History

Course summary

Welcome to A-Level History! Congratulations for choosing one of the most popular A-level subjects, one which will open many doors for you in the future. The purpose of this booklet is to give you all the information you need for the course. You should keep it in your working folder so that you can refer to it regularly. As part of your A-level history course you will develop your interest in and enthusiasm for history, a subject which gives us a better understanding of the past and its influence on the present. History gives us an appreciation of different identities within societies, and of aspects of social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity. The study of history requires a detailed understanding of the past, critical and reflective thinking, a curious and enquiring mind, an ability to ask relevant and significant questions about the past, and an understanding of the provisional nature of judgements based on the rigorous interrogation of available evidence. Throughout your course you will develop a number of key skills:  An understanding of the nature and purpose of history as a discipline and how historians work  Knowledge and understanding of the aspects of history studied and the historical debates in these areas  An ability to make links and draw comparisons between different aspects of the periods studied  An understanding of key historical terms and concepts such as change, continuity, causation, consequence and significance  An ability to analyse and evaluate causes and consequences of historical events, and changes and developments in the periods/themes studied  An ability to analyse and evaluate the significance of individuals, groups, events and ideas  An understanding of how the past has been interpreted in different ways, and an ability to engage with these different historical interpretations  An ability to use historical sources critically in their context, and to deploy appropriate information to reach substantiated conclusions.  An ability to work independently to research a historical topic and the debates that surround it  An ability to organise and communicate historical knowledge and understanding, constructing a clear, logical and precise argument and reaching a substantiated judgement.