Human Society and Its Environment

In Years 7 and 8, students explore the nature of history, how historians investigate the past and the importance of conserving our heritage, including the heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Aspects of the ancient, medieval and early modern world are studied, including daily life, beliefs and values, law and religion. The nature of colonisation and contact history may also be investigated. One ancient Asian society is a mandatory study.

In Years 9 and 10, students learn of significant developments in the making of the modern world and Australia. Mandatory studies include Australians at War (World Wars I and II) and Rights and Freedoms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Other topics may include the making of the Australian nation, the history of an Asian society, Australian social history and migration experiences.

Ancient

Through the use of archaeological and written sources, students investigate various aspects of the ancient world, including historical sites, people, societies, events and developments.

Modern

Students investigate various aspects of the modern world, including people, events, ideas, movements and developments. It provides opportunities to apply their understanding of sources and relevant historiographical issues in the investigation of the modern world.

Extension

The course builds on the outcomes of the Stage 6 Ancient History and Modern History courses in relation to historiography and historical enquiry and communication. The course is aimed at using specific historical investigations to reflect on the nature of history and how and why approaches and interpretations change over time.

In Years 7 and 8, students will have the opportunity to explore geographical processes that influence the features of places and environments across a range of scales. They investigate how places are valued differently and interconnections within environments and between people, places and environments. Students learn about geographical phenomena, the liveability of places, and management strategies.

In Years 9 and 10, students will have the opportunity to explain geographical processes that transform places and environments, and explain the likely consequences of these changes. They analyse interconnections between people, places and environments and propose explanations for distributions, patterns and spatial variations over time and across scales. Students investigate changing environments, global differences in human wellbeing, and strategies to address challenges now and in the future.

Geography is the study of places, people and environments and their interrelationships. The course promotes understanding of the role of natural systems and human activity in shaping the world and how they may vary from place to place. It has a critical role to play in proposing options and evaluating responses to contemporary challenges. The study of Geography requires students to understand and apply geographical tools and the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, scale, sustainability and change, to make sense of their world.

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Available as an elective in Years 9 and 10

Students learn about consumer, financial, economic, business, legal, political and work concepts and issues.

They develop an understanding of the relationship between consumers, businesses and governments in the economy, investigating how these interactions impact the wellbeing of individuals and communities.

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Aboriginal Studies is designed to foster intellectual, social and moral development by enabling students to think critically about the historical and contemporary experiences of Aboriginal peoples.

It also acknowledges the contribution of Aboriginal cultures and communities to Australian society and seeks to provide a body of knowledge that is both accurate and unbiased.

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As a course, Business Studies is distinctive in that it encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of business in contexts which students will encounter throughout their lives. Conceptually, it offers learning from the planning of a small business to the management of operations, marketing, finance and human resources in large businesses.

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Economics is the study of how to best solve the universal economic problem of scarcity. Two distinct branches of Economics are macroeconomics and microeconomics, each of which approaches Economics from opposing perspectives. The study of Economics has a theoretical basis, with a considered debate of the relative merits of different theories when assessing economic issues and related policies.

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Students will have an understanding of legal concepts and the way the law functions in our society. The syllabus focuses on the way in which law is generated, how it is structured and how it operates in Australian and international contexts.

It allows students to question and evaluate legal institutional structures in the domestic and international environments and to undertake a comparative analysis of other political and institutional structures.