History Syllabus for Junior Cycle

1. INTRODUCTION

At Junior Cycle, History should introduce young people to the Job of the historian, and to the sources and techniques which historians use to find out about the past. It should also provide young people with a wide tapestry of past events, issues, people and ways of llfe through which they can come to perceive patterns such as cause and consequence, change and continuity. It is in the past that they will find the roots of the contemporary world.
The Junior Certificate History syllabus which follows is designed to promote and accommodate this kind of learning. It contains a number of elements which are important to the study of History at Junior Cycle, outlined below.

Flexibility

The syllabus facilitates a variety of approaches to the teaching of history, e.g. use of a variety of types of historical sources, historical narrative and analysis, biographical studies, exploration of themes or issues, comparative studies and special studies. The content framework allows individual teachers to choose those areas most suitable to their students, and individual students to pursue special studies.

Variety of aspects

The syllabus explores a variety of aspects of life in the past poIitical, social, cultural, economic and technological.

Chronology

The syllabus framework is chronological in presentation, spanning prehistoric times to the present day. It also allows students to develop an understanding of a series of concepts, both procedural and substantive.

Developmental

Bearing in mind the 12-15 age-group for whom it is designed, the syllabus is developmental in nature. It moves from the simple to the more complex and from the concrete to the more abstract. It is presented in three sections which reflect this progression.

Irish History

Recognising the importance of education for citizenship and of developing an understanding of contemporary life in Ireland, a substantial part of the syllabus deals with Irish history. This study of Irish history is presented as an integral part of the wider themes of the syllabus.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 Aims

This syllabus aims to ensure that students:
2.1.1 Acquire knowledge of and understanding about human activity in the past
2.1.2 Understand the contemporary world through the study of the past
2.1.3 Develop conceptual understanding and the ability to think independently
2.1.4 Develop a range of skills essential for the study of history
2.1.5 Are encouraged to develop positive attitudes such as a commitment to objectivity and fairness, and an acceptance that people and events must be judged in the context of their values and time
2.1.6 Are encouraged to develop an interest and enthusiasm for history and a value of their heritage from the past

2.2Course objectives

The course objectives set out the knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes appropriate to the study of history.

2.2.1 Knowledge

Students should acquire information and develop understanding of
(a) The principal trends, issues and events of the History course studied
(b) The way in which individuals and institutions influence and are influenced by the sequence of events in time
(c) How the contemporary world has been shaped by the interaction of people and events in the past
(d) The nature and use of historical sources

2.2.2 Concepts

Students should develop an understanding of and the ability to apply the procedural and substantive concepts essential to the study of history.
(a) Procedural

Source
Evidence
Chronology
Opinion/fact
Bias/objectivlty
Propaganda

(b) Substantive
(i) General

Change and continuity
Cause and consequence
Comparison and contrast
Conflict and conciliation
Power and authority
Culture and civilisation

(ii) Specific (i.e. specific to the study of individual topics), e.g.

Home and family
Work and leisure
Technology
Trade
Revolution
Democracy
Human rights

2.2.3 Skills

Students should develop the skills essential to the research and writing of history. They should learn to:
(a) Locate historical information from a variety of sources, e.g.

Primary and secondary written sources
Statistics
Visual material
Artefacts, buildings, settlements and other material sources
Orally transmitted information

(b) Select relevant information to answer historical questions
(c) Record this information, e.g. by note-taking, categorising, summarising etc.
(d) Examine critically this information, e.g. distinguish between fact and opinion, detect deficiencies such as gaps, inconsistencies and bias
(e) Synthesise, e.g. assemble in logical sequence, follow a line of argument, offer explanations
( f ) Present and communicate in a variety of ways, e.g. written, graphic and oral

2.2.4 Attitudes

The teaching/learning of History should be informed throughout by the procedural values of the historian: students should therefore develop the disposition:
(a) To be thorough in the collecting and accurate in the recording of historical information
(b) To accept that individuals and events must be understood in their historical context
(c) To ensure that historical narrative is consistent with the evidence while recognising that the available evidence may be open to more than one valid interpretation
(d) To recognise that historical knowledge is tentative and incomplete and therefore subject to revision or reinterpretation in the light of new evidence and/or insights

3. STRUCTURE OF SYLLABUS

3.1 Framework

The syllabus is divided into three sections.
Section I – How we find out about the past

Introduction
Our roots in ancient civilisation
Castle, church and city
Renaissance

Section II – Studies of change

Exploration
Reformation
Plantation in Ireland
Revolutionary movements
From farm to factory

Section III – Understanding the modern world

Political developments in Ireland in the late 19th century and the 20th century
Social change in the 20th century
International relations in the 20th century

3.2Levels

This syllabus may be studied at two levels, Ordinary and Higher.
The framework above is common to both levels· The different requirements for Ordinary and Higher Levels within this framework are indicated as footnotes in the course description which follows.

3.3Course description

In the course description which follows the syllabus is presented in a three-column table.
Column 1 – lists the topics within each section.
Column 2 – describes each topic and the contexts in which it is studied.
Column 3 – indicates the approaches recommended for teaching each topic.

SECTION 1: HOW WE FIND OUT ABOUT THE PAST
Topic	Description	Approach
Introduction	A study of: The job of the historian	General introduction to historical methods (to be exemplified further throughout the course). Exploration of different types of sources and evidence.
Our roots in ancient civilisation	A study of: Houses, food and family life Work, art, crafts and tools Burial customs in pre-Chrisian and early Christian Ireland and in ancient civilisation.	Study based on archaeological evidence.
Castle, church and city	A study of: Medieval society The medieval city and manor The medieval castle The medieval monastery and parish Local, national and European examples can be used as appropriate.	Study based on buildings, settlements and other material sources.
Renaissance	A study of: Art Architecture Printing and learning in various countries across Europe	Study based on visual sources and biography

Section II: STUDIES OF CHANGE
Topic	Description	Approach
Changes in European view of the world:	General Study: Why people wanted new sea routes What made the voyages possible The main consequences of these voyages
Exploration	Special Study: An account of one explorationindicates the approaches recommended for teaching each topic.
Religious change:	General Study: Why the Reformation occurred How different people went about reform The main consequences of the Reformation	Exploring different kinds of change through: Understanding of cause and consequence Use of appropriate documentary sources Speical studies
Reformation	Speical Study: Life of one Reformer and the effect he had
Changes in land ownership:	General Study: Why the land changed hands How the land changed hands Main consequences, immediate and long-term, of the change in land ownership – e.g. politics, culture, religion
Plantation	Special Study: One Plantation in Ireland
Political change:	General Study: Background: sources of discontent in pre-revolutionary America, France and Ireland Revolutionary movements in America, France and Ireland, late 18th and early 19th centuries Consequences of these revolutions
Revolutionary Movements	Special Study: Life of one revolutionary in America, France or Ireland
Social change:	General Study: Background: agricultural society in the 18th century Factors which made the agricultural and industrial revolutions possible Effects of changes in industry and agriculture on people’s lives (e.g. living and working conditions, migration, emigration etc.)
From farm to factory	Special Study: Contrasting life styles c. 1850: – Industial England and – Rural Ireland

Students studying this syllabus at Ordinary Level say concentrate on the Special Studies, as indicated in column 2 above in bold type
Students studying the syllabus at Higher Level will be expected to explore, in addition, the more general aspects of each topic, as indicated above.

SECTION III: UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN WORLD
Topic	Description	Approach
Political developments in Ireland in the late 19th century and in the 20th century	Overview of the main political events which influenced contemporary Ireland	Chronological overview
Social change in the 20th century	Changing life-styles in Ireland from c.1900 (a study of changes in the local area or national study) Changing life-styles in a contrasting society (USA ~ USSR)	Analysis of social change in different contexts.
International relations in the 20th century	1920 – 1945: Peace and war in Europe 1945 – Present: The rise of the Superpowers or Moves towards European unity or African and Asian nationalism	Studies of the sources of conflict and strategies to resolve them

Students studying this syllabus at Ordinary Level will study two of the above topics as follows:

either

Political developments in Ireland
and
International relations in the 20th century

Social change in the 20th century
and
International relations in the 20th century

Students studying the syllabus at Higher Level will study all three of the above topics.

4. ASSESSENT

4.1 Assessment Objectives

Assessment will test the extent to which candidates can demonstrate the following:

4.1.1 Knowledge and understanding of:

the principal trends, issues and events specified in the syllabus
the influence of and interaction between individuals and institutions in the historical periods specified the nature and use of historical sources the procedural concepts listed in the syllabus
the general and specific substantive concepts listed in the syllabus

4.1.2 An ability to:

recall historical information relating to the above in its chronological setting use historical terms
use and interpret information from a variety of sources, including
- primary and secondary written sources statistics visual material
- artefacts, buildings, settlements and other material sources
- orally transmitted information
select relevant information to answer historical questions examine critically historical information, e.g. distinguish fact from opinion, detect such deficiencies as gaps, inconsistencies and bias
synthesise information, e.g. assemble in logical sequence, follow a line of argument, offer explanations present and communicate information and ideas in a variety of ways, including written, graphic and oral
apply their understanding of the historical concepts and procedures in dealing with historical issues

4.2 Assessment at two levels

This syllabus will be assessed at two levels, Ordinary and Higher.

4.3 Assessment modes

Assessment will take the form of a terminal written examination. Provision may be made for a school-based component for those schools which wish to avail themselves of this option.