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History  (HSI2)

BCL (NFQ Level 8) · Academic Year 2025/2026
School
School of History
Attendance
Full Time
Level
Undergraduate
NFQ Level
8
Award
Bachelor of Civil Law
Mode of Delivery
On Campus
Programme Director
Dr Declan Downey
Overall Programme Credits:
240
Programme Credits:
Stage 1
Core/Option: 55 Electives: 5
Stage 2
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 3
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 4
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Major/Minor Core & Option Credits:
Stage 1: 15
Stage 2: 20
Stage 3: 20
Stage 4: 20

Curricular information is subject to change.

History is the pursuit of how we got here and the stories that we tell ourselves to explain the past. We explore histories of race, class, gender, migration, capital, medicine, violence, religion and environment within the dynamics of an ever-changing world. Working from ordinary to extraordinary, local to global, fact to fiction you will develop critical thinking, argument and analysis skills that lie at the heart of careers in media, government, culture and education.

UCD is Ireland’s Global University and its largest university with a track record in empowering students to enter a diverse range of careers that reflects the most diverse curriculum on the Island of Ireland. Consistently, over 90% of graduates are employed or in further study or training 9 months following course completion. The QS World Ranking on Graduate Employability has placed UCD at number 1 in Ireland for Graduate Employability since 2018. On the global stage UCD leads the Irish higher education sector and is the only Irish university to be ranked inside the world’s top 80 for Graduate Employability.

At University College Dublin we are aware that for many students, programme outcomes in terms of graduate jobs and career options is important. The purpose of this statement is to help you understand and appreciate the range of skills you may develop during your time at UCD and how you may develop your employability. Visit the UCD Careers Networks website and MyCareer, the UCD Career management Platform, to access career information, internships and graduate roles as well as information about the range of initiatives, supports and events available to you.

This programme provides opportunities for students to develop in areas such as:
  • Writing
  • Researching
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Presentations
  • Teamwork
  • Leadership
  • Negotiation
  • Networking
  • Project management
  • Creativity
  • Professionalism, e.g. internships, work experience
  • Global awareness
  • Social responsibility
  • Critical thinking
  • Self-awareness
  • Life-long learning


This programme supports students’ career development and employability through:
  • Career development initiatives with UCD Careers Network
  • Career and professional development e.g. internships and work placements
  • Cultural awareness, resilience and self-confidence e.g. Study Abroad/ERASMUS
  • Language skills e.g. Chinese and Spanish via UCD Centre for English & Global Languages
  • Social responsibility e.g. UCD In the Community and UCD Volunteers Overseas
  • Enhancing digital literacy skills
  • Development of critical thinking, problem solving skills and decision-making e.g. through individual and group projects and assignments
  • Development of self-reflection skills


UCD School of History

+353 1 716 8375

history@ucd.ie


Stage 1

At Stage 1 students must take the core module plus two others. Additional options may be selected as electives.

Stage 2

Students must take one core and any three option modules. Students are recommended to take one option module in Autumn and two option modules in spring

Stage 3

Students must complete two 5 credit option modules and one 10 credit option module.

Stage 4

Students should select two 10 credit modules. It is recommended that students choose one module in each trimester

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules - History
 HIS10390 Creating History Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 1 option in each trimester, and may choose 1 further option as an elective from Spring term modules
 HIS10070 The Making of Modern Europe: 1500-2000 Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 1 option in each trimester, and may choose 1 further option as an elective from Spring term modules
 HIS10080 Rome to Renaissance Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 1 option in each trimester, and may choose 1 further option as an elective from Spring term modules
 HIS10450 Radicals and Revolutionaries Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 1 option in each trimester, and may choose 1 further option as an elective from Spring term modules
 HIS10310 Ireland's English Centuries Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 1 option in each trimester, and may choose 1 further option as an elective from Spring term modules
 HIS10320 The Making of Modern Ireland, 1800-2000 Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 1 option in each trimester, and may choose 1 further option as an elective from Spring term modules
 HIS10440 The United States, 1776-1991 Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules - History
 HIS21140 History Today Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS20670 The French Revolution Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS20820 Nazi Germany Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21120 Northern Ireland, 1920-2010: from partition to Paisley Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21180 Landscapes Remade: People and Place in Ireland, 1500-1800 Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21240 Celts, Romans and Vikings: The Formation of Early Ireland Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21320 Sport and the modern world Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS20460 Islam and Christianity in the Middle Ages Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS20950 European Statecraft, Strategy & Culture, c. 1470-c.1770: Personalities & Power Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21260 From the Goldmines to Trump: A global history of nativism and anti-immigration since the mid-19th c. Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21330 Global Asia Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21340 The Irish at War, 1914-1998 Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - - HistoryA) Min 3 of:
Choose 3 modules from the list below. Students may choose additional modules in places of electives if they wish.
 HIS21360 History from the Margins: Race, Class, and Identity in Modern Global History Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31280 Rise, Fall, Rise of Modern Japan Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31320 The Irish Revolution, 1910-1923 Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31400 British Atlantic History, 1607-1776 Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32430 Florence 1200 - 1400 Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32540 Women, War and Irish Society 1914-1923 Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32690 Revolution and War in Twentieth-Century Vietnam Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32730 The Digital Humanities Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32800 History from below: Rural life in the middle ages Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32880 Sexuality and Society Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32950 Weimar Germany Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32970 The 1641 Rebellion Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32980 Britain's War Northern Ireland Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33200 The 'Papal Revolution': Religion, Power, and the Transformation of Medieval Europe, c.1049-c.1123 Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33230 The Health Raj: Medicine and Society in British India, 1750-1900 Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33240 Rurality in modern Middle East Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31700 Origins of the First World War Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31900 Roads to Heaven & Hell Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32620 International Relations in the Asia Pacific, 1890s-1950s Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32710 Manufacturing Truth in the Modern World Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33170 Capitalism, colonialism and climate change: Historical perspectives Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31250 Old Germany Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31310 Madness and Civilisation Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31500 Past, Present and Future in Medieval England Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31510 Catholic state?: Religion, secularism, and the development of Independent Ireland, 1922-1968 Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31760 Irish Foreign Policy, 1919-73: A Place Among the Nations Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS31840 The First World War: cultures and consequences Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32350 Alcohol, Drugs & Society Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS32720 Frontiers of Empire Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33000 Political Violence in Ireland Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33010 Global History before AD 1000 Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33100 The United States and the Vietnam War Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33110 Queer History in Practice: A Global Methodology Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33190 Constitutionalism in the United States: A History Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33220 The Penal Laws Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryA)1 of:
Level 3 10 Credit Options:
 HIS33260 Conquest: 1066, 1169: The Norman Invasions of England and Ireland Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryB) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below, 1 each trimester.
 HIS32460 Conquering Ireland, 1579-1691 Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryB) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below, 1 each trimester.
 HIS32900 Questions in History Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryB) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below, 1 each trimester.
 HIS32310 Revolutionary Russia, 1905-1921 Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - - HistoryB) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below, 1 each trimester.
 HIS32380 Genocide & Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31280 Rise, Fall, Rise of Modern Japan Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31320 The Irish Revolution, 1910-1923 Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31400 British Atlantic History, 1607-1776 Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32430 Florence 1200 - 1400 Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32540 Women, War and Irish Society 1914-1923 Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32690 Revolution and War in Twentieth-Century Vietnam Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32730 The Digital Humanities Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32800 History from below: Rural life in the middle ages Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32880 Sexuality and Society Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32950 Weimar Germany Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32970 The 1641 Rebellion Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32980 Britain's War Northern Ireland Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33200 The 'Papal Revolution': Religion, Power, and the Transformation of Medieval Europe, c.1049-c.1123 Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33230 The Health Raj: Medicine and Society in British India, 1750-1900 Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33240 Rurality in modern Middle East Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31700 Origins of the First World War Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31900 Roads to Heaven & Hell Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32620 International Relations in the Asia Pacific, 1890s-1950s Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32710 Manufacturing Truth in the Modern World Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33170 Capitalism, colonialism and climate change: Historical perspectives Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31250 Old Germany Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31310 Madness and Civilisation Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31500 Past, Present and Future in Medieval England Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31510 Catholic state?: Religion, secularism, and the development of Independent Ireland, 1922-1968 Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31760 Irish Foreign Policy, 1919-73: A Place Among the Nations Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS31840 The First World War: cultures and consequences Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32350 Alcohol, Drugs & Society Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS32720 Frontiers of Empire Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33000 Political Violence in Ireland Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33010 Global History before AD 1000 Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33100 The United States and the Vietnam War Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33110 Queer History in Practice: A Global Methodology Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33190 Constitutionalism in the United States: A History Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33220 The Penal Laws Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - - HistoryA) Min 2 of:
Choose 2 modules from the list below.
An additional option module may be chosen in place of 10 credits of electives.
 HIS33260 Conquest: 1066, 1169: The Norman Invasions of England and Ireland Spring  10

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