Syllabus framework

The syllabus framework comprises two inter-linking parts as follows:

1. Working with evidence
2. Topics for study

Part I: Working with evidence

a) Introduction: history and the historian

b) A documents-based study

c) A research study.

• Students will be given a preliminary introduction to the nature of history and the work of the historian. This will form the basis for future work on the topics, on the documents-based study and on the research study.
• Students will undertake a documents-based study of one of the syllabus topics as the primary means of developing their skills in working with evidence.
• Students will undertake a research study of a significant historical subject as a means of developing further their skills in working with evidence and as the primary means of developing their research skills.

Part II: Topics for study

The topics are arranged in two discrete fields of study: Early Modern, 1492-1815; Later Modern, 1815-1993.

• Students will study topics from one of the fields of study.
  Within each field of study, there are six topics from Irish history and six from the history of Europe and the wider world.
• Students will study two topics from Irish history and two from the history of Europe and the wider world from the selected field of study.
  Two topics will be prescribed for documents-based study: one from the Early Modern field of study and one from the Later Modern field of study.
• Students will engage in a documents-based study of the prescribed topic from their selected field of study.

The syllabus framework is presented in a table below.

Differentiation

The syllabus is designed to be taught at both Ordinary and Higher levels. The levels are differentiated through the specification of learning outcomes. There are outcomes relating to Part I: Working with evidence and a further set of generic outcomes for Part II: Topics for study.

Topics

While students at both levels will study the same topics, for Ordinary level students a particular emphasis will be placed on the key personalities and the case studies associated with their topics. Higher level students will be expected to study all aspects of topics to a greater depth and to develop a greater level of conceptual understanding.

Assessment

Further differentiation is achieved through the assessment components employed:

• In the research study, a greater awareness of the broader historical context and a higher level of analysis and/or evaluation will be expected of Higher level students.
• The terminal examination paper for Ordinary level students will differ significantly in terms of format and questioning from that at Higher level. The general questions at Ordinary level will be driven by a stimulus (e.g. a picture or map) and a variety of question types will require responses of variable length.
• While the same format will apply to the documentsbased question at the two levels, the weighting of marks will differ and greater critical skills will be required at Higher level.

I: Working with evidence

A. Introduction -- history and the historian

The principle underlying the syllabus is that the study of history should be regarded as an exploration of what historians believe to have happened, based on enquiry into available evidence. To introduce this principle and to encourage its application throughout the student's study of the course, a preliminary exploration of the following should be undertaken with the student:

What is history?

• The different meanings attached to the word "history" - the past itself, surviving evidence from the past, written histories
• The provisional nature of historical knowledge - an interpretation of available evidence.

The historian at work

• The role of evidence in historical research and historical writing
• The main varieties of historical evidence
• The main repositories of historical evidence
• How the historian interrogates a body of evidence
• The different stages of historical research
• The pursuit of objectivity
• The historian's readiness to revise his/her understanding of events in the light of new evidence or new insights
• The complex nature of historical change and the challenge of explaining its dynamics.

The insights gained from this preliminary study should be constantly reinforced throughout the course. An awareness of the nature of the subject and the role of the historian should be evident in subsequent work on the topics and on the documents-based and research studies.

B. The Documents-based Study

For each examination, the examining authority will prescribe two topics for documents-based study: one from the Early Modern field of study and one from the Later Modern field of study. These topics will be rotated periodically.

The documents to be studied will relate to the case studies listed for each topic. This will help students to develop the evidence-handling skills identified in the list of course objectives.

The availability of appropriate documents will be a key consideration in the prescription of topics for documents-based study.

C. The Research Study

Purpose of the study

The research study aims to develop in students a spirit of inquiry about the past and a range of skills that will facilitate the conduct of the inquiry. It allows students to engage in a measure of self-directed learning that is grounded in the procedural values of the historian.

Criteria

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

When choosing a subject for the research study, the following criteria are to be taken into account:

• The subject for investigation must be clearly defined. Its focus should be narrow rather than broad so as to allow for depth of investigation.
• Sources used should be either primary or specialist secondary.
• At Ordinary level, a minimum of TWO sources should be used; at Higher level, THREE (or more) sources should be used.
• The subject chosen is to be of historical significance. A wide range of possibilities is envisaged, including local history and historiographical studies. A more detailed breakdown of suitable subject matter may be found in the Teacher Guidelines.
• The subject chosen should not be obscure or trivial. It should be based on information that may be readily authenticated.

Format of the study

Each student will compile a report on the results of his/her research study. The report will be submitted to the examining authority for marking. The report will have three components, as follows:

• The outline plan: this will define and justify the proposed subject of study, identifying the aims, the intended approach and the sources to be consulted.
• The evaluation of the sources: this will indicate the relevance of the sources to the subject of the study and comment on their strengths and weaknesses.
• The extended essay: This will set down the main findings and conclusions arrived at by the student. It should include a review of the process undertaken and how useful that process was in achieving the aims laid down in the outline plan. Coherence of structure is required: the essay should have a clear introduction and conclusion, and, in between, a line of logical development.

Working with evidence: learning outcomes

A: Introduction - history and the historian

B: The documents-based study

C: The research study

While it is expected that the following outcomes will inform all aspects of the student's course of study, they will be assessed mainly through the documents-based study and the research study.

On completing this part of the syllabus, students at both levels should be able to

• show understanding of the role of evidence in the writing of history. Their understanding should encompass such aspects as: the difference between source and evidence, how the historian evaluates evidence, the fact that evidence may be open to more than one interpretation
• identify such different types of historical sources as eyewitness accounts, public records, memoirs, letters, maps, photographs and political cartoons
• interpret a range of historical sources of the types identified above and answer questions relating to their provenance, their purpose and their usefulness
• draw conclusions from historical sources and use these conclusions to help form judgements about historical issues
• display an awareness of objectivity in their own writing by striving to be fair-minded and unbiased
• undertake a piece of research in accordance with the appropriate listed skills. These include the ability to locate historical data from a number of sources, to evaluate the data, to collate relevant data and to present findings in a well-structured format.

In addition to the above, students at Higher level should also be able to

• explain how the word "history" is variously used to describe the past itself, surviving evidence from the past and written histories
• explain which types of historical sources are found in archives, libraries and museums
• identify the main strengths and limitations of different sources by asking appropriate questions relating to such aspects as the purpose for which they were produced, the motives of the person(s) who produced them, their historical context and their relevance to the event(s) and issue(s) being studied
• recognise the provisional nature of historical knowledge -- that written histories are an interpretation of available evidence and that new evidence may alter our historical understanding
• show understanding of the broader historical context of research findings.

II: Topics for study

Layout

The layout of the topics is as follows:

• Each topic has specified date parameters. Students are not required to study every significant development within the date parameters but, rather, those aspects of the topics that are set down in the list of elements.
• Each topic is studied from a range of perspectives. For a majority of topics, this involves the study of the following aspects of a topic: politics and administration; society and economy; culture, religion and science.
• Each topic has three associated case studies, each of which involves an in-depth investigation of a particularly significant or representative aspect of an element of the topic.
• Each topic has a list of key personalities and key concepts. The intention here is to improve the clear delineation of content and to facilitate differentiation of requirements for Higher and Ordinary level students.

Topics for study - list

Early Modern field of study

Irish history, 1494-1815

1. Reform and Reformation in Tudor Ireland, 1494-1558
2. Rebellion and conquest in Elizabethan Ireland, 1558-1603
3. Kingdom versus colony - the struggle for mastery in Ireland, 1603-1660
4. Establishing a colonial ascendancy, 1660-1715
5. Colony versus kingdom ­ tensions in mid-18th century Ireland, 1715-1770
6. The end of the Irish kingdom and the establishment of the Union, 1770-1815

History of Europe and the wider world, 1492-1815

1. Europe from Renaissance to Reformation, 1492-1567
2. Religion and power ­ politics in the later sixteenth century, 1567-1609
3. The eclipse of Old Europe, 1609-1660
4. Europe in the age of Louis XIV, 1660-1715
5. Establishingempires,1715-1775
6. Empires in revolution, 1775-1815

Later Modern fiels of study

Irish history, 1815-1993

1. Ireland and the Union, 1815-1870
2. Movements for political and social reform, 1870-1914
3. The pursuit of sovereignty and the impact of partition, 1912-1949
4. The Irish diaspora, 1840-1966
5. Politics and society in Northern Ireland, 1949-1993
6. Government, economy and society in the Republic of Ireland, 1949-1989

History of Europe and the wider world, 1815-1992

1. Nationalism and state formation in Europe, 1815-1871
2. Nation states and international tensions, 1871-1920
3. Dictatorship and democracy, 1920-1945
4. Division and realignment in Europe, 1945-1992
5. European retreat from empire and the aftermath, 1945-1990
6. The United States and the world, 1945-1989

Topics for study - learning outcomes

In the case of each of the topics they have studied - and having due regard to the defined parameters - students at both levels should be able to:

• recall the main events as set down in the listed elements and, with particular reference to important changes identified therein, show a basic understanding of the main causes and consequences
• recognise that historical study is concerned not just with the powerful and influential but also with the ordinary and the anonymous
• recall the issues and event(s) highlighted in the three case studies for each of the topics studied and give a narrative account of these
• look at a contentious or controversial issue from more than one point of view, with particular reference to the issues highlighted in the case studies
• describe in some detail the role of a number of key personalities in respect of the listed elements and address such aspects as: the manner in which the key personality influenced, or was influenced by, the events described; whether the key personality was a participant in or witness to the events; different contemporary attitudes towards the key personality.

In addition to the above, Higher level students should also be able to:

• recall the main issues and events as set down in the listed elements and, with particular reference to important changes identified therein, show a good understanding of the main causes and consequences
• recall the issues and event(s) highlighted in the three case studies for each of the topics studied and give a discursive account of these
• evaluate the role of the key personalities in relation to the main issues and events set down in the listed elements. Where appropriate, their evaluation should indicate an awareness of current as well as contemporary attitudes towards the key personality
• show understanding of the relevance of the key concepts to the topic in question.