We can't wait to welcome you to Andover College in September!
We have created this interactive page to give you a sense of what studying History, both Modern and Early Modern pathways, at Andover College is like. Scroll down to learn about 'Pandemics of the Past', including the Black Death and Influenza, and watch the accompanying videos.
We would love to see your ideas and results so please send them back to andoverapplicantwelcome@sparsholt.ac.uk with 'History' as the email heading!
Be sure to look into the additional help and support we can provide through our experienced Careers and Health & Wellbeing teams.
New Activities: Black Lives Matter and Historical Perspectives
In light of the ongoing situation with the Black Lives Matter movement your lecturer Caroline has suggested a variety of articles and videos below to highlight the different perspectives from a historical point of view. Take a look below.
Arena | I am not your Negro | BBC Iplayer
Reggie Yates Life and Death in Chicago | BBC Iplayer
Revere or Remove? The Battle Over Statues, Heritage and History
Please note, some of the documentaries and articles above include imagery and language which may cause offence. Please use your discretion when accessing this material.
Welcome to the Course!
Whether you have chosen Early Modern or Modern History A level, your lecturer Caroline has produced a list of resources to get you thinking in a critical and analytical manner prior to your start in September!
The skills you need in History are those of analysis, comparing events with one another and looking for trends, patterns and anomalies between events, societal reactions and individuals.
The most famous pandemic of the past that may spring straight to your mind is that of the Black Death or Plague. Take a look at the video and podcast below to develop your knowledge of this event and then try your hand at creating a timeline.
This is a fascinating podcast about the Black Death and its impact. There is a lot of debate as to how much social change happened pre the plague and how much was a direct result of it. Link here.
This article tells you about how the medieval people tried to halt the spread of the plague - link here. There is also an interactive quiz to test your knowledge - make sure you also look into how the plague doctor masks came to be!
While the Black Death may be the most famous pandemic in the past the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918, that arose shortly after World War One, also resulted in catastrophic damage - learn more here.
When studying History timelines can be an extremely useful resource to simplify events and establish continuity. Use this link to create your own timeline focusing on the topic of 'Pandemics of the Past'. Link here.
Take a look at the Padlet Caroline has produced as a platform to develop discussion between yourself and other applicants. We look forward to seeing what interesting facts you unearth from your research! Link here. Feel free to leave some thoughts on the Padlet linked above, first names only please. I’d be interested to know whether the frequency of pandemics, the proportion of population affected and whether or not you think they changed the world.
Once you have completed your research have a go at these questions below and email us your results! Make sure you put 'History' as the email header!
Questions to consider:
- Summarise the argument from one of the key articles above, or find your own, in 10 key bullet points
- Write a paragraph of 250 words explaining the arguments presented in the above articles
- Create a quiz based on one or multiple articles provided, or find your own!
- Summarise one or more of the articles on flashcards, quizlet is a good site to use for this
- Make a crossword full of interesting facts and questions!
- Use a stop motion app to create a piece of animation based on your timeline of events
- Keep a corona lock down diary - it will become a historical document in the future!
- Have a go at cooking some recipes from the past and make sure you share them with us! Some examples available - here.
Oxford Press Resources
Oxford University Press have produced a variety of activities to enable your learning over the long summer break. Make sure you let us know how you get on!
History resources available here.
Additional Resources
Interested in learning more about the various topics you will study at college in September? There are a variety of web pages which are offering free online courses to keep your mind and skills sharp over the summer.
The Open University has a variety of free online courses available in an array of different subjects. Take a look at the catalogue to choose your course! Here.
You could also investigate the courses offered at the EtonX web page; please note these are paid for programmes that your current school may have access to so please check with them and back here regularly for updates.
Our Courses:
A-Level in History - Early Modern - (2 Years)
A-Level in History - Modern - (2 Years)
Careers Guidance
Our careers guidance aims to expand the horizons of all students enabling you to make informed career decisions in order to progress both during and after college.
Carol is our dedicated Careers Advisor for Andover College!
We also have our Sun Progression Mentor Anna!
Anna works alongside the Southern Universities Network (SUN) to help students recognise the routes of progression available to them, and to continue their journey in education!
We recently launched the new Careers Hub located in the College library so come and say hello to Carol and Anna!
Student wellbeing and support
At Andover College we understand that starting college in these uncertain times can be daunting and we aim to make this process as simple as possible.
We have a dedicated team that provide our students with any additional support they need including;
- Counselling
- Carer support
- Childcare support
- Confidential one-to-one services
We have also recently introduced two new members to the wellbeing team ... Arlo and Romeo the Therapy Dogs!
Arlo and Romeo are part of the continued effort from Andover College to consistently improve on and add to provisions for students. They are based on campus with their owners throughout term.
Research has shown that students are significantly less stressed and anxious, and even have increased happiness and energy, immediately following spending time in a drop-in session with a dog present. What good boys!