History

HISTORY                      OCR B Schools History Project               J411

Why study History?

• History is relevant to you.  History is all around you.  It is happening now.  Your world is being formed by what happened in the past, so an understanding of the past helps you to make sense of the world in which you live and helps you grow as an individual.

• History prepares you for the challenges ahead.  Employers and universities value the skills that you will develop through History: the ability to analyse and explain; feeling confident about handling information; being able to write precisely; being able to form an argument and defend it.

How is the new course organised?

We will introduce you to stories from across the medieval, early modern and modern periods, all held together by the big human themes that the History team have prepared you for over Key Stage Three: change, power, identity, conflict, freedom and struggle.  We will also let you explore living history in the shape of the unique History Around Us unit, which will connect many of our stories to today’s London through our study of London’s Bankside.

Our units are:

1. Thematic Study : Migrants to Britain c1250 to the present

2. Period Study : The Mughal Empire in India 1526-1707

3. British Depth Study : The Elizabethans 1580-1603

4. World Depth Study : Living under Nazi Rule 1933-1945

5. History Around Us : London’s Bankside

How is it assessed?

Component 1 :  British History (Thematic Study and British Depth Study) written exam 1¾ hours (40%)

Component 2 :  History Around Us, written exam 1 hour (20%)

Component 3 :  World History (Period Study and World Depth Study) written exam 1¾ hours (40%)

What are the special features of the course?

• An exciting and innovative new GCSE course that builds on the AHS approach to History!

• A unique History Around Us unit that takes you through the rich back-story of one of London’s most vibrant areas!  We’ll build our course around a visit to Bankside itself.

• A Thematic Study that explores one of Britain’s key stories: that of the migrants it has (mostly) welcomed from 1250 to the present day.  This unit will help you see today’s Britain through a completely new lens and help add meaning to much of our history!

• A study of Mughal India takes us far from home and introduces us to an amazing Empire!

• A deep exploration of one of the most important and controversial periods in world history: Nazi rule in Germany.  Everyone should learn this story.

How can I find out more?      

See Mr Annat (Head of History), your History teacher or the History Subject Ambassadors. See also http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/207164-specification-accredited-gcse-history-b-j411.pdf 

Although desirable, you do not need History GCSE to study History at A level at AHS, however you do need a humanity GCSE.