ENTRY LEVEL – What do I need to do it?
You will normally be expected to have attained a pass at N5 Modern Studies, or another social subject, preferably at grade A or B.  Exceptional circumstances will be considered on their merits.

COURSE CONTENT –What will I learn?
There are three units (topics) for Higher:  

Unit I – Democracy in Scotland and the United Kingdom
In this unit you will learn about the current constitutional framework that governs Scotland and the UK. The unit will focus on four main areas – the UK’s Political system and Scotland’s part in it; the role of political representatives; voting systems; and participation in politics. 

Unit II – Social Issues in the UK 
In this unit you will study health and wealth inequalities in the UK. The unit will focus on the evidence and causes of social inequality; the impact of social inequality; government responses to tackle these inequalities; and finally gender and race issues in the UK. 

Unit III – International Issues – USA
This unit will focus on all aspects of the USA’s role as a world power. You will study the role of the USA in world affairs; the US political system; social and economic inequalities within the USA; and US government responses to tackle these inequalities.  

 

TEACHING METHODS – What will I do? 
In the Modern Studies department, we use a variety of teaching methods. You will be working as an independent individual much of the time, but often, also, in pairs, groups or as a whole class.   There is a great deal of reading and writing to be done for Higher Modern Studies.  Your teacher will have high expectations of your levels of personal effort.  Much of the course focuses on the development of essay-writing skills.  While factual knowledge is obviously important, Modern Studies also teaches you many skills that you will use at college and university or employment as well as in life in general, such as critical thinking, evaluating, essay writing, debating and arguing. 

 

ASSESSMENT  

	Higher
Added value	In Higher, the Added Value unit is known as the Assignment.  This is a written report on a Modern Studies topic of your choosing written under exam conditions with the aid of research materials that you have gathered independently.  This is marked by the SQA and it is worth 30 marks, which contributes towards your final Higher Modern Studies grade.
Exam	The examination for Higher Modern Studies has two papers.  Paper 1 is essay based and is worth 52 marks.  Paper 2 is skills based and is worth 28 marks.

 

HOMEWORK
You will be given regular homework for Higher Modern Studies. Higher students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning, organisation and homework and to do significant amounts of extra reading and preparation for the added value and class tests.  

 

PROGRESSION IN THE SENIOR PHASE
A pass in Higher Modern Studies could lead to Advanced Higher Modern Studies in S6. You may also consider progressing on to study Higher Politics.