the contemporary world  and major issues from the past that effect how we think and live today. This includes issues such as suffering and evil, sexuality and gender, justice and liberation. Your study will involve the development of critical reading and writing skills encompassing the areas of biblical studies, church history, and constructive, ethical, mystical, and philosophical theology. You will engage with issues concerning what it means to be human and to be divine, what is meant by spirituality and the mystical, including the ways in which the material realm can convey the spiritual. You can acquire expertise in finding your way through the complex and rich Christian tradition, and how it relates to vital historical and contemporary issues. A focus on global Christianity is one of the defining characteristics of the curriculum. You will have an opportunity to explore Christian theology not only as it pertains to the development of Western Christianity, but to the influences and trajectories in other parts of the world.

The international teaching team represent a broad range of Christian traditions, and all of our lecturers are experts in their field and well-published.

To further support your studies, you will have access to our Library’s Special Collections, which houses texts dating back to the 15th century.