History

Topics Covered:

I Senior

• What is History?
• The World in the 19th century
• Native Americans - a case study
• Titanic - a case study

II Senior

• The World in the 20th century
• The Assassination of JFK - a case study
• Life in the Sixties - a case study

III Senior and IV Senior - Standard Grade

• Unit I - Changing Life in Scotland and Britain: 1880's - present day
• Unit II - International Cooperation and Conflict: 1890's - 1920's
• Unit III - People and Power: Germany 1918 - 1939

Higher History Entry Requirements

Pupils would be expected to have attained Grade 1 or 2 in history or another social subject course at Standard Grade.

Structure and Content of the Higher History Course

The Higher history course is intended to build on the knowledge and skills of the Standard Grade course. The overall aims are to acquire breadth and depth in the knowledge and understanding of historical themes and to develop the skills of explaining developments and events, evaluating sources and drawing conclusions. Marketable skills aquired during the course are:

• The ability to present a structured argument, weighing up evidence, looking at several sides to an argument and making a considered and balanced decision. These are skills they will use all their working life.
• The ability to analyse evidence, compare it with differing viewpoints and identify bias. Being able to weigh up opinions and spot how much or how little they represent widely held viewpoints is vital in many areas where dealing with the public is a prime concern.

Course Title: Later Modern History

The course consists of three units:

Unit 1 – Scottish and British History 1850 – 1979

This unit focuses on the period between 1850 and 1979, when Britain underwent great social and political changes which resulted in it becoming more democratic. This unit also looks at how industrialisation in Scotland had a major impact on religion and education and how people spent their leisure time.

Unit contents:

• Democracy and the British People, 1850-1979
• Poverty and Social Reform
• The Women’s Suffrage Movement up to 1928
• The Creation of the Welfare State, 1945-51
• The Labour Movement: the 1890s-1922
• Changing Scottish Society, the 1880s to 1939

Unit 2 – The United States of America, 1918-1968

This unit looks at the changing nature of American society between the years 1918 and 1968. The syllabus places particular emphasis on the role played by the US government in dealing with the problems of immigration, organized crime and Prohibition, the Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Unit contents:

• Multi-Ethnic America and Immigration in the 1920s
• The American Economy in the 1920s and 1930s
• Prohibition, Organized Crime and The Jazz Age
• Depression and The New Deal
• Civil Rights before and after 1945
• Black Radical Protest

Unit 3 – Special Topic Appeasement and the Road to War

This is an in-depth study of the increasing threats to international peace posed by the Fascist and Nazi dictators in the 1930s. The various crises and the attempts to prevent war through appeasement will be studied along with events leading to the outbreak of war in September 1939.

Nature and Timing of Assessment

To gain an award all three Unit Assessments must be passed as well as the external exam. The Internal Assessments items will be undertaken as end of Unit tests and/or Prelim exam.

The External Exam

Paper 1 (1 hour 20 minutes) This will assess Units 1 & 2. 40 marks

Paper 2 (1 hour 25 minutes) This will assess Unit 3. 30 marks

Extended Essay – Pupils will research a topic from the course. They will write up the essay in exam conditions. 30 marks.

History - Advanced Higher

Historical study provides a secure basis for more advanced education. The ability to work individually on open-ended tasks and use reasoned argument to support conclusions is essential. The course involves a high degree of individual study and commitment - important skills for people going on to Higher Education. Overall, Advanced Higher history develops communication skills and the ability to think critically and creatively and is useful for pursuing careers in fields such as law, journalism, tourism, the civil service and business.

Preferred Entry Requirements

Candidates will normally be expected to have gained an A or B pass in Higher History.

Structure and Content of Course

The Advanced Higher is intended to give pupils the opportunity to acquire depth in the knowledge and understanding of historical themes and topics. They will be required to handle detailed information to analyse events and historical issues. The skills of research, planning, preparation and presentation will be required for a dissertation on a specific historical issue relating to the Field of Study.

Field of Study : Soviet Russia 1917-1953

• The Bolshevik rise to power in the Russian Revolution of 1917
• Lenin in power: the First World War and the Civil War
• Russia under Stalin: Industry, the Peasants and the Kulaks, the Purges and repression
• Stalin and the Second World War
• Soviet Russia and post-war Europe

Nature and Timing of Assessment

To gain the award of the course the Internal Assessment must be passed as well as the External Assessment.

External Assessment

Exam Paper (three hours)

Part 1 - Pupils will be required to answer two essay questions. This paper will count for 50 marks.

Part 2 - Questions will be based on a set of document sources relating to the Field of Study. This paper will count for 40 marks.

Dissertation

Pupils will research and write a dissertation chosen from their field of study. The dissertation should not be more than 4000 words in length. It will be externally marked and is worth 50 marks.