History

Course summary

Why study the subject If we apply this knowledge to the present, governments, businesses and individuals can learn lessons from past mistakes or successes and make informed choices about our futures. For example, economists might look at the causes of the recent recession and past economic problems and work with politicians to avoid them happening again. In History we study lots of different sources and learn that events are often the result of complex and multiple factors. Politics, communication, beliefs, misunderstandings and even the environment can shape the way things turn out. Studying History can also be inspiring. When we discover what people have achieved against the odds and how things can change over time, it can give us the motivation we need to succeed. Course Structure Year 12 - Paper 1 and paper 2 running concurrently. Year 13 - Paper 3 and coursework running concurrently. Unit content Year 12 Paper 1: Option 1H: Britain transformed, 1918-97 (30%) Paper 2: Option 2H.2: The USA, 1955-92: conformity and challenge (20%) Year 13 Paper 3: Option 35.1: Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763-1914 (30%) Coursework (20%) • Independent study • Historical Debates surrounding the Holocaust Skills Acquired History teaches us to ask two very important questions: why and how. This is key to sharpening critical thinking abilities, which combine the following skills: analysis, research, essay writing, communication, problem solving, argumentation. Historians look at all the available evidence and come to conclusions, a lot like a good detective, which helps them learn to be organised and manage information. You will also begin to build hypotheses and be able to dissect conflicting claims for agenda and utility. Students suited to the course A student suited to the course will have the following attributes: • An interest in history that will push them to do wider reading • Very good literacy skills and an aptitude with the English language • An ability to work independently with intrinsic motivation to succeed • Exceptional organisation and the ability to meet deadlines • A desire to ask questions and a critical approach to source material • A desire to develop exceptional research and analytical skills What other subjects it combines well with Everything has a history and no arts or science subject can fail to be enriched by an awareness of how it has been applied to human society through the ages. You may have already studied the history of scientific ideas as part of your GCSE and so will be aware of this. History combines well with Mathematics and Science subjects to create an attractive portfolio of subjects for a student to move on to a science based course. Combined with English and social sciences it would provide a good basis for arts or humanities based courses. The Russell Group universities regard History as a facilitating subject and expect applicants to study at least one facilitating subjects. Career or HE the course leads to The skills you will obtain through studying history will be useful in a number of careers, either directly related to History (e.g. working in museums, galleries, heritage sites, record offices and archives and teaching), or in areas such as law, research, accountancy, banking, management, journalism, media, libraries, national and local government and the civil service. You can progress to higher education courses such as honours degrees in History, or to degrees in related subjects such as Law, Politics, English Literature, Economics or Geography. A Level History will give you a number of skills relevant to many types of employment, such as the ability to seek information and to analyse it in order to identify facts and motives and to present information clearly for others to understand.