Subject Co-ordinator: Duncan S Ferguson

Key Stage 3 Humanities and GCSE History

The Humanities programme at the Sylvia Young Theatre School covers a broad spectrum.

The history component covers the period from prehistory to 1945, with special topics focusing on the Roman Empire, the Medieval World, Islamic Civilization, British social and political history 1500-1945, the Renaissance, the French Revolution, the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions, and Europe 1900-1945.

GCSE History focuses on Medicine through Time and Germany 1918-1945.    

The chief focus is on the history of Britain, but European and world history are also covered. Important topics look at political, social, economic, religious and scientific developments as well as the traditional coverage of kings, queens and battles.

The Humanities programme integrates other disciplines. Geography covers human and physical geography, the structure of the Earth, how environments have shaped human life and how humans have shaped environments. Students focus on particular countries in order to understand different aspects of the subject, and the human and physical forces at work in the world.

Recent special topics have included flooding control in Bangladesh, economic development in Kenya, the Three Gorges Dam in China, water and desert management in the USA, and tropical rainforests in Ghana and Brazil. Attention is also paid to the cultures of the different societies studied: for example when looking at East Asia students will learn some elements of Chinese and Japanese.

Religious studies focus on different types of belief and the ways in which beliefs affect cultures and ethics. Students look at the great world religions beginning with the three main monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and then proceed to study one of these in greater depth.

The religions of South and East Asia are also covered: Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism

An awareness of different cultures and the connections between religions and cultures are important factors in the religious studies programme. Students learn about art, architecture and elements of languages during the religious studies course. For example, the Arabic script is introduced in the Islam topic and Sanskrit while studying Hinduism and Buddhism.

Students find the Humanities course rewarding, for the subject encourages an awareness of the diversity of the human race.