History

Course summary

In short, History is a way of thinking about the world – a subject which combines academic rigour and hard work with genuine fun and intrigue! It offers the opportunity to study fascinating characters and events from the past, allowing students to immerse themselves in periods and places that are both completely different, yet fundamentally similar, to today. In Year 12, students analyse two contrasting nations from two contrasting periods – both vital in understanding our modern world, and fundamental human ideas about ethnicity, power and liberty. We delve into the concept of revolution, exploring the fascinating story of the American War of Independence, and the birth of the United States as we know it today. At the same time, we also investigate the late Anglo-Saxon period, and the bloody conflict with the Vikings from Scandinavia – a story that offers a unique perspective on the emergence of English identity and England as a nation, both pertinent issues in the modern British political landscape. In Year 13, we then study one of the most pivotal events in the C20th – the Russian Revolution, from the fervour in St Petersburg in the early C20th to the intrigues of the Cold War and Nikita Khrushchev's fall from power. We explore the impact of the Bolshevik seizure of power in shaping events and ideologies across the world, a critical topic in the modern geopolitical landscape. There is also the opportunity to choose an individual enquiry on a historical topic entirely of the student’s choice, as part of our coursework unit. Past foci have ranged from the Spartans to the slave trade, to the Suffragettes – the choice is yours. We also offer a range of additional opportunities including a Sixth Form Discussion group, an ever-growing range of day trips, e.g. to the musical ‘Hamilton’ or the British Library, a joint residential trip to Washington with the Politics Department, and the chance to attend lectures by eminent academic historians from Cambridge and London.