Welcome to the Humanities Faculty

Director: Mr. R. Conway Contact details: rcon7543@johnmason.oxon.sch.uk

Teachers in this Faculty: Mr. Aidan Conroy (Deputy Director, Head of Geography); Ms. H. Linn, Mr. M Swain, Mr. D Rawstorne, Ms. A. Sissons, Ms. E. Tilley, Ms. O. Fairgreave, Mr C Davies, Mr E Duckham.

In humanities we explore how people have created their world and how they, in turn, have been created by it.

At John Mason School, Humanities consists of:

• Humanities (Year 7)
• History (KS3-5)
• Geography (KS3-5)
• RS (KS3-4)
• Psychology (KS4-5)
• Sociology (KS4-5)
• Government and Politics (KS5)
• Philosophy (KS5)

These subjects are linked together because they are all about human beings: how they live, how they work together, how they think, how they behave, their culture, values, beliefs, ideas and past.

To do well in Humanities, students need to be willing to think critically about the society in which they live. To think afresh about ideas that most people take for granted and to ask questions that help them better understand the world around them. At John Mason we embed these skills from year 7 onwards building students who are able question, think and analyse human society, past and present.

The Humanities Faculty has an inclusive approach to learning with Creativity and Independent Learning at the heart of all we do. Students work primarily in mixed ability groups where they can share ideas, experiences and questions as they explore their own and other peoples’ lives.

Key Stage 3 Humanities

A strong emphasis is placed on our programme of independent study projects in Key Stage 3 which teach students those skills they need to do well in these subject areas and life beyond school: researching and investigating a range of different topics, presenting their findings and ideas and managing their time, resources and workload.

Year 7 Humanities programme: In Year 7, students follow an integrated course of RS, History and Geography. Topics covered include:

• Why Did the Normans win the Battle of Hastings?
• What Do People Mean When They Talk About ‘God’?
• What Different Kinds of Settlement Do People Live In?
• How Do Families and Households Differ Around the World?
• What Was Life Like in a Mediaeval Settlement?
• What Can Maps Tell Us About the World?
• How Do People’s Religious Beliefs Differ Around the World?
• Why Were People In Europe Willing to Die For Their Religion?
• What Did We Learn in the ‘Age of Exploration’?
• How Do Extreme Environments Shape People’s Lives?
• How Does Our Environment Shape Our Behaviour?
• How Does Religion Shape Life Choices?
• How Do Ecosystems Shape People’s Lives?
• How Did the Industrial Revolution Change People’s Lives?
• How Has the Settlement of Oxford Changed Over Time?
• How Does Our Environment Shape Our Lives Today?

Key Stage 3 History

• Year 8 History:

Britain 1600-1900: What Was Life Like for Ordinary People 1600-1900? Women, Children, Slaves.
Britain 1600-1900: Could People Change Their World? English Civil War, American and French Revolutions, Chartists.
Britain 1600-1900: How Far Did Life Improve 1600-1900? Abolition of Slavery, Science and Technology, Attitudes to Poverty.
Who Was to Blame for the First World War?

• Year 9 History:

What Was Life Like in the First World War?
What Was Life Like in the Second World War?
The Holocaust
Life and Crime in Whitechapel 1829-1900.

Key Stage 3 RS:

• Year 8 RS

Term 1 - Identity
Term 2 - Islam
Term 3 - Life and Death
Term 4 - Buddhism
Term 5 - Suffering
Term 6 - Hindusim

• Year 9 RS

Year 9 start GCSE work towards AQA Religious Studies B Units 2 (Religion and Life Issues) and 3 (Religion and Morality)

Key Stage 3 Geography:

Year 8 Geography:

• Changing My World
• Ecosystems
• Glaciation
• Future Floods
• Moving Stories
• China/India

Year 9 Geography

• Coasts
• Globalisation
• Tourism
• Into Africa
• Rocks, Resources and Scenery
• Rivers

Key Stage 4 Humanities courses

GCSE History

Year 10 Syllabus: Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History
Year 11 Syllabus: OCR (Schools History Project)

GCSE Geography

Year 10 Syllabus: AQA A
Year 11 Syllabus: Edexcel Geography B

GCSE RS Syllabus: AQA Religious Studies B Units 2 (Religion and Life Issues) and 3 (Religion and Morality)
GCSE Psychology Syllabus: AQA GCSE Psychology
GCSE Sociology Syllabus: OCR GCSE Sociology

Key Stage 5 Humanities

A level History Syllabus: OCR History A
A level Geography Syllabus: Edexcel Geography
A Level Philosophy Syllabus: AQA A-Level Philosophy
A level Psychology Syllabus: AQA AS and A-Level Psychology
A level Sociology Syllabus: AQA AS and A-Level Sociology
A level Government and Politics Syllabus: Edexcel Government and Politics

Extra Curricular

Obviously, considering the nature of the subject, an important part of students’ learning takes place outside of the classroom, where they can see and experience the things they have been talking about in lessons. We offer a range of extra-curricular visits and trips the programme including:

• Oxford Castle and Carfax Tower
• A Hindu Temple
• The Black Country Museum
• Trenches in Belgium
• Clink Prison Museum and London Dungeons
• 4 days in Berlin
• 5 Day Sorrento/Amalfi/Rome/Vatican trip
• Imperial War Museum
• Houses of Parliament
• The Living Rainforest
• Kilvrough
• North Devon coastlines
• Thorpe Park

In our experience these opportunities help bring the ideas and concepts discussed in Humanities lessons to life and are greatly valued and always remembered by students.