Our Curriculum

S1

.

A. Human needs: past and present

B. The development of European civilisation

In this year's curriculum, students will learn about the development of historical events from the Upper to Middle Ages. They will be able to understand the historical vocabulary, sequence of events, and so forth. This will be accomplished through the selection, organisation, and use of information from these events, which they will then present in an organised manner.

A. The modern world (From the 15th to the 19th centuries): The growth and expansion of the West

B. European colonial expansion

Students will be able to learn about the development of historical events from the Middle Ages to modern times. Students will be able to understand the historical vocabulary and sequence of events, select, organise and use information, and analyse its causes and consequences in a structured manner through the courses provided this year.

In the courses of this year, students will learn about the development of historical events in the twentieth century. They will be able to understand the historical vocabulary and sequence of events, select, organise, and use information, and analyse its causes and consequences in a structured manner.

A.  International Relations from 1900 to 1914.
1 Europe at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
2.Causes of Rivalries and Conflicts; Efforts for Peace
B. The Two World Wars and the Signing of the Relevant Peace Treaties
1. The Impact of the Paris Peace Conference on the International Order
2 he Post-World War II Arrangements and Their Significant Impact on Politics, Society, Economy, and Culture

C. Major Post-Second World War Conflicts and Efforts for Peace.
1. The Confrontations and Interactions of the Superpowers and Their Characteristics.
2. Causes, Development, and Characteristics of the Cold War. The Collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.
3. Causes and Development of Major Conflicts - Israel and the Arabs.
4. State Conflicts; Racial Conflicts in the Balkan Peninsula; Policy of Apartheid in South Africa.
5. The Role of the United Nations in Negotiation.

Students are required to have a general understanding of the relationship between the major powers in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. They must analyse the causes of rivalry and conflict among European countries and describe the early efforts to achieve peace. Students are also required to briefly describe how the First World War broke out in 1914.

By exploring the impact of the Paris Peace Conference, students should illustrate the causal relationship between the two wars. They must also provide examples of attempts to establish collective security between the two wars and their outcomes, and to identify their relationships with the outbreak of the Second World War. By examining the major international agreements signed at the end of the Second World War, students can explain how the post-war international order was established and to what extent it is a new international order. They should also assess the historical significance of the two wars from political, social, economic, and cultural perspectives, and point out the short-term and long-term effects of these global conflicts.

Students are to identify the characteristics of the Cold War by tracing its causes and developments up to 1991, explaining the reasons for the gradual relaxation of US-Soviet relations, and identifying the causal relationship between the major events leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.

Furthermore, students are required to identify the economic problems and efforts for economic recovery in Europe after the Second World War, explore the roles of the United States and the Soviet Union in the economic reconstruction and development of Europe, analyse the political and economic considerations behind the decisions made by the two countries, and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of their policies. In addition, students should trace the process of economic unification in Europe and evaluate the significance of such changes for Europe and the world.

1. Political and Administrative Changes
2. Development as an International City

1. Early Modernisation Efforts - Reforms and Revolutions
2. Socialist Modernisation in the Mao Zedong Era and the Evolution of "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" in the Post-Mao Zedong Era

Through enquiries into the major political and institutional changes that occurred in Hong Kong from the beginning of the 20th century to 1997, students will identify the main trends of political development, as well as different stages of development and their salient features.

Students will identify the major reforms launched by the late Qing government and by the Nanjing government, and assess their significance for the modernisation of China. They will assess the significance of the 1911 Revolution and the May Fourth Movement in the light of China’s transformation into a modern nation.

Students will describe the institutional setup of the country and the relationships between the party, government, and military. They will also describe and assess the major attempts at modernisation in the Maoist period, namely the First Five-Year Plan, the “Great Leap Forward”, and Readjustment. The “Cultural Revolution” will be evaluated in light of its impact on China’s modernisation.

As regards the period after 1978, students will trace the origins and development of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” and the rise of regional economies, and analyse the ways in which these developments have affected China’s modernisation and its relations with other Asian countries.

A. Japan

1.      Japan's Modernisation at the Beginning of the 20th Century

2.      Reconstruction and Growth after the Second World War

3.      Relationship with Other Asian Countries

B. Southeast Asia - From Colony to Independent State

1.      The Impact of Western Colonialism

2.      Causes of Decolonisation and Independence Movement

3.      The Development of the Post-Colonial Era; The Evolution of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Students will assess the extent to which Japan was modernised in the early 20th century in light of the contemporary political, social, economic, and cultural conditions. They will analyse the ways in which such conditions led to the rise of militarism, and assess its consequences for Japan and Asia.

Students will trace and explain Japan’s economic recovery and growth as well as political and social developments in the post-World War II period. They will also cite examples to illustrate both change and continuity in Japan’s political, economic, and cultural relations with other Asian countries.