S3 Social studies
Curricular Area: Social Studies
Subject : Business Management (Code XCBF)
Watch our presentation
Are you an entrepreneur of the future? Is there a bright idea inside you bursting to get out? If the answers are yes, then you could do no better than join this class. Business plays an important role in society. We all rely on businesses and entrepreneurs to create wealth, prosperity, jobs and choices. We often work in a business. Start your journey here!
Discover how businesses are organised in marketing, finance, operations and human resources. Look at promoting products, calculating the profit made, correctly storing stock and recruiting the best person for the job. In addition, you will understand the factors that affect the success of an organisation, such as lack of cash flow, poorly trained staff, bad weather, new laws and changes in fashions.
This course involves experiential learning within practical contexts. Through the use of practical activities and knowledge of business, learners will be given an insight into what businesses do to remain competitive, customer-focused and successful.
Pupils will have a grounding in how to function well within a business context.
Subject: Geography (Code XCGF)
Geography is the study of places and the connections between people and their surroundings. It is, quite simply, about the world in which we live.
In the S3 course students will answer some big questions by learning about the following topics:
Rivers
How do they shape our landscapes? How important are rivers to our planet?
Learning for Sustainability
What will our cities of the future be like?
Climate Change
How can we protect our planet? Can we save polar bears from extinction?
Coasts, Conflict and Change
Is tourism a good thing?
Natural Wonders
Where are they and how are they formed?
The course will also involve researching, presenting and interpreting information through a variety of activities. The skills and knowledge gained during this course will prepare learners for further education and a variety of careers.
Students will also have the opportunity to take part in outdoor learning by attending our annual river trip to explore the ideas studied in class.
All topics help develop knowledge and skills to progress seamlessly into Nat 4 and 5 courses. The Global Issues topic of Natural Hazards involving the study of Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tropical Storms is started at the end of S3.
Subject: History (Code XCHF)
It is impossible to fully understand the world we live in without an appreciation of the past. History allows us all to make better sense of the present, develop our world views, and have a better understanding of the factors that influence change and progress. The S3 History course first looks at the development of America comparing the attitudes and beliefs of Native Americans with white settlers from Europe who came to dominate the continent.
We will also investigate some of the darkest and most brutal moments of world history from the 20th century, helping us to understand how these came to pass and what lessons individuals and society can learn from them.
Finally, we will start National 4 and 5 preparation by assessing the key events from the Russian Revolutions at the start of the twentieth century. This will help broaden our understanding of Russian politics and society and introduce several Russian leaders who make Vladimir Putin appear rather rational.
More specifically each unit will cover:
Native Americans and White Settlers
This unit includes:
Native American societies before the arrival of Europeans Contact and conflict between European settlers and Native American tribes
The American frontier wars from the 1860s
The Rise of the Nazis
This topic will allow us to understand how Hitler and the Nazi Party were able to rise to power in the aftermath of the First World War. It will include:
The Treaty of Versailles and German reactions to it.
Social, political and economic challenges facing Germany in the 1920s.
The promises made by Hitler and the Nazis.
Reasons why Hitler had gained full control of Germany by 1934.
The Holocaust
This topic will allow us to have a greater understanding of arguably the darkest event of the 20th century. This topic will look at themes of racism, prejudice, discrimination and resistance and will very much focus on what lessons we can learn from this period. It will include:
Anti-Semitism in before WW2
The origins of the Holocaust
Life in Ghettos and concentration camps
Jewish and German resistance to the Holocaust.
Revolutionary Russia
This topic will cover life in Russia at the turn of the 20th Century, including:
The social structure of Tsarist Russia
The causes of the 1905 Revolution
Reasons the 1905 Revolution failed to achieve its aims
The role of the Tsar, the Tsarina and Rasputin in causing the 1917 Revolution.
Subject: Modern Studies (Code XCMF)
Modern Studies offers a unique insight into local, national and international issues that are taking place around the world today. Learners have the opportunity to find out about the world, and their place in it. The course covers many international, social and political issues, but lessons are also created and adapted based on any significant events around the world which are relevant at the time. In the last few months this has included the controversy surrounding the Israel and Gaza conflict, the Donald Trump's campaign to become the US President again, poverty in the UK, and political protests in sport. In preparation for the National Modern Studies course students will also beging to study the National unit Crime and the Law.
What in the World?
During the course student will:
Learn about the US political system and the rights individuals have in it by studying gun crimes and laws, the Black Lives Matter movement. Students will also debate the removal of statues of those involved in the slave trade.
Develop an awareness of the reasons for immigration while studying the challenges many people face in Mexico such as poverty, violence, drug cartels and the impact this has on the USA.
Understand the reasons why countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, North Korea, Israel and Palestine are listed as some of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Assess the effectiveness of international organisations such as the United Nations and the NATO in resolving ongoing conflict and human rights violations.
Study the causes and impact of poverty on disadvantaged groups in Scotland and the UK.
Crime and the Law
Throughout this course student will learn about:
The nature and extent of crime in Scotland
The causes of crime and the impact this has on individuals, families and communities
The criminal justice system including courts, verdicts, sentencing and the Children’s Hearing System
The role of the police, prisons and the government in dealing with crime
While studying these topics students will also be developing many skills including making and justifying decisions, researching current issues and making recommendations on potential solutions, and debating.
Subject: Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (Code XREF)
RME helps students understand the main beliefs and values of world religions, while also studying the religious and philosophical responses to moral and contemporary religious debates. The course is divided into three units which are:
Morality and Belief
Conflict – causes of war, types of war and the Geneva Convention.
Justifications and consequences of war – human cost, environmental and economic impact.
Modern armaments – weapons of mass destruction, smart weapons, conventional weapons.
Alternatives to war – sanctions, diplomacy and pacifism
Religious and Philosophical Questions (BOTH RELIGIOUS AND NON-RELIGIOUS)
Does God exist?
What is the nature of God?
Cosmological arguments - Aquinas’ cosmological argument, counter-arguments, and science and the cosmological argument.
Teleological argument - Paley’s teleological argument, counter-arguments, and science and the teleological argument
World Religion - What is the importance to the world of religion?
What are the major world religions and why are they important?
What impact does this have on those who do not follow a religion?
What informs religious worship in modern society?
Throughout the three units students will gain a range of skills including investigation, analysis, evaluation, and the ability to express beliefs and views in a reasoned manner. Discussion and debate will be used regularly to form our views.