History has always been a passion of mine too, though typically the more modern stuff that has more applicability to the present day. I mean, when you're talking about contemporary Maori land claims in New Zealand, a clear understanding of just what went on in the 19th century is pretty important. My interest in history often tends to have a socio-political element; certainly how people interact with each other and with authority is a research interest of mine, e.g. the campaign that led to New Zealand becoming the first country to grant women the vote (a woefully understudied campaign too!).
In my first year, we had some awesome political debates in tutorials but those have largely fallen by the wayside. I remember this one week, the topic was anarchist theory. One guy in my tutorial thought anarchism was the most ridiculous idea ever, and his outrage with it even being taken seriously spurred the most hilarious class debate. The debate continued afterwards in the elevator too ...