Teaching goes with research; the College goes with the University.

The history tutors at St Anne’s are committed to the classical model of the Oxford tutor: someone who both teaches and researches. They believe that the sense of movement and openness in research fertilizes teaching, and that the need for clarity and transparency in teaching disciplines research. Here is a brief listing of our special interests: Dr John Watts works on politics and political culture in later medieval Britain; Professor Howard Hotson researches early modern Europe in the period c.1550-1660, and the international intellectual communities which criss-crossed it; Peter Ghosh is an avowed dilettante, who has spent time with Edward Gibbon, Benjamin Disraeli and Max Weber; Dr Gareth Davies works on social policy in later 20th-century America.

These interests feed into the teaching of core, ‘outline’ papers, and our broad coverage here means that, particularly at the beginning of the course, students can expect to spend a reasonable proportion of their time working in College. However, lectures and seminars are all given on a University-wide basis, and the more specialized parts of the syllabus are – self-evidently – taught by specialists. This is surely one of the attractions of the largest history faculty in the world (yes!), and the probability that later on in your course you will be taught outside College is much greater.

St Anne’s is a relaxed and informal College, and the historians are no different.

We believe that social relaxation – getting rid of fake assumptions about Oxford pomposity and stuffiness – promotes clear thought and intellectual rigour. Thus, the essential premise of any tutorial or teaching engagement is one of absolute equality between tutors and students. Each is only as good as the quality of their argument or evidence.

One particular advantage for historians is the College Library which, in addition to its sympathetic and reader-friendly staff, is one of the biggest and most-used in the University. Everyone expects to use the University libraries too, but having a substantial extra tier of book provision, where you can have the books to hand, makes a significant difference to your life, and to experiences such as late-night essay writing. Another helpful feature is a system of widespread small travel grants to students to facilitate stimulating foreign travel, which can add to both your present and historical understanding.

The great advantage of history as a degree course is its breadth. In career terms it is a way of keeping your mind and your options open. Hence the variety of career paths taken by our graduates. These include staying on to do Masters degrees; or joining elite professions and metropolitan employments such as the law, the City and the civil service. Then there is journalism, where we have a strong and distinguished tradition and – ‘last not least’ – there is the strong desire to render public service, as for example through teaching, voluntary organizations or aid work.

But in the final analysis human variety easily outstrips any short description.

See also

• History (Ancient and Modern)
• History and Economics
• History and Modern Languages
• History and Politics

Follow this link for a student's view of History at St Anne's.