Elective Modern Studies is open to all students.  

COURSE CONTENT – What will I learn?
The aim of Modern Studies is to provide students with an awareness of the world we live in today. The course examines a wide range of issues which affect individuals and groups of people right across the world. It is our hope that by studying these issues you will come to embrace the values of wisdom, compassion, justice and integrity, as well as essential skills such as critical thinking, presenting information, evaluating, essay-writing, debating and literacy. 
The skills that you will learn through this course will be useful to you at college, university or in work, but will also enable you to become a responsible citizen and an effective contributor in our modern world.  

 

During the S2/3 course you will be studying a total of six units: 

S2:

• Life in the UK – you will learn about the various social, economic and political issues that make up Life in the UK in the 21st century, such as work, education, health and devolution.
  
• Local Issues – this unit will focus on the specific problems social issues that face citizens growing up in the Scottish Borders. You will study issues such as Climate Change and Anti-Social behaviour.
  
• Europe – you will look at the continent of Europe, focusing on issues such as crime, immigration and the military using different countries as case studies. We will also look at the European Union and its relevance to Britain in a post-Brexit world. 

S3:

• The Conflict in Syria – this unit looks at the causes, impact and consequences of the conflict in Syria. This includes an in-depth look at the rise of ISIS as well as the various attempts by international organisations to resolve this conflict. 
  
• Media – in this unit we look at the role of the media in a free society as well as the issues journalists face in investigating and reporting news stories in dictatorships. 
  
• Human Rights in China – as China continues to become more powerful we will study Human Rights more generally before looking at a variety of Human Rights issues in China. This will include a look at the Uighur Muslims and the recent protests in Hong Kong.  

 

TEACHING METHODS – How will I learn?  
In the Modern Studies department we use a variety of teaching methods. You will be working as an individual much of the time, but often in pairs, groups or as a whole class. You will be asked to complete a wide range of tasks, including written tasks, presentations, posters, role-plays, debates and online research. Your teachers will make your learning as active and fun as possible. Ipads will also be used and integrated into our learning as much as possible.  

 

ASSESSMENT AND HOMEWORK
Assessment in Modern Studies will focus on your knowledge and understanding, as well as thinking skills and research, evaluation and presentation skills. There will be some tests at the end of topics but will be opportunities to show what you have learned in other ways too – for example by doing investigations, projects or by acting in a short play!
Students are encouraged to be familiar with current affairs, either by reading a newspaper, watching news programmes on TV or reading news websites on the internet.  Regular homework will be set, increasing as the course progresses.  Modern Studies Department resources are available via Glow, which can be easily accessed from home.