History

Course summary

Quite apart from the fact that history is a fascinating and absorbing subject, ‘the truth is that without a sense of history human life as we know it would be unthinkable,‘ (A L Rowse). The study of history enriches our understanding of the world and gives a context to our lives. The study of history at A Level encourages\ our students to develop their critical thinking and their ability to make meaningful connections between the different aspects of history, such as between its political, economic, social and cultural dimensions. History gives students the opportunity to develop sophisticated communication skills, a capacity to think logically and the skills to analyse evidence and construct a sound argument. Students wanting to study history at A Level will be avid readers, excellent communicators and will be comfortable putting forward their arguments during debates. Students need to have a good command of written English, be able to write well-structured and logical essays and be able to analyse, evaluate and pass judgement on historical sources. Importantly they will have a passion for the subject. Unit 1: The Making of a Superpower USA 1865-1975. This includes topics as varied as the ending of slavery, the ‘Jazz Age’, the New Deal, The Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. Unit 2: The Making of Modern Britain. This includes topics such as the Suez Crisis, social change during the 1960s, Thatcherism and the growth of the environmental movement. Unit 3: Historical Investigation. Students will undertake extensive research using a broad range of primary and secondary sources to write a 4000-word essay. Previous studies have included the witch crazes of the 17th century, the Russian Revolution the Crusades and Tudor rebellions.