Modern StudiesAssignment

Student Notes

Instructions for candidates

This assignment gives you the opportunity to research and make a decision on a modern studies issue of your choice. This may be related to areas you have studied in class if you wish, but you are free to research any contemporary issue.

This assignment is worth 30 marks out of a total of 90 marks. The marks contribute one-third of the overall marks for the Course assessment. The Course will be graded A–D.

In your assignment you will:

identify a modern studies issue about which there are alternative views

research a modern studies issue, using a range of sources of information

analyse and synthesise information from a range of sources

evaluate the usefulness and reliability of a range of sources of information

reach a decision on the issue studied

show detailed knowledge and understanding of the issue to support the decision reached

show an awareness of alternatives to the decision

communicate information using the conventions of a report

When doing your research and writing your report, you can demonstrate these skills in any way that you think makes sense for the issue you have chosen. You do not have to demonstrate them in any set order.

You will produce the evidence for your assignment within one hour and 30 minutes under controlled conditions. You will have the Modern Studies Research Evidence to help you produce your evidence.

The Modern Studies Research Evidence should be no more than two singlesides of A4 paper. This will be submitted together with your evidence to SQA.

Your teacher will let you know how the assessment will be carried out and any required conditions for doing it.

The following information will help you understand the requirements of the Higher Modern Studies assignment.

What your Assignment is likely to look like:

The Department is recommending that you write up the assignment in the form of a decision making report, as demanded within the old Higher course

This would involve:

An Introduction / Framing the Issue / - (In detail explaining background to issue and putting in context why you are looking at a series of options) / 5 marks available here This needs three of four paragraphs
Discussion of 3 Options / State the three option for decision making within the context of the issue
Recommendation / Explain briefly which option you will recommend / Briefly outline reasons for recommendation to start with
(possibly bullet pointing issues you will consider) / 5 marks for knowledge used in this section
10 marks available for analysis and synthesis of information between sources researched and background knowledge
Reasons for recommended decision / Bringing together evidence from resource sheet and background knowledge
Alternative Options / Discussion of arguments for the other options and explanation of why they were rejected (again referring to resource sheet and background knowledge
Evaluation of sources collected / Need to assess/evaluate the usefulness and reliability of the sources used on their Research Evidence sheet.
Level of bias/objectivity, relevance, quality of data, reliability / 2 marks
Conclusion / Restating reasons for choice of option and rejection of alternatives / Ideally include a further point not previously made / 4 marks
Conventions of a Report / These marks are awarded for the overall structure of your assignment –
These are based on
-Structure, including the use of headings and sections where appropriate to organise information.
- Report style including the use of appropriate social science terminology
- Making reference to evidence used including research Evidence and background knowledge of issue
- Consistency, coherence and logic of argument / 4 marks

1. CHOOSING A TOPIC

Identify a modern studies issue about which there are alternative views

The modern studies issue you choose should allow you to:

carry out research on a contemporary issue

show your knowledge and understanding of the issue

use your modern studies skills to analyse the issue

make a decision about the issue

show your awareness of alternative decisions or courses of action

You will have an open choice of issue to research. This can include researching further something you have studied in class, or an issue you are interested in finding out more about. It may be a political or social issue; Scottish, UK or international.

It is important that the issue you choose is one about which there are different viewswhich could lead to different decisions being made. It is important that there is a range of views on the issue as you will need to weigh-up the different arguments and reach a decision.

For example, you may make a decision about whether or not the United Nations should send in a peace-keeping force to a troubled area (AornotA); whether the UN should send in a peace-keeping force or impose sanctions(AorB); or consider whether the UN should send in a peace-keeping force, impose sanctions or authorise military intervention(AorBorC).

In order to help you with the different stages of your assignment it is important to have a clear idea of the background to the issue you are going to research, in order to focus your research.This can be in the form of:

a clear description of the issue

an understanding of the different views on the issue

why this is an important issue

questions/aims which will help you to focus your research by finding answers

Your teachermay support you by commenting on the suitability of the issue you have chosen and providing advice on the likely availability of resources.

Research a modern studies issue, using a range of sources of information

Once you are clear about the issue you are going to research you can begin to collect information. You will collectinformation from a range of different sources. Some sources will be more useful than others; you will make greater use of information from some sources than others; some will be more reliable than others and you will get a variety of different viewpoints from different sources.

Depending on the issue you have chosen, some methods will be more suitable than others so you should plan where you are likely to find the most suitable sources for your particular issue. It is essential that you consider evidence supporting different viewpoints and that you look at the issue in a balanced way. Although you will make a decision which will support some viewpoints, you will not produce a good report if you have been biased or selective in the use of facts.

Your research methods can include:

primary research where the evidence you collect is original to you

secondary research where the information you use has been produced by someone else

Whichever type of evidence you collect, you shouldkeep a note of the source of the information and how useful and reliable the information is.

The sorts of methods you could use could include:

carrying out interviews

conducting surveys/questionnaires

sending letters/emails

reading official reports/research from think-tanks, pressure groups, etc

internet searches

searching libraries for e.g. newspapers/magazines/books (print or electronic)

going on visits or fieldtrips

taking notes on television programmes/video/DVD/digital streamingradio/podcasts

Analyse and synthesise information from a range of sources

This is where you can really start to show your modern studies skills. You are likely tohave collected a wide range of evidence and data on your issue. The information will be from different sources, collected by using different methods and will show a range of different views on the issue.

You mayuse this information by:

selecting the most important information to address the issue you are researching

deciding which is the most useful and reliable information

combining information from different sources to make a stronger argument

linking information together which shows different views about the issue, or an aspect of the issue

establishing similarities and contradictions between different views or aspects of the issue

showing where evidence or views are consistent or inconsistent

contrasting the possible consequences or implications of decisions

weighing up the different arguments on the issue

considering the strengths and weaknesses of the different decisions which could be made or courses of action which could be taken

You may, for example:

Establish links between components

egThis factor is linked to that factor; evidence X and evidence Y both support the factor.

Establishing contradiction or inconsistencies

egWhile there were political reasons for this policy, it had negative social/economic consequences.

Exploring different views and interpretations

egPolitical party A says this while political party B says this; evidence from D disagrees with evidence from E.

Establishing possible consequences/ implications

eg If policy X is introduced, Y is likely to occur; doing Z may result in …

Once you have done this you will be in a good position to make a decision on the issue, after having considered different views. You may end up making a decision or recommending a course of action different from the one you thought you might make. It is important that whatever you decide or whatever course of action you might recommend, it is based on clear evidence and you have shown that you have taken into account alternative views and evidence.


Evaluate the usefulness and reliability of a range of sources of information

During your research you will collect information from a range of sources. If you have a clear idea of the issue you are researching, most of the information will be useful. However, some pieces of information that you have collected will be more useful than others in helping you to make decision.

As you analyse the information you have collected you will get more out of some sources than others and you will give more weight to some information because it is more reliable. For example, official data, or gathering opinions on an issue collected over a period from a large number of people may be more reliable than the views of one member of a particular political party.

The sort of things that will affect how useful and reliable the sources of information you have used are:

how up-to-date the information is

the size of the sample in a survey

whether the source of the information is likely to be biased

whether the data collected over a period of time or as a ‘one-off’

the extent of the expertise of the person being interviewed or writing an article

You should aim to provide a clear evaluation making a judgement about at least two sources of evidence used in making your decision.

Reach a decision on the issue studied

Once you have analysed all the evidence and information you have collected you will be in a position to make a decision.

Your decision may be in the form of:

deciding to do something or to not do something

recommending a particular decision/course of action rather than one or more alternatives

suggesting that a particular policy should be carried out

It is essential that any decision you make is based on evidence. You must show that you have considered other optionsas well as your decision.

You will need to:

  • support your decision with detailed evidence
  • say why you prefer your decision over alternatives
  • evaluate the strengths/weaknesses/consequences of your decision compared to other possible decisions

Any decision made which is not backed up with strong evidence and which ignores other viewpoints will demonstrate bias and selective use of facts and will not be a strong one.

Show detailed knowledge and understanding of the issue to support the decision reached

As you carry out your assignment and research you will be learning a lot about your issue. In the assignment report you will have a chance to show what you now know.

You should be able to:

describe the background to the issue

explain the impact or significance of the issue e.g. eg political, social, economic, international

explain the causes, consequences or implications of the issue, eg political, social, economic, international

explain different viewpoints on the issue

explain the different decisions which could be made or courses of action which could be taken

Communicate information using the conventions of a report

A report is a clear and formal way of presenting information. It allows the reader to clearly see the information and evidence that you have used to make your decision. It will clearly show the explanations and analysis that have led you to your decision

Your report style should include:

a title

section headings breaking up the information, evidence and arguments you are using into a clear and logical structure

references to the evidence you have used and in particular the Research Evidence you have brought into the assessment

a formal style which refers to evidence rather than just your own opinions

the use of language and terminology appropriate to the issue

a clear statement of the decision you have reached

When you write up your report you will have an outline of the points you must include. The way you structure your report is up to you but you must make sure you address all the points required in your report.


Additional advice and guidance

Research Evidence

You will havethe Modern Studies Research Evidence with you when you produce your report under controlled conditions. This will be no more thantwo single-sided sheets of A4 containing evidence you have collected during your assignment.You should refer to this Research Evidence to support the analysis which leads to your decision. You should not copy large chunks from this evidence. The Research Evidence will not be marked — it is what you do with the evidence that is important.

There are many types of evidence/information you can include in your Research Evidence. It may include, for example: evidence/data from primary or secondary research: bullet points/headings; mind maps; statistical, graphical or numerical data; survey results; interview questions and/or answers; questionnaire and/or results; list of internet search-engine results; newspaper article or extracts; summary notes taken from a visit or talk;summary notes taken from a written or audio-visual source, etc.

you could take in strong evidence that supports your case and significant evidence that supports an alternative viewpoint or decision

you should include the source and details of how the evidence was collected since you will need to say why you thought the information you are using is useful and reliable

You will refer to this Research Evidence when in your report, to support the points you are making.

Working with others

While you should choose your own issue to research, others in your class may have chosen a similar issue. It might be helpful to work part of the time with others when you are collecting information.

If this is the case it is important that you are able to show what you have contributed to this part of your assignment and that the evidence you take into the assessment is your own work.

Higher Modern Studies assignment: assessment task 1