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Course Description

This is a fascinating and challenging course which offers students the opportunity to study British and World History in both depth and breadth. The course includes units focused on Early Modern British history, as well as 19^th and 20^th century American and worldwide studies. The course provides opportunities to develop academic skills ranging from research, document analysis, essay writing to questioning skills, critical thinking and organisation of information. The Personal Study unit allows students to demonstrate a greater degree of flair and independence with in-depth research and analysis of a particular historical topic.

 

Course Content: OCR History A

Unit 1: Early-Mid Tudors 1485-1558

(1 hour 30 minutes written exam)

How effectively did the Tudors establish and consolidate their monarchy?

This unit provides an overview of developments in England 1485-1558. It focuses on the growth of political stability under the Tudors from the unstable legacy of the Wars of the Roses and Richard III. The key developments of Henry VIII’s reign will be studied before considering the turbulent and dramatic events of the reign of Henry VIII. Finally, we examine the so-called ‘Mid-Tudor Crisis’ during the reigns of the boy king Edward VI and the religiously-driven Mary.

 

Unit 2: The Cold War in Asia 1945-1993

(1 hour written exam)

This unit will consider the policies of Western nations in Post-War Asia. Particular attention will be given to the Korean War – causes, events, impact on public opinion and outcomes. US actions in Vietnam and Cambodia and the South-East Asian region as a whole will also be studied in-depth. The course allows consideration of these events from a range of perspectives and questioning traditional interpretations, exploring histories beyond the Western world.

 

Unit 3: Civil Rights in America – 1865-1992

(1 hour 30 minutes written exam)

This thematic study focuses on the struggle of citizens in the United States to get equality before the law and within society. Students will learn about the factors that progressed and regressed the extent of civil rights during this period. The struggle for civil rights will concentrate on the triumphs and plights of four specific groups: African Americans, Trade Union and Labour rights, Native American Indians and women. It will broaden the traditional study of American Civil Rights, putting the famous events of the 1950s and 1960s into a wider, richer context.

 

Unit 4: Historical Enquiry / Personal Study

Students will submit a Historical Enquiry based on the investigation of a historical issue of their choice. They will normally choose to deepen their understanding of an area of particular interest from Units 1 or 2. This enables them to start their enquiries from existing knowledge and simultaneously build transferable expertise for one of the examined units.

 

Career Possibility

An advanced level course in History is good preparation for anyone considering a degree in History, Politics, Law, Journalism and Social Studies. It provides transferable skills and academic rigour for Higher Education and the workplace

 

GCSE Grade Profile

Students who study History must achieve five GCSE grades from 9 – 4 in a range of subjects, including a grade 5 in History and a grade 5 in English.  Students who have not studied GCSE History but are interested in the A-level should talk to the Subject Leader. They will need a strong English grade to indicate their suitability for the course.

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Click here to access the bridging task for History.