History (A Level)

Course Specification

Subject Specific Entry Requirements

Grade 5 in History; Grade 5 in English Language.

In addition to the general entrance requirements.

Costs Associated with this Course

Students are requested to purchase relevant text books (approx. £60.00 over the two-year course)

Do you/are you…

- are you really interested in History, intrigued by the past, in people and the present, and how society has changed and influenced the world today?

- are you interested in researching and forming your own views?

- do you like challenging ideas and concepts and enjoy working together to discuss key issues?

This course requires you to read widely and be independent in order to develop subject knowledge.

How will you be assessed?

Year 12 - The Early Tudors: Exam 50 marks, 1h 30mins, 25% of the total A level (50% at AS)

Year 12 - Democracy and Dictatorship in Germany 1919-63: Exam 30 marks, 1-hour paper, 15% of the total A level (50% at AS)

Year 13 - Civil Rights in the USA 1865-1992: Exam 80 marks, 2 h 30mins, 40 % of the total A level

Year 13 - Course work: 40 marks, 20% of the total A level

What will I study?

Year 12 - In year 12 you will study 2 modules; The Early Tudors 1485-1547 and Germany 1918-63.

Unit 1 – The Early Tudors: This unit on the Tudors combines knowledge with the use of sources to investigate social economic and political changes under Henry VII through to the reign of Mary I. It focuses on key issues such as the security of Henry VII’s throne, Henry VIII foreign policy as well as the religious changes and unrest under Edward and Mary.

Unit 2- Germany 1918-63: The unit on Germany uses knowledge on Weimar, Nazi and post war Germany to create debate and discussion which is applied to knowledge questions. You will be considering such concepts as the stability of the Weimar, the creation and development of the Nazi Dictatorship as well as the problems faced by post war Germany. You will also consider the growth and impact of socialism in GDR.

Year 13 - Course work: The course work component is a topic based investigation written in the form of an extended answer. This is an exciting opportunity for students to follow their own interests as they have flexibility of topic choice and lead their own research on their chosen topic.

Unit 3- Civil Rights in the USA 1865-1992: The unit on Civil rights in the USA is a thematic study and focuses on 4 main topic areas; African Americans, Trade Unions, Native Americans, Women and their quest for equality. It focuses on the role of leaders and protest groups as well as the role of the Federal government. This unit investigates change, continuity, similarity and difference over the time frame and looks for students to be able to be able to identify key themes as well as explaining reasons for the changes.

How will this course support my future plans?

The study of History will teach you many skills such as: research, analysis, evaluation, discussion, independence and empathy, consequently History will help prepare you for your future study or a career. History is well-respected by universities as a popular subject in its own right. Furthermore, History allows students many options at university such as studying Law, Economic, English, Politics, PPE, Classics. It also helps further careers such as: teaching, journalist, politician, Solicitor, researcher, archaeologist.

Student thoughts:

“History helps me understand how society has evolved.”
“I like the discussions and group work.”
“History has helped me to become a more analytical thinker.”