Genghis Khan added to UK history course

Genghis Khan （1162-1227）was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Genghis Khan along with modern and contemporary Chinese history is among the topics listed within a new draft of an A-level history course in the UK, BBC reported.

Genghis Khan （1162-1227）was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, one of the largest empires in history.

The course, from the exam board OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations), will also include options on the rise of Islam and pre-colonial African kingdoms.

The move aims to broaden the history course which is the fifth most popular subject.

Mike Goddard, OCR's head of history, said the subject had been criticized for being "too repetitive and having a 20th Century Western focus."

"It's vital that schools and colleges have an opportunity to deliver, for example, the history of pre-colonial, non-Western civilizations, alongside British history," added Goddard.

Dr. Peter Mandler, president of the Royal Historical Society, said academics welcome the approach of broadening school history programs.

"It is particularly important not to tell the history of the non-Western world solely through its contact with the West," he said.

The new course, if approved, will be taught in schools beginning September 2015.