The course
Part I of the Historical Tripos lasts two years, with examinations at the end of the second year. Part II is examined at the end of the third year. The basic difference between Parts I and II is that Part I concentrates on breadth of historical understanding and Part II on depth. The great range of papers available in both Parts means that there is ample scope for undergraduates to concentrate on types or periods of history that they like, or, alternatively, to experiment with different historical approaches. There are very few requirements. Undergraduates must take one paper falling before 1750 A.D., one paper falling after 1750 A.D., one paper in British political history, one paper in British economic and social history and one paper in European history. Opportunities exist to sample the wide range of lenses through which professional historians examine the past: economic, social, cultural and intellectual. Specialist papers allow undergraduates to work with a variety of source materials: in the recent past, these have included music, art, cartoons, other visual images and coins.
In Part I, in addition to a Themes and Sources option, candidates choose five papers (see the link below to the University Guide to Courses). On them, the choice of questions in the examination is very wide, so candidates, in consultation with their supervisor, select periods and/or topics within each. In Part II, in addition to a general paper (Historical Argument and Practice), candidates take a further two papers from the list (so-called Specified Subjects), or, if they prefer, one of these papers and a dissertation of their own choice. They also choose a Special Subject from among the lettered options shown in the Guide to Courses. Unlike the Part I papers, these titles change frequently. Some of these papers are shared with other Faculties, such as Social and Political Sciences (SPS) and Classics.
Homerton College currently admits about ten undergraduates each year to read History. Given the very wide range of options offered within the History Tripos, no one college can provide specialist teaching for all parts of it. All of our students are therefore sent outside Homerton for some supervisions. We have strong reciprocal relationships with other colleges, and the ability to benefit from the expertise they offer is one of the great advatanges of a Cambridge education.
Homerton has a thriving History Society, run by students, which organises talks, outings and social events. Recent speakers include Professor John Guy, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Biography for his book on Mary Queen of Scots.
The College's History Fellows are:
Dr. William Foster (Lecturer in History and DoS), specialising in American History
Dr. Peter Warner (Senior Tutor), specialising in Archaeology and Medieval History
Dr. Julie Marfany (University Lecturer), specialising in Eighteenth Century Spanish HistoryApplication and Interviews
Applicants should be taking History to A Level (we can certainly consider equivalent qualifications such as the International Baccalaureate). If you are following an A Level curriculum, the usual conditions of the offer will be that you obtain specified grades at A Level: typically A*AA (without specifying which should be A*).
Those who are invited to attend for interview will have a general and a subject-specific interview as part of the admissions process: one interview will be with a Tutor or college officer who may well have an academic interest in one element of your subject, and your second with the Director of Studies in History. We try to conduct our interviews in a friendly and informal manner and no special preparation is necessary. We ask, in advance, for two pieces of written work, composed as part of a school course. Send us the work you most enjoyed writing, the material which in your view shows your skills and potential to best advantage. During interview applicants will be asked to comment upon a piece of original historical source material which will be provided beforehand. You may also be asked to discuss the essays you have submitted and the field(s) of history with which they deal.
