History

Teaching staff associated with the History Department

Teacher	Position
Mr J McCluskey	Faculty Head Humanities & Citizenship
Ms K Craig	PT Raising Attainment
Miss J Leila	Teacher
Mr J Reardon	Teacher
Mr K Smyth	Teacher (Probationer)
Mr T Stevenson	PTPC

View evidence here.

Why choose History?

Apart from being interesting, history is very useful. Employers who see that you have a qualification in history know certain things about you. They will know that your have taken on certain key skills which, learnt through history, can be applied to all sorts of other situations. They know that:

you can understand how people tick, what motivates them, what they think and feel;
you are able to gather and read different kinds of information;
you are able to look carefully at this information and can check it for bias or propaganda;
you can read maps, graphs and other diagrams;
you are able to communicate clearly and have learned to express yourself verbally on paper;

What can I use History for? History is a useful, and often necessary, subject for a lot of careers and not just the obvious ones: What about conservation work or environmental work, Building restoration? Tourism? They all require some knowledge of history. History is also a good qualification for budding journalists, secretaries, accountants, TV researchers, policemen and women, and lawyers to name but a few possible careers.

But I want to be a scientist...

Remember that scientists have to communicate effectively, work with and manage other people. Their projects are not isolated but are carried out in a context which relates to the whole of society. Employers and universities like to see that you followed a balanced course at school. History is an important part of keeping that balance.

History can give you the skills most employers want - whatever the job you have in mind

THE VIKINGS
THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
WORLD WAR TWO

S3/S4 Pupils study 3 historical contexts in History:

Unit I – Context B – Changing Life in Scotland and Britain: 1830s – 1930s.
Unit II – Context A - International Cooperation and Conflict (1890s – 1920s WW1.
Unit III – Context D - People and Power - Germany 1918 – 1939.

Each pupil will sit two papers – either Foundation/General or General/Credit as part of their final exam.

S5/S6 There are several different courses available for students to study beyond S4

Nat 4 and Nat 5

Pupils study the following:

The Red Flag: Lenin and the Russian Revolution 1894 - 1921
Campaigning for Change: Social Change in Scotland 1900s-1979
Wallace, Bruce and the Scottish Wars of Independence 1286-1328

The final exam consists of one exam which lasts 90 minutes

Higher

The Higher course is designed for pupils who have achieved a pass at Nat 5. At Higher, pupils study the following areas:

Paper One has two sections:

The Growth of Nationalism (Germany) 1815 – 1939.
Britain 1850s – 1979.

Each of these topics is assessed through essays.

Paper 2 has one section:

Appeasement and the Road to War, to 1939.

It is assessed through source based questions. The extended essay is worth 20% of the final grade. This allows the pupil to research a topic from the course. It is written up in a two-hour session and marked externally. It is an opportunity for many students to achieve a good award. The final exam has two papers. Paper one lasts 80 minutes and paper two lasts 85 minutes.

Advanced Higher The Advanced Higher course is designed for pupils who have achieved a good pass at Higher. In Advanced Higher pupils study the following areas: Britain at War and Peace 1939-1951 The course is assessed through a combination of essays and source based questions. The final exam lasts for three hours. Students have also to produce a dissertation which is worth 50% of the final exam.