History and Art Trip to London, May 2012

Final payment for this year's trip to London is now due!. Please forward this to Mr Kerr as soon as possible. The video below shows highlights from last year's trip.
 

Studying History at RSD


Key Stage 3

At KS3 RSD pupils follow the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum but the department also prides itself on providing pupils with the opportunities to enhance their studies outside of the classroom..

In Year 8 pupils have a chance to consider the question "What is History?" before studying the impact of the Normans on Britain and Ireland. In the second half of the year they examine the impact of the Railway Age in Ireland.
 

In Year 9 History classes focus on the period 1500 - 1700 in British, Irish and European History. Significant events and individuals from the Spanish Armada and Martin Luther, to the Plantation of Ulster and Oliver Cromwell come under inspection over the course of the year. They also carry out a study of the changing nature of surgery and anatomy over time.

In Year 10 RSD pupils carry out a study of aspects of the 20th century. These include the development of warfare (with focus on World War I), the holocaust and the partition of Ireland.
 

GCSE
 
At GCSE pupils carry out two studies in depth: the first focusses on Germany in the period 1918 to 1941 and examines the tumultuous birth of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, and his domestic and foreign policies which culminated in the cataclysm of World War II. The video below gives a flavour of this section of the course.

The second study in depth deals with Britain and Ireland from 1930 to 1949. Pupils have the opportunity to examine the erosion of the links between Britain and Eire in the 1930s, the experience of WWII, N.I.'s contribution to the war effort, and the introduction of the Welfare State. Pupils will encounter such figures as De Valera, Churchill, Attlee and Craig in their studies. At present GCSE candidates have the opportunity to enhance their studies on this unit by going on the annual trip to London. Here they can improve their understanding of the effects of war on the Home Front by visiting the Cabinet War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum.
 

GCSE historians at RSD also carry out an outline study on the Cold War from 1945 to 1991. This study looks at the events of the second half of the 20th century in which the superpowers vied for supremacy on the world stage. Key events include: the end of WWII, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Prague Spring, the Vietnam War and the downfall of the Soviet Union. The video below gives a brief summary of what is covered in this unit.

The final section of GCSE study involves a controlled assessment task. Here pupils will investigate an historical interpretation of the Vietnam War using different pieces of evidence. These will include songs from the 1960s, news reports from the time, films, magazines and celebrities. This controlled assessment is worth 25% of the overall GCSE qualification and is carried out in school.

A-Level

History at ‘AS’ and ‘A’ Level offers much more than simple retelling of stories from the past. Political ideologies, systems of government, economics, the influence of religion, literature and art: all of these major themes come under the historians notice.
 

History students will take two modules in their Lower 6th year and a further two in Upper 6th. In Lower 6th pupils will study “The Unification of Italy and Germany 1815-1871”, concentrating on the causes, course and failure of the 1848 revolts in these states and the long, often bloody, process of national unification. Along the way interesting figures such as Verdi, Mazzini, Metternich, Garibaldi, Cavour and Bismarck will all come under scrutiny.

The second AS module “Italy 1914-1943” looks closely at the intriguing figure of Benito Mussolini, once described by Adolf Hitler as “the teacher of fascism”. In this module pupils will consider the consequences of World War I on Italian society, the development of Mussolini’s dictatorship, Fascist domestic policies and his disastrous foreign policy and role in World War II.

The first module studied at ‘A2’ “Liberalism and Nationalism in Europe 1815-1914” is an overview looking at the development of the key political ideologies of the French Revolution and their tumultuous consequences for Europe as a whole.

The second module at ‘A2’ Level, “The Partition of Ireland 1900-1925”, considers the circumstances which gave birth to modern Ireland, with all its divisions, rivalries and legacy of violence. Pupils will encounter such giants of early 20th century Ireland as Carson, Craig, Redmond, Pearse, Collins and De Valera.

The modules will give an overall perspective on many of the crucial developments in 19th and 20th century history. The struggle to create liberal, democratic and even totalitarian societies, the importance of economics, the triumph of nationalism with all its implications for good and ill, the important role of religion: all these issues and many more will challenge the young historian to consider the nature of society as it has evolved, and perhaps inspire them to think of how it could be changed for the better in the future. What more important intellectual exploration could there be?

Apart from the significant content of the course studied, ‘A’ Level History offers additional factors which make it a highly valued subject. The interpretation of documents, the comparison of differing viewpoints, presentational skills including essay writing, the ability to summarise and clarify complex issues, analytical skills – all these factors should attract students of an enquiring mind.

Those pupils choosing to study History at A-Level have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities outside the classroom which provide the subject with a rich ‘value-added’ element. These include the very successful biennial trip to Rome and a local inter-schools’ Irish history project.

Notable students of History range from Gordon Brown and several U.S. presidents to Jonathan Ross and Sacha Baron Cohen and include the heads of the Sony and IBM corporations. History is studied by those contemplating a range of careers, from law, journalism, politics, television and business, where university selectors and employers value its study as an intellectual discipline which cultivates a well-stocked and incisive mind and an ability to communicate ideas to others.

Two classrooms, one with an interactive whiteboard and a resource room. Both rooms have televisions and DVD facilities, as well as data projectors. Click on the links below to see 360 degree virtual tours of the History Department classrooms!!

K9: www.cushycms.com/temporary_uploads/132786/K9.mov
 

Teachers:

• Mr. Kerr B.A.(Hons), M.Sc., PGCE (Head of Department),
• Miss Boyd B.A.(Hons), PGCE,
• Dr. Burnett B.A. (Hons), PhD, NPQH,
• Mrs. Kerr B.A. (Hons), M.Ed, PGCE.

Please see the History Department courses on the VLE for access to pupil resources.