1. Thinking about the past for the future Students and the study of History
Dr Sara Barker
School of History, University of Leeds
@DrSKBarker
History UK Plenary Roundtable, 3rd November 2018

2. Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail, 2 November 2018
“A history degree gives you no skills that you would not get from a degree in plenty of other subjects.
It certainly gives you little that you would not also get from A- level studies, training in all kinds of white-collar jobs, or just reading a book and being a reasonably intelligent adult.”

3. ‘History’ ‘What does it mean to do History’?
‘What is the use of History’?
‘What is History all about’?
‘WHO publishes today’s history’?
‘What do you mean by History’?

4. How History is presented to prospective students

5. Reasons to Study History
Complete University Guide
Transferable Skills
History is relevant
A History degree is an investment in your future
Combined Courses
A degree in History encourages independence
Studying History provides cultural awareness
A History degree allows us to learn from the past
Source:

6. Famous History Graduates
Complete University Guide
Louis Theroux
Prince Charles
Jonathan Ross
Elena Kagan
Ellen Barkin
Sacha Baron Cohen
Ayn Rand
Steve Carrell
Shakira
Salman Rushdie
Times Higher
Samantha Power
Gordon Brown
Salman Rushdie
Ayn Rand
Elena Kagan
Edward Norton
Louis Theroux
Machiavelli, Hume, Hegel, Marx…
Source:
Source:

7. Famous History Graduates (Guardian 2005)
Media
Nicky Campbell, Simon Mayo, Jeremy Bowen, Sacha Baron Cohen, Louis Theroux, Jonathan Ross, Melvyn Bragg
Politics
Gordon Brown, Alan Milburn, John Prescott, David Blunkett, Douglas Hurd, Sir Chris Patten, Kenneth Baker, John McGregor, John Gummer, Douglas Hogg
Civil Service
Dame Ruth Runciman, of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, David Collett, director of VSO, and Martin Gorham, chief executive of the National Blood Service.
Law
Michael Mansfield QC, Michael Briggs QC
Source:

8. Famous History Graduates (Guardian 2005)
Museums, Libraries & the Arts
Salman Rushdie, Matthew Kneale, Penelope Lively, Anthony Powell, Andrew Morton, Alan Bennett, Howard Barker
Security Services
John Abbot (director general of the National Criminal Intelligence Service), Roger Brandon (governor of Ford Open prison until 1998)
Trade Unions
Philip Bowyer, David Davies, John Monk 
Business & Finance
Sir Howard Stringer (Sony), Sir Roland Smith (director of the Bank of England). Gerald Corbett (Railtrack & SSL International - the home of Durex condoms)
Source:

9. The Student Room
People who study History have an interest in the past, in all sorts of ways; studying the past helps us to understand our present, and to see it in perspective.
The study of History is a wonderful training for people to learn how to evaluate evidence and bring it together to form a considered and well-argued judgement. The skills that people acquire when studying for a History degree can be used in all sorts of jobs and are much valued by mainstream employers.
A Very Important Point - Not all History courses are the same. Degrees do not have some sort of universal syllabus in the way that A levels do and each University will teach their degree very differently with different optional units and a different focus.
History is one of the most popular courses available at University. For this reason, it's essential to do your research and to pitch your applications sensibly.

10. Surveying UK History Department websites?

12. Employability

13. Looking to the future

14. Royal historical Society ‘Race, Ethnicity & Equality in UK History’ Report
“Historical and Philosophical Studies (H&PS) undergraduate student cohorts are overwhelmingly White , and have lower proportions of BME students (11.3%) than the overall UK undergraduate population (23.9%)
BME representation in H&PS departments diminishes further at postgraduate level, with just 8.6% of H&PS postgraduate research students from BME backgrounds, compared to 16.8% of all UK postgraduate research students
History academic staff are less diverse than H&PS student cohorts, with 93.7% of History staff drawn from White backgrounds and only 0.5% Black, 2.2% Asian and 1.6% Mixed.”
Source:

15. Key recommendations For Teaching Staff
Broaden Coverage throughout the curriculum
Question the absence of BME historians from reading lists
Address the absences of Black British History
Diversify content of core methods and theory courses
For first year tutors, personal tutors & directors of studies
Articulate the value of a history degree
Support the transition from school to university
Ensure that induction processes specifically address racial discrimination
Develop a holistic approach to students
Identify & close the BME attainment gap
Facilitate student progression to PG study
Raise awareness of BME students to join the next generation of university historians

16. Cautious optimism Students are really passionate about history
They can see the value of a history degree, even if they sometimes need guidance in where to take things further