Part IA | Part IB | Part II
In your second year you will study four units:
- The core language papers in your chosen language (including an oral examination for those following the ab initio route)
- One paper from the specified Modern Languages range
- One paper from the specified History range
- One further specialist paper from either Modern Languages or History
Modern Languages papers
Option A: Core language papers for ab initio German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish
| Paper No. | Paper |
|---|---|
| B1 | Use of the foreign language |
| B2 | Translation of the foreign language |
| Oral B | Oral examination B |
Option B: Core language paper for post-A-level French, German, Italian, Russian, or Spanish
| Paper No. | Paper |
|---|---|
| B3 | Translation into the foreign language, and test in the foreign language through audio-visual media |
Students will take at least one of the following Modern Language papers:
It is possible to submit two long essays of 3,500-4,000 words instead of taking a written exam in some of the language papers from Schedule A.
History papers
Students will take one Topic paper in History. The Topics available each year may vary. The following Topic papers have previously been offered:
| Paper No. | Paper |
|---|---|
| T1 | History of Political thought to c. 1700 |
| T2 | History of Political thought c.1700-c.1890 |
| T3 | Ancient Empires: Culture and Power in the Ancient Mediterranean |
| T4 | Inequalities and Social Change in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds |
| T5 | Warfare, Kingship and Society in Anglo-Saxon England |
| T6 | Conflict, Identity and Social Change: State-Formation in Medieval Britain and Europe |
| T7 | Crown and Parliaments under the Tudors and Stuarts |
| T8 | Faith, Fire and Fury: The British Reformations and their Discontents |
| T9 | Nature and Knowledge c. 1500-c.1800 |
| T11 | Becoming British? Union and Disunion in Eighteenth-Century Britain |
| T12 | British Worlds, 1750-1914 |
| T13 | Empires in World History: Regions and Themes |
| T14 | Europe’s Modern Age of Violence, 1914-1949 |
| T15 | The United States since World War I |
| T16 | Caribbean History |
Students taking only one scheduled paper from Modern Languages will also take a Research project in History. The following Research projects have previously been offered:
| Paper No. | Paper |
|---|---|
| RP1 | Fantastic medieval sources and where to find them |
| RP2 | Doing Early Modern Microhistory |
| RP3 | Gender in Early Modern Britain |
| RP4 | Labouring Lives |
| RP5 | American History |
| RP6 | Contemporary History, Politics and Public Life |
| RP7 | Music and Society, from Renaissance to Romantic |
| RP8 | Themes in Modern British and Irish History |
| RP9 | Women in Cambridge c.1900-1950 |
| RP10 | Nations and Nationalism |
| RP11 | Rethinking Colonialism |
For full details of the Topic papers and Research projects on offer see the list on the Faculty of History's website (scroll down to 'Explore Part IB').
