NATIONAL 5 MODERN STUDIES Torry Academy National 5

NATIONAL 5 MODERN STUDIES Torry Academy

National 5 Modern Studies • Pupils will have 4 periods (two doubles) each week • Pupils will study 3 different topics • Pupils will learn to answer knowledge and understanding (KU) questions and skills questions • Pupils will complete their own assignment

Course Details Pupils will study 3 different topics Political Issue International Issue Social Issue Democracy in Scotland The USA Crime and the Law June - July (5 weeks) + August September December January - March

In order to pass National 5 Modern Studies pupils must complete three areas of assessment: Unit Outcomes Assignment The Exam

How pupils will be assessed. Unit Outcomes Pupils need to pass ‘unit outcomes’ • Each topic has 2 outcomes that pupils must pass • Pupils will need to produce evidence that they have achieved the outcome • Examples: written questions, homework, a script from a presentation.

How pupils will be assessed – The Assignment Worth 25% of a pupil’s final grade (out of 20 marks) • Pupils will choose their own topic, research it and write it in exam conditions in one hour. • Pupils will need to put a lot of effort into this in order to get a good grade

How pupils will be assessed – Exam • Worth 75% of the final grade • The exam paper is out of 60 (20 marks per unit) • Each section will have 2 knowledge questions (4, 6 or 8 marks) and a skills question (8 or 10 marks) • Exam will last 1 hour 45 minutes

The course is graded A-D and this is determined by a pupil’s total mark for all the Course Assessments (Exam and Assignment)

Democracy in Scotland • Representation – How people are represented in Scotland. • Participation – Who participates in politics in Scotland? • Election Campaign – The process of a campaign and how people vote. • Influence – Pressure Groups: How do they influence decision makers?

The USA • Introduction to the USA: USA today. • USA Issues: American Dream, Immigration. • Political Issues: System of Government, President, Political Participation, Voting. • Social and Economic Issues: Education, Housing, Health, Crime, Family Structures and Poverty. • Government Responses: What is the government doing to help?

Crime and the Law • Introduction: What is crime/who decides what makes someone a criminal. • Different types of crime. • What are the causes/impact of crime? • Efforts to tackle crime (role of the police) • Laws regarding alcohol, drugs and road traffic offences • The criminal justice system in Scotland (High Court, Sheriff Court, District Court) • Scottish juvenile system: Children’s Hearings.