Learning Modern Studies gives you a greater understanding of the contemporary world and your place in it.
You will learn contemporary political and social issues in local, Scottish, United Kingdom and international contexts, and, in these contexts, develop an awareness of the social and political issues you will meet in your life. You will also develop investigating, evaluating and analysing skills in order to understand and explain political, social and international issues.
The skills you learn in Modern Studies are valuable in many career areas, including public administration, business management, law, teaching and journalism.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
Arts, Social Sciences and Languages
Information, Culture and Heritage
Social, Caring and Advisory Services
Uniformed and Security Services
This is at the discretion of the school/college but you would normally be expected to have attained one of the following:
The course comprises three areas of study.
Political issues and research methods
You will study the following areas:
Law and order and research methods
You will study the following areas:
Social inequality and research methods
You will study the following areas:
Course Assessment
The course assessment consists of two components totalling 140 marks:
For Component 2 you will choose any modern studies topic or issue that refers to a complex, contemporary political or social issue.
Both the question papers and the project are set and externally marked by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across course assessment.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
Further study, training or employment in:
