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The Modern World

Course dates: Thursday 29 April - Thursday 08 July 2027

Class timetable: 10 sessions (View class timetable for Thursday 29 April 2027 to Thursday 08 July 2027)

Timetable data for Thursday 29 April 2027 to Thursday 08 July 2027

Day of class Date of class Time Venue
Thursday 29-Apr-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 06-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 13-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 20-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 27-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 10-Jun-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 17-Jun-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 24-Jun-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 01-Jul-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 08-Jul-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London

Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London

Fees: £1810.00

Availability: Limited

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Course Overview

The aim of the Modern World short course is to provide you with a basic knowledge of the history of Britain, Europe and the world from the late eighteenth century to the present. The lectures are arranged chronologically and thematically. They are followed by seminar classes focusing on a range of sources and key texts related to the subject.

We plan to cover the following content:

  • The birth of the modern world
  • Capitalism and globalisation
  • Labour and migration
  • States and nations
  • Imperialism
  • Science, faith and culture
  • The First World War and revolution
  • Democracy and its discontents
  • The Holocaust
  • The post-World War Two order

This course is assessed via a 500-word primary source analysis (20%), 500-word modern scholarship summary (20%) and 1500-word essay (60%).

As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:

Credits: 30 credits at level 4

Fees

Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.

Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

School of Historical Studies

The school is intensively interdisciplinary and its research and teaching covers every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century.

Entry Requirements

Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.

This short course has no prerequisites.

As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.

International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.

How to Register

You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.

If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.