Board Developed Course
2 UNIT
Category A

What will I be doing in this course?

The Preliminary Course investigates groups, events, institutions, societies and ideas in a range of historical contexts, as a background for their more specialized HSC studies.

The HSC course is designed for students to investigate national and international forces for change and continuity in the 20th Century through four major studies.  There is also the opportunity to do an Extension History course in Year 12, with an internally assessed major work.

Preliminary Course

Investigating Modern History (50% of course time)
• The Nature of Modern History
• Case Studies

Historical Investigation (15% of course time)

The Shaping of the Modern World (35% of course time)

Case studies could include:
• Australia and the Rise of Communism
• Making Change: Day of Mourning to Mabo
• The Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty
• The Boxer Rebellion in China
• The British in India and Burma
• The Meiji Restoration

HSC Course

Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919–1946 (25% of course time)

National Studies – selected from China, India, Indonesia, Japan or Iran (25% of course time)

Peace and Conflict – selected from Indochina, the Pacific, the Gulf, Arab-Israeli conflict (25% of course time)

Change in the Modern World – selected from Burma, Tiananmen Square, South Africa (25% of course time)

How will I be assessed?

Students will complete three tasks in the Preliminary course and four tasks in the HSC course, which will formally assess student achievement of course outcomes.  These tasks will be outlined in the Preliminary/HSC Courses Assessment Booklets.

How will this course help me in the future?

The skills students learn in History are fundamental to any area of further study involving research, evaluation, critical thinking and discipline ie. Law, Marketing.  Recent trends in tertiary study have been towards more general degrees, as graduates are likely to change not just jobs but occupations a number of times in their lifetimes

What else do I need to know?

• There is an opportunity to do a 1 Unit HSC Extension Course in Year 12.
• Work completed in junior History (Years 7-10) provides an excellent foundation for this course. This course gives students who have performed well in History in Years 9 and 10 the opportunity to use knowledge and skills already developed to act as a foundation in gaining high marks in a HSC subject.

Whom should I contact for further information?

Mr David King, Mr Mark Werner and/or Mrs Tourmaline Bailey (Head Teacher HSIE)