Introduction:

Modern Studies helps to give learners a better insight into our society. Through this course, learners will study society and gain a clearer understanding of important ideas, such as conflict and democracy, rights & responsibilities and equality. The Course will also develop the skills to help pupils understand the social and political processes they will come up against in the future. In the world we currently live in, with all of its social & political challenges and uncertainties, Modern Studies helps build a greater confidence in pupils as they begin to participate more in the world around them.

The National 4 & 5 Modern Studies Courses build on the work pupils have covered in their broad general education, largely from the experiences and outcomes in Social Studies – People in society.

Entry Requirements:

National 4

To do the course pupils will either have completed the National 3 Modern Studies Course or have shown an acceptable level of progress in the relevant experiences and outcomes from Social Studies.

National 5

To do the course pupils will either have completed the National 4 Modern Studies Course or have shown an acceptable level of progress in the relevant experiences and outcomes from Social Studies.

Course Outline

The N4 course has four mandatory Units, including an Added Value Unit. All Units are internally assessed on a pass/fail basis. There is no final exam at the end of the course.

The Units are as follows:

* Democracy in Scotland & the UK – Scotland

* Social Issues in the UK – Crime and Law

* International Power – USA

* Added Value Unit

Aims & Methods:

The main aims of the course are to enable learners to develop:

* a range of research and information handling skills

* straightforward understanding of the democratic process

* straightforward understanding of social and economic issues at local, Scottish, national and international levels and ways of addressing needs and inequalities

* awareness of different views about the extent of state involvement in society

* awareness of the nature and processes of conflict resolution

* understanding of human/legal rights & responsibilities & their application in different societies

Through the skills and content of this course, learners will develop a better understanding of the democratic political system and the emphasis on the evaluation of sources and decision-making will develop thinking skills.

All of this will be done using a variety of methods on a day to day basis, including the use of IT, relevant forms of media and individual and group research tasks.

Homework:

This will be given on a regular basis and will take various forms, such as short answer questions, more detailed Knowledge and Skills based questions & a variety of research activities.

Course Assessment:

To achieve the National 4 Modern Studies Course, learners must pass all of the required Units, including the Added Value Unit. There is no external exam and National 4 Courses are not graded.

Added Value Unit:

The National 4 course includes assessment of ‘added value’ & at National 4 added value will be assessed in a specific Added Value Unit. Pupils will apply the skills, knowledge and understanding they have gained during the course to research and present information in the form of an assignment. This will be on a topic of their choosing, which relates to an aspect of work they have covered in class throughout the year. When pupils have carried out their research, they will come in and write up their findings.

The N5 course has three units of work to be covered and they are assessed by a course assessment – see below