The History Faculty delivers a range of engaging topics within Stage 4 and 5 Year 7-10 History, covering diverse concepts, events and issues such as archaeological controversies (Otzi the Iceman), the Medieval world, imperialism and the Holocaust. In the senior school we offer the opportunity to study Modern History, Ancient History, History Extension and Psychology, each topic providing a great springboard for tertiary studies at University. Students in History develop skills of critical analysis and interpretation, a deep engagement which fosters a life-long love of learning.
The History faculty seeks to embrace the aim of the syllabus, which is to “stimulate students’ interest in and enjoyment of exploring the past, to develop a critical understanding of the past and its impact on the present…to enable students to participate as active, informed and responsible citizens.”
Stages 4 and 5
History is mandatory in stages 4 and 5. Students explore a range of worlds and civilisations, systems and institutions. There are 6 key concepts that are integrated throughout topics and electives: continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathetic understanding, significance and contestability. In examining the content, students develop their skills of comprehension, analysis and use of sources, interpretation, empathy, research, explaining and communicating.
Stage 6
The senior courses build on the foundations established in junior History, allowing students to select either Modern or Ancient, or Psychology, which as a Preliminary only school-developed course provides students with a preview of tertiary studies in the Psychology field, as well as key research skills. History Extension is a challenging but rewarding option for students who have excelled in their preliminary studies of History.
Ancient History
Nature of Ancient History, Tutankhamun, Women in Greece, Rome and Egypt, Thera, Troy and Palmyra, the Silk Road, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Sparta, Persia, Hatshepsut and Xerxes.
Modern History
Nature of Modern History, Revolutionary Cuba, Meiji Japan, Romanov Russia, The Shaping of the Modern World, Power and Authority, Revolutionary Russia, Conflict in Indochina, Conflict in the Pacific, Civil Rights in the USA, China.
History Extension
Constructing History, JFK, Origins of Early Christianity.
Psychology
Development and approaches to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Structure and Function of the Brain, Personal Interest Project, Forensic Psychology.
