General Studies

 

Welcome to the General Studies web-site. On this site, you'll find the topics of the exam specifications, and resources to help you explore these topics. You'll find throughout the course that all these topics interlink - nothing is isolated in terms of causes or consequences. In fact, you'll be expected to explain the links. (It's a bit like joining the dots.)

 

But first, here's a list of topics. These are summaries taken from the AQA exam specifications; for a more detailed list, click here.

 

Secondly, although this web-site will provide lots of links to useful information, you must do some research yourself. This can be as easy as listening to the radio. Radio 4 is your best bet, particularly programmes like The Moral Maze, Nature, and The Today Programme. Newspapers are also good - particularly broadsheets (Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Independent rather than Sun, Mirror, etc.)

 

Course Outline.

 

AS (You'll sit this in January.)

Unit 1:  Conflict (16.3%)

aggression popular and performing arts stereotyping and stake-holding
scientific controversy social tensions market forces

Unit 2:  Power (16.3%)

fuels education advertising social/ religious beliefs and values
physical fitness globalisation media influence voting and political power

 

Unit 3:  Space (16.3%)

climate change migration global media land-use and access
housing environmentalism the third dimension personal space

A2 (You'll sit this in June.)

Unit 4 (15%):  Conflict - Resolution

public understanding of science politics and social contract equal opportunities industrial relations
decoding arts and media rights and responsibilities sustainability personal finance

Unit 5 (15%):  Power - Regulation

Use and abuse of science political and legal accountability changing norms and values
consumerism and free trade artistic standards media ownership

 

Unit 6 (20%):  Space - Time

space research measurement new arts heritage and tourism
social change and reform secularism new media new patterns of working
‘progress’ cultural diversity history and culture music and literature