Modern studies has been referred to since its conception in 1962 as a uniquely Scottish curricular subject. Back then, it was described as having content that would be “useful for a man or woman to know as a background to current affairs”.

In the present day, the subject is framed, if not defined per se, within the curricular context as the “study of contemporary political and social issues in local, Scottish, United Kingdom and international contexts”.

Placing the subject’s content knowledge in the “real world” enables students of modern studies to relate to, or enquire into, local or global events. This promotes collaborative learning and lays the foundations for critical thinking and problem solving.

At a curricular level, all students in a modern studies classroom live the four “capacities” that underpin the Scottish curriculum. Teachers build confidence through effective class discussions, enabling students to become successful learners and responsible citizens.

In addition, verbal collaborative learning within modern studies generates excitement among a pre-voting or voting group and ignites the feeling that, as they develop informed opinions, they will be supported to be agents of societal change.

From a practitioner’s perspective, the broad curricular subject descriptor may appear a bit too vague, failing to communicate the intrinsic relevance of what the subject has to offer.

This vagueness could provide a rationale as to why the subject is not always afforded curricular discreteness. Within some school timetables, modern studies is omitted from the broad general education (BGE) in S1-3, or taught as a transdisciplinary unit of work.

Social media: friend or foe?

On the other hand, modern studies enables teacher agency through a flexible or non-prescriptive approach to course content, which is responsive to societal change and embraces culturally relevant pedagogical delivery.

However, this non-prescriptive nature also creates a duality of practice: teachers of modern studies must ensure content knowledge and materials are relevant in a world where subject matter changes by the day, while also meeting the expectations of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), which increases professional workload.

And now there is the “friend or foe” of social media. Up-to-date information on various platforms may generate pupil discussion, which scaffolds the learning experience and can enhance attainment.

Yet virtual sources of information can bring ”fake news” and ways of thinking that feed conscious or unconscious bias. A “flipped teaching” approach may be required to mitigate misunderstandings, with teachers anticipating contemporary social issues through pre-planned discussions.

The shift in practice generated by the virtual world requires a new skills base to deal with artificial intelligence and the reliability or validity of new sources of information.

A further shift is the new National Progression Awards, or NPAs, which are eating into modern studies content and could have an impact on the curricular relevance of the subject, particularly at BGE.

Future of modern studies in Scotland

Meanwhile, citizenship education may be embedded within CfE, but in Scotland, its home is within the modern studies learning outcomes. This differentiates Scotland from other global education systems, where citizenship is broken up across curricular domains.

Citizenship education taught by modern studies specialists brings together key dimensions of procedural knowledge, such as contemporary rights and responsibilities; it also enables cooperative learning with third-sector providers, linking students to the world of work.

As we move forward in Scotland’s Curriculum Improvement Cycle, do teachers of modern studies see their subject thriving in the curriculum, or, amid curricular change, is it fragile and perhaps even under threat?

If the latter is the case, what support mechanisms are in place to ensure that modern studies has a broad scope, that it is allowed to engage with external curricular providers and be part of wider communities of practice?

Modern studies can do so much more than merely provide the background to current affairs.

Angela Curley is a lecturer in teacher education at the University of Glasgow

You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on iOS and on Android