The Royal Belfast Academical Institution

History

Head of Department: Mr.B.Waring

Members of Department:

Mr.C.Leathley

Mr.S.Gamble

Mr.C.Woods

The aims of the History Department are :

  • To develop in young people a knowledge and understanding of people – what motivates them, what they think and how they feel.
  • To empower pupils to become thinking citizens of the twenty-first century by learning to defend their views in class while listening and responding to opposing ideas.
  • To enable pupils to become good communicators. Good historians have to argue their case orally and on paper.
  • To develop the skills necessary to carry out historical enquiry.
  • To stimulate and maintain pupil interest in the past.
  • To develop skills of critical thinking.

KS3 – Year 8, 9 and 10 topics

History is a compulsory subject in Years 8 to 10.

Year 8

Introduction to History

The Norman Conquest of England and Ireland

The building of medieval castles

The history of R.B.A.I.

The growth of the city of Belfast

Year 9

Rivalry and Conflict in Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century Europe

The Reformation

The Spanish Armada

The Gunpowder Plot

The Battle of the Boyne

Year 10

The First World War

The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

The Battle of the Somme

The Partition of Ireland

The Easter Rising of 1916

Key Stage 4

At G.C.S.E the Department provides for five classes in Year 11 and five in Year 12. Each class contains approximately twenty pupils.

All classes follow courses offered by the CCEA exam board.

http://ccea.org.uk/history/

Year Eleven :

Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945.

AND

Changing relations : Northern Ireland and its neighbours, 1920-1949.

Year Twelve :

International Relations 1945-2003: Includes the outbreak and course of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR.

Key Stage 5

A.S. History is chosen by roughly forty students each year. There are two classes that are divided between four staff members. The staff remain with their respective classes through to A.2. Level. All classes follow courses offered by the CCEA exam board.

http://ccea.org.uk/history/

History

Lower Sixth (A.S.) :

Module 1 : The Nazis and Germany 1919-1945

Module 2 : Revolutionary Change in Russia 1917-1941

Upper Sixth(A Level) :

Module 1 : The Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900-2000

Module 2 : The Partition of Ireland 1900-1925

Additional information:

Trips and Tours:

The Teaching staff of the History Department is fully committed to the extra-curricular life of RBAI. The History Department offers pupils the opportunity to develop their understanding of their areas of study by providing a number of visits throughout the year. Pupils in Upper Sixth travel to Dublin in February every year to visit the sites of the Easter Rising of 1916. In February 2018 ‘A’ Level pupils travelled to Washington and New York. In April 2014 and March 2016, Lower and Upper Sixth pupils went to Moscow and St.Petersburg in Russia whilst, in October 2018, Year 10 students travelled to visit World War One battlefields in France and Belgium

Dec
06 2023
McCullough Cup - Hockey - Final (tbc)
Dec
06 2023
Foundation Scholarship Evening
Dec
08 2023
Year 10 Workshop 'Made for More'
Dec
11 2023
Year 9 Parent Consultations - School ends at 12.55 pm
College Square East, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT1 6DL
Tel: 028 90 240461
© 2023 The Royal Belfast Academical Institution