History

Year 12 The course in the first year covers German history from the end of the First World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It looks at Germany’s fall to and recovery from Nazi rule as well as its subsequent division under Communist and Capitalist rule. We will also study the rise of Mussolini in Italy as a way of thinking about the ideological battles that were taking place in Europe in the first half of the 20th Century. Year 13 In the second year we do a course work which will focus on an area of historiographical debate and an exam based course that will focus on the British Empire including the American Revolutionary War, India, Canada and the treatment of the Aboriginal people in Australia.

Minimum level 6 in History and Level 6 in English Literature and Language. You need to enjoy reading about and researching historical events.

You will be provided with the necessary textbooks, but must be willing to undertake extra reading and research.

There is a coursework essay in the second year. Apart from this the course is assessed through essays under exam conditions. Some essays focus on historical knowledge and analysis while others focus on the ability to contextualise and interpret sources, whilst still others focus on the historical debates around a particular topic. This is a new mode of assessment and gives students a rigorous briefing in the major skills of an historian.