Syllabus Content

PART I OF THE SYLLABUS: WORKING WITH EVIDENCE

A: INTRODUCTION - HISTORY AND THE HISTORIAN

This introductory module looks at two key issues viz.

1. What is history? - a look at the different meanings that people attach to the word.
2. The historian at work - what his/her work involves.

WHAT IS HISTORY?

To grasp the nature and extent of the subject with which he/she is engaged, the student of Leaving Certificate history will need to be made aware of the different meanings attached to the word `history' and the provisional nature of historical knowledge. It may be helpful to focus on three common conceptions of `history'.

First of all, the word `history' is often used to describe the past itself ­ as in the expression, `That's history'. Secondly, the word is used to describe surviving evidence from the past: this is the meaning conveyed in the often heard claim that `we have history all around us'. Thirdly, the word is used to denote the process of enquiry in which historians and all students of history engage as well as the end products of that enquiry - most importantly, the written histories which form the canon of historical scholarship.

The student must be helped to understand that our knowledge of the past is provisional in that new evidence or new insights may lead to revision of the historical record and that a body of evidence may be interpreted differently by different historians.

The various meanings of the word `history', the role of evidence and the status of historical writing may be summarised thus:

The student's understanding of history will be greatly enhanced by an introduction to the ways in which historians work. This will also help to establish a context and a procedural approach for later work on the documents-based study and the research study.

THE HISTORIAN AT WORK

A preliminary consideration of the following aspects of the historian's work:

• that all historical writing is based on evidence
  What is meant by evidence, the distinction betweensource and evidence, the making of judgements basedon evidence
• the main varieties of historical evidence
  Public records, records of private institutions, letters,memoirs, eyewitness accounts
• the main repositories of historical evidence
  Archives, libraries, museums
• how the historian interrogates a body of evidence
  The questions an historian asks of a potential source ofevidence e.g.
  Who produced this? Why? For what purpose? When? Inwhat circumstances?
• the different stages of historical research
  Defining a problem or issue for investigation, locatingpotential sources of evidence, asking the right questionsof the sources, keeping a record of relevant data,collating one's findings, making reasoned judgementsbased on the evidence
• the pursuit of objectivity
  How the historian strives to be fair and unbiased in thepractice both of research and writing
• the historian's readiness to revise in the light of new evidence or new insights
  How new evidence can emerge or old evidence be re-interpreted; the historian's commitment to truth-seeking
• the complex nature of historical change and the challenge of explaining its dynamics
  The different rates of historical change and how theyinteract; how the historian endeavours to make sense ofinterweaving forces of change

This preliminary consideration of the historian's role should be constantly reinforced throughout the remainder of the student's course of study.

B: THE DOCUMENTS-BASED STUDY

This study provides the primary focus for the development of evidence-handling skills. In terms of assessment, it provides the basis for the documents-based question. Some of the methodological issues which arise will now be considered.

( A ) TEACHING THE PRESCRIBED TOPIC FOR DOCUMENTS-BASED STUDY

The topics prescribed for documents-based study have three associated case studies, which provide the principal focus for documents-based work. While the general manner in which the topic is taught will be similar to the teaching of the other topics, there will be much greater use of source materials especially in the teaching of the case studies. The teaching of the various elements of the topic will provide the student with a contextual framework that facilitates more informed analysis of the documents.

In most cases, the three case studies reflect the three perspectives i.e. one generally relates to politics and/or administration, one to society and/or economy, and one to culture and/or religion and/or science. Given the variety of subject matter, it is important that there should also be variety in the selection of historical sources to be used. While it is important to encounter and interpret political documents, a balanced selection of documents will help the student to understand that history has many facets and concerns the ordinary and the anonymous as well as the powerful and the celebrated.

( B ) INTERROGATING DOCUMENTS

The introductory work on `history and the historian' will provide a context for this study. In evaluating documents used in the documents-based study, the following elements of the introduction will need to be considered:

• the main varieties of historical evidence
  Public records, records of private institutions, letters,memoirs, eyewitness accounts
• how the historian interrogates a body of evidence
  The questions an historian asks of a potential source ofevidence e.g.
  Who produced this? Why? For what purpose? When? Inwhat circumstances?

Drawing on the above elements, a series of general questions such as the following can be usefully applied to the consideration of all historical documents

• What type of source is the document?
  Is it an official record? An eyewitness account? Apersonal memoir?
• Who produced the document?
  What do we know about the person? Are any personalbiases evident? The more we know about the author, themore we are in a position to pass judgement on thereliability of her/his evidence.
• Why was this document produced?
  For what purpose was it produced? Was it intended as afaithful record of events? Can any ulterior motive bediscerned?
• In what circumstances was this document produced?
  Was the author a free agent or acting under duress?Was it produced during a time of peace or a time ofwar?
• When was this document produced?
  Was it produced at the time of the events that form itssubject matter? Was it produced many years after thoseevents? Since the attitudes and assumptions of people inpast centuries can be very different from our own, isthere any background information we need to assess thecontent of the document?
  Some other, relevant questions may also need to beasked of the document e.g.
• What can this document tell me? What questions canit answer? What questions can it not answer?
  How relevant is this document to the subject of myenquiry? How reliable is the evidence it provides? Whatare its limitations?

It is important to emphasise that documents may be either visual or written and that `written' is defined as including transcripts of radio and T.V. interviews and oral testimony. Also, some documents may have visual and written elements e.g. a political cartoon. A series of approaches to the interrogation of different types of historical sources will be found on pages 24-32.

(c) ASSESSMENT

In undertaking written work on the analysis of documents, questions should be carefully framed to develop students' historical skills and understanding. The approaches set out on pages 24-32 should be helpful in this regard. The following framework should also prove useful and will be the format applied to the documents-based question in the terminal examination.

Section 1 Comprehension

Students are required to extract relevant data from documentsto answer questions that are designed to test theirunderstanding of a passage or their interpretation of a visualsource

Section 2 Comparison

Students are required to compare two or more accounts of thesame historical experience and to note similarities andcontrasts.

Section 3 Criticism

Students are required to recognise bias and propaganda; tonote viewpoint; to identify contradictions; to makejudgements about the reliability of various sources.

Section 4 Contextualisation

Students are required to place the subject matter of thedocuments in their historical context; to show understandingof issues and events associated with that period as outlined inthe elements of the topic.

C: THE RESEARCH STUDY

The research study involves the study of a subject of historical significance chosen by the student, under the direction of the teacher.

The study provides the primary focus for the development of research skills. It also provides further experience in the collation and evaluation of evidence. Under the teacher's guidance, the student will engage in a measure of independent learning which encapsulates the fundamental principles of the syllabus and which is a core characteristic of the Leaving Certificate programmes.

For the core principle of independent learning to be realised, it is important that the specific subject chosen by each student in a class group should be unique to the individual student and that this uniqueness should be reflected in the title of the study.

The report on the research study will account for 20% of the total marks. (The remaining 80% will be allocated to the terminal examination.) The report will be pre-submitted to the examining authority.

CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF SUITABLE SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

1. The subject of the study must be clearly defined. Experience teaches that problems invariably arise where there is a lack of clarity in the title. The focus of the study should be narrow rather than broad so as to allow for depth of investigation. Since the student is conducting her/his own research, it is important that the canvas is not spread too wide; the research study is the student's `specialised subject' and it is important that its range be realistic and in-depth.
2. Sources used may be primary, secondary or a combination of the two. In cases where published works by historians are available, at least one such work should be consulted. Standard school textbooks will not be regarded as suitable sources for the purposes of the research study. Teachers will need to monitor the use of primary source materials. The evidence-handling skills developed in the course of the documents-based study will assist students in their evaluation of primary sources.
3. An important criterion in the selection of a subject for research study is that the subject chosen is to be of historical significance. As indicated in the syllabus document, a wide range of possibilities is envisaged including local history and historiographical studies. The subject chosen is likely to fit into one of the following categories:
   1. the contribution of an individual to a particular episode or event or movement. (If the individual is one whose career is covered elsewhere in the
   2. student's course, then the focus should be on an aspect of that contribution.)
   3. an important scientific or technological change
   4. a local manifestation of a national movement or phenomenon
   5. a historical incident that was an important cause of change
   6. a historically significant local study.

While not intended to be exclusive, the following categories may be deemed more suitable for Higher level students:

• study of the historical significance of a particular episode or event or movement
• study of the historical significance of the activities of a particular individual (activities to include writings, speeches)
• study of the work of a particular historian
• study of the historical treatment of a particular event or problem
• study of methodological developments in history i.e. a study of the techniques and concepts employed by particular schools of history e.g. economic historians, family historians, local historians or women's historians.

4. It must be emphasised that great care is needed in the selection of a subject and that the choice should be made in consultation with the teacher. The student has to justify the proposed subject in her/his outline plan and this plan will be submitted to the teacher in the first instance. It is imperative that the student does not undertake substantive work on the research study until the teacher has approved the submitted plan. It is in this way that the choice of unsuitable, obscure or trivial subjects can best be avoided.

5. It is important that all sources used may be readily authenticated. For this reason, the fullest possible identification should be given. In the case of published written sources, the following information should be provided as a minimum: title, author and publisher. In the case of internet-sourced material, full URL information and pagination details should also be provided. (See also pages 53-54.) Students may also be required to submit a hard copy of the relevant section(s) of the file(s) accessed.

FORMAT OF THE RESEARCH STUDY REPORT

The report has three components:

1. The outline plan
2. The evaluation of the sources
3. The extended essay

It is envisaged that neither the outline plan nor the evaluation of the sources will exceed one A4 page. In the case of the extended essay, the length envisaged is c.1000 words for Ordinary level students and c.2000 words for Higher level students.

1. The outline plan: Here, the student must define and justify the proposed subject of study. The teacher will adjudicate on the feasibility of what is proposed. The student needs to identify clearly the aims and the intended approach, including the sources to be consulted. The teacher's professional guidance is of key importance at this point.

2. The evaluation of the sources: The student will require some guidance in evaluating her/his sources. The relevance of the sources to the subject of the study will need to be established. In assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the sources it may be useful for students to consider a set of questions such as the following:

• Does the source provide detailed information on thesubject of my study? Is the information providedreliable? Is the author a participant, an eyewitnessor a historian?
• What is the viewpoint of the author? Is there anyevidence of bias? Does the author's stance appear tobe reasonably objective?
• In terms of the information I require for my research,how comprehensive is the source? Does it deal withonly some aspect(s) of the subject underinvestigation?
• Is the presentation jargon-ridden or user-friendly?

3. The extended essay: This is the most substantial of the three components. In it, the student sets down her/his main findings and conclusions. Students are also to include a review of the process undertaken ­ reading of the sources (or relevant sections thereof), note-taking, collating information etc. - and a review of how useful that process was in achieving the aims laid down in the outline plan. Findings should be laid out in a coherent manner, with a clear introduction and conclusion and a line of logical development in between. Adherence to these structural parameters will have benefits for student, teacher and examiner:

• the student has a clear framework on which to frame her/his extended essay
• the teacher can teach the class as a group how to lay out their extended essays in accordance with this common framework
• the examiner will find it easier to evaluate the extended essays where a common framework has been applied.

PART II OF THE SYLLABUS: TOPICS FOR STUDY

Students study two topics relating to the history of Ireland and two relating to the history of Europe and the wider world. The topics are grouped in two discrete fields of study, each with an equal number of Irish history topics and an equal number of topics from the history of Europe and the wider world. The parameters that apply to the choice of topics are set out below.

FIELD OF STUDY: EARLY MODERN OR LATER MODERN?

The topics for study are arranged in two fields of study:

• the early modern field of study, 1492-1815
• the later modern field of study, 1815-1993

Both fields of study contain 12 topics, 6 from Irish history and 6 from the history of Europe and the wider world.

Students study four topics in total, all from the same field of study: two Irish history topics and two relating to Europe and the wider world.

It is envisaged that the teacher will choose the preferred field of study in the light of such factors as her/his areas of expertise, the interests of her/his students and the availability of suitable resources.

The prescribed topic for documents-based study and thechoice of other topics

As indicated in the syllabus, two topics will be prescribed for documents-based study by the examining authority: one from the early modern field of study and one from the later modern field of study. The following topics from Irish history will be the first to be prescribed:

Early modern field of study - Topic 2: Rebellionand conquest in Elizabethan Ireland, 1558-1603
Later modern field of study - Topic 2: Movementsfor political and social reform, 1870-1914

Once the teacher has decided on the field of study, he/she has three further topics to choose:

• When the prescribed topic is from Irish history, one other Irish history topic is to be chosen from the remaining five. Similarly, the other two topics ­ from the history of Europe and the wider world ­ may be chosen from the six available in any combination that the teacher considers suitable.
• Similar parameters apply when the prescribed topic is from the history of Europe and the wider world i.e. one other topic from the history of Europe and the wider world is to be chosen, along with two from Irish history, and the teacher is free to choose whichever combinations he/she considers most appropriate.

It may be useful here to illustrate the above points by taking an example. Let us suppose that a teacher chooses the early modern field of study and that the prescribed topic is from Irish history, Topic 2 [Rebellion and conquest in Elizabethan Ireland, 1558-1603]. The following are some of the options that the teacher might consider in choosing the second Irish history topic:

A teacher may decide that chronological continuity is important and that the opportunity to examine developments over a century or so makes either Topic 1 [Reform and Reformation in Tudor Ireland, 1494-1558] or Topic 3 [Kingdom v. colony - the struggle for mastery in Ireland, 1603-1660] a suitable choice. On the other hand, the opportunity to compare and contrast the causes and consequences of O'Neill's rebellion with those of the 1798 insurgents may prompt one to opt for Topic 6 [The end of the Irish kingdom and the establishment of the Union, 1770-1815]. Either approach is valid.

The teacher must then choose two topics relating to Europe and the wider world. The choice may be influenced or determined by any one of a number of different purposes e.g.

• a wish to examine contemporaneous developments in Europe
• a wish to present the wider European background to key developments in Ireland
• a wish to examine a number of different societies with different cultural and political imperatives

Ultimately, the decision on which topics to choose will be influenced by the availability of suitable resources; it is hoped that the range of choice on offer will encourage the production ­ by publishers and state agencies - of a wide range of resources and support materials.