View Full Version : Modern Studies
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 21:33
When did this subject become non-existent in the curriculum of schools?I pardon ma boast,but i have an O Grade,not a Standard Grade,in this subject and a Higher.The subject out of them all except for Maths,English and Art that made me think.It was in ma day,in the parallel of Geography and History,you could take one of the three after second year.Now it is nothing.We could speak about stereotypes,issues of the world today,politics,policing in our time.Now it is down to one period a week.When did it change?
When did this subject become non-existent in the curriculum of schools?I pardon ma boast,but i have an O Grade,not a Standard Grade,in this subject and a Higher.The subject out of them all except for Maths,English and Art that made me think.It was in ma day,in the parallel of Geography and History,you could take one of the three after second year.Now it is nothing.We could speak about stereotypes,issues of the world today,politics,policing in our time.Now it is down to one period a week.When did it change?It's been re-named post-modernism.
When did this subject become non-existent in the curriculum of schools?I pardon ma boast,but i have an O Grade,not a Standard Grade,in this subject and a Higher.The subject out of them all except for Maths,English and Art that made me think.It was in ma day,in the parallel of Geography and History,you could take one of the three after second year.Now it is nothing.We could speak about stereotypes,issues of the world today,politics,policing in our time.Now it is down to one period a week.When did it change?
For standard grades, you have the choice between Geography and History. At Higher, you have the choice to take Intermediate 1 modern studies (in Wick High School) which is not great for people who are capable of studying Int 2 or Higher. I have chosen Modern Studies this year but only to fill up my timetable as an extra subject to say that I've studied it. I think it's staffing that's the problem. It's History/ Geography teachers who teach it in Wick High, not an actual modern studies teacher and Wick High is not a registered centre for teaching Int 2 or Higher anyway which is disappointing.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 21:58
For standard grades, you have the choice between Geography and History. At Higher, you have the choice to take Intermediate 1 modern studies (in Wick High School) which is not great for people who are capable of studying Int 2 or Higher. I have chosen Modern Studies this year but only to fill up my timetable as an extra subject to say that I've studied it. I think it's staffing that's the problem. It's History/ Geography teachers who teach it in Wick High, not an actual modern studies teacher and Wick High is not a registered centre for teaching Int 2 or Higher anyway which is disappointing.
Cheers as always R.But this subject used to be in the same rank as History and Geography.If you passed your Higher in these three subjects,you could sit the Higher of the others the following year.Has PC gone that daft.Modern Studies was Geography and History entwined,the issues arising from history into peoples cultures and how we could explain those differences.Modern Studies made me think about History and the World,now it seems to be downgraded.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 22:02
It's been re-named post-modernism.
Ahh ye took geography!!!!!!:lol::lol:
Cheers as always R.But this subject used to be in the same rank as History and Geography.If you passed your Higher in these three subjects,you could sit the Higher of the others the following year.Has PC gone that daft.Modern Studies was Geography and History entwined,the issues arising from history into peoples cultures and how we could explain those differences.Modern Studies made me think about History and the World,now it seems to be downgraded.
I must say if I had the choice between Geography, History and Modern Studies, I'd most certainly choose Modern Studies. Unfortunately, there was no option for this at standard grade so I chose History and managed to get a grade 2 but I think If I had chosen modern studies, I'd have got a 1. Never mind, Int 1 should be easy this year, it's only going to be the equivilent of a general s.g. though. It's the staff that's the problem. Apparantly Wick High is going to be overstaffed this year but I think they're overstaffed in the wrong subjects.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 22:16
I must say if I had the choice between Geography, History and Modern Studies, I'd most certainly choose Modern Studies. Unfortunately, there was no option for this at standard grade so I chose History and managed to get a grade 2 but I think If I had chosen modern studies, I'd have got a 1. Never mind, Int 1 should be easy this year, it's only going to be the equivilent of a general s.g. though. It's the staff that's the problem. Apparantly Wick High is going to be overstaffed this year but I think they're overstaffed in the wrong subjects.
See when I passed Modern Studies in Higher,for my sixth year I took Higher History cos the parts of Modern Studies that intrigued me was the days that my previous generations brought to me.I learnt that previous folk in bygone days had brought me what I have today.
Modern studies introduced me to JFK,the Vietnam War,the Falklands.
Today I think if Modern Studies had kept its way,it would have introduced folk to Iraq,Afghanistan and the Industrial Revolutions in India and China.
Ahh ye took geography!!!!!!:lol::lol:And hisstory, (my history teacher used to Sssss his esses.):D
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 22:38
And hisstory, (my history teacher used to Sssss his esses.):D
Did he?If all you learnt from history was that your history teacher had a speach impediment.......................
Did he?If all you learnt from history was that your history teacher had a speach impediment.......................You should have heard him on about Mississippi during the civil war.
History is written by the victors they say.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 23:31
You should have heard him on about Mississippi during the civil war.
History is written by the victors they say.
History is written by the victors.But if ye spend a wee moment and listen to folk who lived through it,whether Caithness or Ayrshire,they did us proud.Modern Studies showed me that every conflict since the Second World War,has been through political gain.
History is written by the victors.But if ye spend a wee moment and listen to folk who lived through it,whether Caithness or Ayrshire,they did us proud.Modern Studies showed me that every conflict since the Second World War,has been through political gain.
Political gain equals monitary gain Ceders, that is all wars were or are evr fought about. Take the Iraq war, it's about getting control of the oil not for any moral reason. Money is God my friend, not a nice fact but that is all we as a civillisation are about in this point in time. The harsh reality is that our brave soldiers of whom I have many as family and friends are fighting a war to feather the nests of the rich and the famous.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
06-Jun-08, 23:51
Political gain equals monitary gain Ceders, that is all wars were or are evr fought about. Take the Iraq war, it's about getting control of the oil not for any moral reason. Money is God my friend, not a nice fact but that is all we as a civillisation are about in this point in time.
But Modern Studies taught me that every war before the Second World war was about territorial gain.Modern Studies taught me that every war after this was about political gain.
But Modern Studies taught me that every war before the Second World war was about territorial gain.Modern Studies taught me that every war after this was about political gain.You would need to look into the reasons for the land grab. They lied to you Cedric and they gave you a certificate to prove you had been indoctrinated successfully.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
07-Jun-08, 00:12
You would need to look into the reasons or the land grab. They lied to you Cedric and they gave you a certificate to prove you had been indoctrinated successfully.
They lied to me.The Scottish Examination Board lied to me.Naw they didnae,cos they gave me a subject at school where I could grab it by the baws and think about it.Naw the Scottish Examination Board gave me a subject where I could plonder and make ma own decisions.Am I right or wrong.Who knows?Ma plonder tonight,why is a subject that in ma days 18 years ago that made ye think and blether,now seen as a past statement.
Yoda the flump
07-Jun-08, 08:13
Modern Studies, now that brings back memories! The one thing I learnt from it was that if the teacher said he was going to photocopy something from the Glasgow herald (yes it was a while back) and was not back within five minutes then he was not coming back for the rest of the lesson!
Still managed to pass it though.
dragonfly
07-Jun-08, 08:36
When did this subject become non-existent in the curriculum of schools?
its not off the cirriculum in Thurso, my daughter has just sat her standard grade in it and has now started her Higher class for next year - and it was a choice from MS/history/geography
The one thing I learned from modern studies was the art of bartering. The teacher would give us a disgusting French cigarette if we had run out of fags but in return we had to give him 2 B & H or some other brand name!
I go to Thurso High School, and I had the choice of either Modern Studies, History or Geography. I personally took Geography, but one of my friends took Modern Studies as a Standard Grade and as a Higher. So as far as I know it still exists here... Not sure about Wick though...
Love the - 'its the staff thats the problem!!!' Its not the staff thats 'the problem', its what they are qualified to teach. If the staff taught Modern Studies (when they are not qualified to do so) to satisfy a few pupils then imagine the uproar from parents if they failed to make the grade at the SQA exams.
If you look at schools across Scotland they don't all offer the same subject choices - in Wick you can do Home Ec then Higher Lifestyle and Consumer Tech - in Thurso it is straightforward hospitality! Some schools don't even offer Int 1 and " - its Higher or nothing. Then to confuse the matter it there is insufficient people opting to do a subject then they will not run the course - this happened to a friends child last year!
Not all schools offer every subject on the curriculum.
Love the - 'its the staff thats the problem!!!' Its not the staff thats 'the problem', its what they are qualified to teach. If the staff taught Modern Studies (when they are not qualified to do so) to satisfy a few pupils then imagine the uproar from parents if they failed to make the grade at the SQA exams.
If you look at schools across Scotland they don't all offer the same subject choices - in Wick you can do Home Ec then Higher Lifestyle and Consumer Tech - in Thurso it is straightforward hospitality! Some schools don't even offer Int 1 and " - its Higher or nothing. Then to confuse the matter it there is insufficient people opting to do a subject then they will not run the course - this happened to a friends child last year!
Not all schools offer every subject on the curriculum.
I don't know if you're referring to my posts by saying that but when I say "It's the staff that's the problem. Apparantly Wick High is going to be overstaffed this year but I think they're overstaffed in the wrong subjects." I clearly mean that they don't teach it due to the lack of staff for the subject. It is a Geography teacher who teaches Modern Studies at Wick High and usually for just a few people but at Intermediate 1 which is only offered in 5th year, I'd expect the pupils would be quite capable of teaching most the information themselves with the help from the teacher when necessary.
the second coming
07-Jun-08, 22:30
did none of you heathens get taught classical studies at the school??
did none of you heathens get taught classical studies at the school??
I've never heard of any school that offers Classical Studies before. Personally, I don't see why anyone would need to study Classical Studies, would it be of any use nowadays?
I remember hearing of Classical Studies being taught in Thurso High about 10 years ago, a friend's kid asked what it was about and we discussed it at a dinner party.
Not all schools offer every subject on the curriculum.
Bit of a postcode lottery, then, whether you can follow your passions or not within the education system?
That's a pity - in my experience, children get the best results when they're studying the subjects that really interest them rather than just the ones that are easily available in their neck of the woods.
Probably means the next Prime Minister won't be from Wick High, either. Shame.
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