YEAR 13 HISTORY

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION (COURSEWORK)

Candidates either select one title from the list below or use an OCR-set question from a previous year or devise their own question. If you wish to devise your own question you must talk to Mr Vale and/or Mrs Watts and fill in a sheet. You can download a sheet by clicking here

How useful is cinema as a means of helping us to interpret the past? Answer with reference to any period you have studied.

With reference to any period you have studied, assess the strengths and limitations of economic evidence as a means of explaining historical events.

�Individuals do not "shape" historical events; the best they can do is respond to opportunities.� With reference to one or more individuals you have studied, how far do you support this claim?

With reference to any period you have studied, examine the strengths and limitations of using physical remains for local historical research.

�The main causes of war are always long term.� With reference to one or more wars you have studied, how far do you support this claim?

�Political activity is driven by the desire to achieve practical goals rather than by principle.� Discuss this view with reference to any period you have studied.

'Religious conflicts are caused purely by religious factors.' Answer with reference to any period you have studied.

Select one scientific or one technological advance and evaluate its impact either on events or on developments in any period you have studied.

Using examples from any period you have studied, discuss the view that the growth of towns and cities has caused more social problems than it has solved.

�There is really no such thing as world history. We can study the histories of different countries in the world and how they related to each other, but beyond that there are no unifying ideas.� With reference to any period you have studied, how far do you agree with this view?

History Independent Investigation (Units 2592 & 2593) OCR-Set questions, Summer 2005 Unit 2592 Candidates select one title from the list below or use a set question from a previous year or devise their own. Candidates may modify/adapt an OCR-set question. Unit 2593 (Open Book Examination) Candidates must use one of the questions listed below. The Arts and History 'The spirit of an age is defined more by its "commonplace objects" than by its "great works" of art and architecture.' Using examples, discuss with reference to any period you have studied. [note: 'commonplace objects' can be things such as fashion, posters, interior design, engineering such as the Forth railway bridge or 'street architecture' such as Parisian art nouveau metro stations] Economic History How significant have long-term economic factors been in explaining the occurrence of any major event chosen from your period of study? The Individual in History Assess the historical significance of any individual you have studied. [note: criteria for determining 'historical significance' will need to be established and then employed] Local History How far did developments in any locality you have studied reflect national trends? [note: 'locality' can be an individual building, a hamlet, a town, a county or a region] Military History With reference to any military conflict, assess the relative importance of chance in explaining the outcome of that conflict. Political History With reference to any major uprising against political authority, assess the relative importance of the reasons why it was either successful or unsuccessful. Religious History With reference to any period you have studied, assess the extent to which religion has been used as a pretext for political action. Science, Technology and History With reference to any period you have studied, assess the relative importance of the factors that tended to advance or impede scientific and/or technological progress. Social History 'Differences of class or rank, rather than of gender, provided the main obstacle to the development of women's rights.' Discuss with reference to any period you have studied. World History 'On the whole, the influence of European civilization on other parts of the world has been beneficial.' How far is this true of any period you have studied? You can select your own title, but will need to talk to your teachers.

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