Individuals and Societies

Group 3 Individuals And Societies Business Management

Business Management is a rigorous, challenging, and dynamic discipline in Group 3 Individuals and Societies. The course is designed to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of Business Management theories, as well as their ability to apply a range of subject-specific tools and techniques.

The role of businesses is to produce and sell goods and services that meet the needs and wants of their customers, by organising human, capital and financial resources. Profit-making, risk-taking, and operating in a competitive environment characterise most business organisations.

Business Management students learn to analyse, discuss, and evaluate business activities at local, national, and international levels. The course covers a range of organisations from all sectors, as well as the socio-cultural, economic, and international contexts.

History

The focus of this course is to develop an understanding of international events and links between different countries and movements. The purpose of studying particular topics is for students to have a deep understanding of the interconnections of the major themes which have impacted on the development of the world as we know it today and to gain skills in analysis of information and writing historical arguments. The aims are to promote an understanding of History as a discipline, to encourage an understanding of the present through critical reflection of the past, to encourage an understanding of the impact of historical developments at all levels and to develop an awareness of one’s own historical identity. In the first year of the programme, students will study Rights and Protest in the USA (1954-1965) and South Africa (19481964), Authoritarian States and the Cold War. During the second year, the focus will be on Russian History in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, making connections with the previous years’ topics. Research skills will be developed with an historical investigation on a topic of their choice.

Psychology

Psychology can be defined as the scientific study of why people think, feel or behave the way they do. Specifically, this course aims to develop in students an awareness of how research findings can be applied to better understand these three aspects of ‘being human’. In the core component of the course students are taught the biological, cognitive and sociocultural influences on human cognition and behaviour. They also learn about and use a range of psychological research methods, explore how ethical practices are upheld in psychological inquiry, and design and carry out their own psychological experiment. In the second year of the course students work through additional modules that cover developmental, health, and abnormal psychology, as well as the study of human relationships. Higher level students are also introduced to qualitative research methods such as interviews, case studies and observations.

INTERDISIPLINARY SUBJECT-FULFILS REQUIREMENTS OF GROUP 3 & 4

Environmental Systems And Societies

The main intent of this course is to provide students with a coherent perspective of the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies; one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face. Students’ attention is constantly drawn to their own relationship with their environment and the significance of choices and decisions that they make in their own lives. This approach helps students to evaluate the scientific, ethical and socio-political aspects of encountered issues. The course covers a variety of topics such as conservation and biodiversity, ecosystems, human population, carrying capacity and resource use and is assessed both internally and externally.