Tuesday 7 September 2010
History pupils study the past in a lively and engaging environment.
There is a good balance of Scottish, British, European and World History. A large range of textbooks and other resources are used, including videos, CD ROMs and the internet. Pupils enjoy learning about the past in a fun and lively atmosphere where their views and ideas are encouraged. It is the Departments aim to provide all pupils with a useful and interesting Historical experience whilst encouraging them to achieve the very best they can as individuals.
In Upper I and II pupils develop a range of historical skills. They learn the skills of the Historian such as the use of time and chronological order. The pupils enjoy an opportunity to explore historical evidence and issues of reliability and bias. From here we move on to the Norman Conquest, it’s causes and consequences. Following this the pupils enjoy an opportunity to explore History themselves with an investigation into the development of Castles, ending the year with a study of the Black Death and it’s consequences.
In Upper II the pupils study History from a variety of periods to broaden their knowledge. They learn about the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and then move onto look at the legacy of World War II focusing specifically on the Holocaust, Use of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and finally the development of the Cold War and building of the Berlin Wall.
Intermediate II classes study a wide range of topics including the Scottish Wars of Independence, the causes of World War II and the Civil Rights Movement in the USA.
Higher classes are given a variety of choice. More recent years have seen a preference for more modern topics such as the “Russian Revolution” and the progression towards Democracy in the 19th and 20th Century. They also have to complete a detailed source paper on Scottish History, here they put their knowledge of the Scottish Wars of Independence to excellent use.
At Advanced Higher, pupils are again given quite a choice. This choice can range from Scottish topics such as the Reformation in Scotland and the Reign of Mary Stuart to Modern European Topics such as Stalinist Russia. Pupils prepare a 4,000 word Dissertation, and sit a 3-hour exam.