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Studying History enables you to develop a wide range of academic and intellectual (thinking) skills, many of which can be applied to other subjects and more importantly in helping you to try to understand what is happening in the world today. We shall concentrate in this set of tasks and activities on one key skill in particular, that of creating a convincing argument using skills of analysis to reach a balanced judgement.
What person or event from history has inspired you?
Identify a person in history that you admire. Who are they and why do you admire them?
Provide details of their life and their achievements and explain what has drawn you to this person.
This could alternatively be about an event from history that fascinates you.
When you have found this, see if you can find any controversy associated with the person or event that you have already identified. Perhaps the person you admire has faults that often go unrecognised or the event in question may not have been as decisive or as important as many assume.
The A level history course at Alton will develop your skills of evaluation and analysis across the two years and this activity will be a useful introduction to these elements. If you cannot find a controversy surrounding the figure or event you have selected, you could yourself identify and explain a shortcoming or make a criticism and explain it.
Find at least two sources that reference your chosen event or person. These can be from credible websites, books, magazines, or other sources if you are confident in their accuracy. What makes you think these are credible sources? Do these sources differ in their views? Which sources are more useful and why?
Summarise what you have found out and produce a summary of the person or event, the reason you are interested in this person or topic. Then identify, explain, and discuss their strengths and also make sure you discuss any weaknesses that have come to your attention. Finally make a judgement about this person or event and support it with evidence.
Julian Cawkell
We look forward to seeing you soon!
