Humanities

Welcome to the Humanities department

Head of Humanities: Mrs. C. Kenway – ckenway@ripleyacademy.org

Students receive 2 lessons of History, Geography and Religious Studies a fortnight at Key Stage 3.

Year 7: In History, students study ‘Medieval Realms’, which is predominately a study of England during the middle ages. In Geography, students study ‘My Places’, map skills, hazards, development and environmental issues. In Religious Studies, students study three key topics, one in each term. The subjects covered are modern festivals and celebrations, places of worship in the UK and overseas and a case study of Islam.

Year 8: In History, students study society in Early Modern England, comprising of the Tudor and Stuart monarchies, along with the British Empire and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In Geography students study tropical rainforests, globalisation, rivers, national parks, seaside towns and sustainability. In Religious Studies students study issues relating to multi-faith Britain, persecution, prejudice and racism, the life of Jesus and the start of Christianity and how a person’s faith affects their attitude to caring for the environment.

Year 9: This is a transition year to GCSE courses; in both History and Geography, students will begin studying GCSE topics prior to Key Stage 4. In History, students study the 20th Century World, with in-depth studies of Russia 1900-1953 and the Cold War, including a case study about the war in Vietnam. In Geography students study cold environments, the ‘Urban World’, urban sustainability, ecosystems and hot deserts. In Religious Studies students begin the year with an in depth study of Jewish persecution during the Holocaust. They then follow a programme which focusses their attention on contemporary ethical issues and how religious believers respond to these. For example, what is the role of marriage in the 21st century and should we use animals in medical research?

History:

Edexcel https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/history-2016.html

GCSE History is 100% examination assessed, with 3 separate examinations.

Units are: Medicine and Treatment c1250-present day, with a case study about medical treatment of soldiers on the Western Front, 1914-18, The American West c1845-c1890, Early Elizabethan England 1558-1585 and Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-39.

Geography:

AQA   https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse

GCSE Geography is 100% examination assessed, with 3 separate examinations.

Units include: Tropical rainforests, Coasts, Resource management, Water management, Development Gap, ‘Newly Emerging Economies’, Changing UK Economy, Urban Change in the UK, Hazards both climatic and tectonic, Weather, Climate Change and Rivers. Students are also taken out on fieldwork where they conduct data collection for the fieldwork element of the exam. This also gives them a valuable learning experience where they get to ‘experience’ the geography they have been learning about.

Religious Studies:

GCSE Religious Studies is 100% examination assessed with 2 separate examinations.

Paper 1: Four key topics: Christian beliefs, Christian practices, Jewish Beliefs and Jewish Practices

Paper 2: Four key topics: Relationships and families, crime and punishment, religion and life and the existence of God.

AQA: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062/specification-at-a-glance

History:

Edexcel https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/history-2015.html

A Level History is 80% examination assessed, with 3 separate examinations and 20% coursework assessed.

Units are: The USA c1918-c1996, with a case study about the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, India c1914-c1948, The British Experience of Warfare c1700-c1914 and the coursework focuses on the historiographical debate around Adolf Hitler’s role as leader of Germany 1933-45.

Geography:

AQA https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/as-and-a-level

A Level Geography is

80% examination assessed, with 2 different exams and 20% coursework assessed.

Units are: Unit 1 – Physical Geography – Carbon and water cycle, Coasts and hazards. Unit 2 – Human Geography – Global systems and governance, Changing places and Contemporary urban environment environments. Component 3 – Fieldwork investigation, comprising of an individual investigation conducted by the student which relates to any part of the specification content.

Religious Studies:

A Level Religious Studies is 100% examination assessed and consists of 3 separate units of work:

Component 1: Philosophy of religion

Students study philosophical language and thought, and issues and questions raised by belief.

Component 2: Religion and ethics

Students explore key concepts and the works of influential thinkers, ethical theories and their application.

Component 03: Students study the developments in Christian thought.

OCR: https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce/religious-studies-h173-h573-from-2016/specification-at-a-glance/

At Key Stage 3 assessment is at the end of each unit studied in History, Geography and Religious Studies. The assessments build on skills required for the GCSE courses; including command terms that students will need to be familiar with at Key Stage 4. Assessments also develop extended writing skills of students in preparation for Humanities GCSE subjects.

At Key Stage 4 students are given regular opportunities to practise examination questions, which are assessed in a variety of ways. Mock examinations are built into the two year course to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in preparation for examinations at the end of Year 11.

At Key Stage 5 students are given regular opportunities to practise examination questions, which are assessed in a variety of ways. Where there are coursework components, students are encouraged to develop independent study skills e.g. reading in preparation for coursework completion in the summer between Year 12 and 13. Mock examinations are built into the two year course to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in preparation for examinations at the end of Year 13.

The Humanities department run a number of lunchtime and after-school study support and revision sessions for examination groups. Please contact Mrs. Kenway for up-to-date details of such sessions.