HIGHER

Entry Level:
Standard Grade Modern Studies at Credit Level.

Summary of Course Content
The course is divided into three x 40 hour units dealing with
(a) Political (b) Social and (c) International Issues.

Study Theme 1: Decision Making in Central Government.
This looks at Parliament, the Executive (i.e. the Prime Minister and Cabinet) and influences on the decision -making process (e.g. pressure groups).

Study Theme 2: The Electoral System, Voting and Political Attitudes. This involves studying different voting systems, trying to explain voting behaviour and looking at the influence of media.

Health Care in the UK
This unit looks at the NHS today, inequalities in health, private and state health care and involves a case study of the elderly and health care.

Study Theme 1: Ethnic Minorities in the USA
This looks at the distribution patterns of the main ethnic groups and the extent of their social, economic and political progress.

Study Theme 2: The Politics of Food
This looks at the reasons for and responses to food shortages in Africa (excluding the Republic of South Africa).

Assessment & Examinations
Each unit will be assessed internally by means of a written test. External assessment will consist of one exam paper of two hours 45 minutes, divided into two parts. In Part I, the pupil will be required to answer three questions, one from each unit, total marks 50. Part II will be a decision-making exercise based on Health Care in the UK. The exercise has two parts, the first a set of short evaluating questions for 10 marks and the second, a report worth 20 marks. Pupils must pass the three unit tests as well as the external exam to gain the award for the course.

Folio/Project Work:
None required.