Please note: In the 2023-24 school session, candidates at Inverurie Academy will be taught terrorism in order to address 'International Issues' in the 2024 SQA Question Paper, instead of 'World Powers'. Therefore, the content on this page - while up to date as of 2023/24 - will no longer be updated. It remains here to support candidates elsewhere who continue to study America as a world power.

World Powers: The USA

World Powers: The United States of America is 'Part E' in the final SQA exam Question Paper. In your answers, you refer to examples from the United States. The topics studied are detailed in the Course Assessment Specification (CAS), which is outlined below. Use the contents table below to click to relevant headings.

Course Assessment Specification (CAS)

Political system

political system
participation
representation

Influence on other countries

political influence
economic influence
military influence

Social and economic issues

A minimum of three issues should be studied. At least one issue covered should be a social issue and one an economic issue.

- employment
- poverty/inequality
- population movement
- health
- education
- crime and the law

Effectiveness in tackling social and economic issues

A minimum of three issues should be studied. At least one issue covered should be a social issue and one an economic issue.

- employment
- poverty/inequality
- population movement
- health
- education
- crime and the law

PowerPoint presentations

LAST UPDATED: 17th April 2023

To view a file, click the box and arrow symbol in the top-right corner of each tile. This should open the PowerPoint presentation in a new tab.

1. The American political system.pptx

America's political system

This covers the structures the and powers of US federal government.

2. Participation and representation in American politics.pptx

Participation and representation

This covers the ways Americans can get involved with politics, and explains why they might choose not to.

3. America’s international influence.pptx

America's international influence

This covers America's economic, military, and political influence abroad.

4. Social and economic issues in America.pptx

Causes and extent of inequalities

5. Responses to inequalities in America.pptx

Responses to tackle inequalities

World Powers - The USA - Death penalty, June 2022.pptx

Death penalty

While not explicitly part of the World Powers course, this is covered to evoke discussions about American justice, and the morality of the death penalty in the 21st century.

World Powers - The USA - Guns, June 2022.pptx

Gun violence

While gun violence is not explicitly in the CAS for World Powers, reviewing the extent and impacts of gun violence sparks debate about individualism vs collectivism.

Please note, the content below was created prior to the 2019 exam diet. Therefore, some of the information will be out of date. I have kept the attachments below available though in case the information is of use, or the templates are helpful in creating more up-to-date resources.

Key revision information

The video to the right is called 'Key revision information'. It is intended to help you update your notes from class by mixing together updated PowerPoint slides, with a brief voice-over and news clips to help you gather examples for your Point-Explain-Example. Its structure is based on the Course Specification (CAS) shown at the top of this page.

Read the transcript

World Powers - Key Revision Information.mp4

Revision materials

National 5 Modern Studies Revision Guide.pdf

Revision Guide

The National 5 Modern Studies Revision Guide summarises the key course content.

National 5 Modern Studies Revision.pdf

Past Papers

The PDF document you will find here shows every relevant past paper question.

N5 USA - Sources about US participation and exclusion.docx

Racial discrimination

A source-based revision task that looks at political discrimination and participation, by ethnicity.

USA Revision - with Sources, PDF.pdf

Gender discrimination

A source-based revision task that looks at political discrimination and participation, by gender.

N5 USA - Guns in America, Fast Facts.docx

Guns in the USA

Cut outs that are used normally for a revision activity about the number of guns, and related laws, in the USA.

Constitution Sources.pdf

The US Constitution

This source-based activity looks at the US Constitution and aims to provide examples of political rights and why some might not participate.

Immigration Sources.pdf

American immigration

This source-based activity looks at immigration to and from the United States of America (USA), including the reasons for people migrating to and from the US.

USA BOOKLET 2.docx

World Powers: USA - Unit Workbook

The work booklet (shown on the left) has been shared by Mr Beattie at Vale of Leven Academy. It covers the World Powers: United States of America topic in depth and can be used to further enhance your knowledge and understanding of the 'World Powers' unit ahead of the SQA exam.

The USA - Global Influence, Hokey Cokey.mp4

USA Hokey Cokey

Revise your knowledge about the United States of America (USA) as a world power by watching the video to the left. The video is a karaoke of notes from the PowerPoint, set to the classic party theme of 'Hokey Cokey'.

National 5 Modern Studies, World Powers - Snappy Revision.mp4

Snappy Revision

This video covers the key course content for 'World Powers: The USA' in less than three minutes. So, phone zombies beware: revision is something even you can do! Watch the video to the left. It's (yet) another way to revise that doesn't involve simply copying notes!

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