HSIE
HSIE (Human Society and its Environment) is a combined Social Science and History faculty. It delivers 13 courses across the curriculum from years 7 to 12. Broad areas embraced by HSIE include business and commerce, the environment, law, economics social issues and history.
Stage 4 (Years 7-8)
Geography The Board of Studies recognizes geography as a core curriculum subject.
Students acquire the tools to understand geographic concepts including mapping and fieldwork and the skills to acquire, process and communicate geographic information. It has a global perspective. Focus areas include global investigation, understanding of and managing a range of global environments and evaluation of global citizenship issues.
History The Board of Studies recognizes history as a core curriculum subject.
Students develop an understanding of the nature of history, of past societies and of indigenous peoples and develop skills to process and communicate their understanding of history.
Topics include investigating history, societies and civilizations of the past, Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples and colonization and contact history.
Stage 5 (Years 9-10)
Geography has a perspective that emphasizes Australia and its regional context.
Focus areas include investigations of Australia's identity, changing environments and associated issues and regional contacts and linkages. Fieldwork is a compulsory tool for investigating social issues.
Geography is externally examined for the School Certificate.
History investigates people, events, issues and broad themes impacting on Australia in the twentieth century. The period from 1901 to the Vietnam War in the 1970s is investigated. General themes include changing rights and freedoms, people, power and politics and social and cultural history in the post war period.
History is externally examined for the School Certificate.
Commerce is an elective that develops life skills and responsible decision-making about being a consumer, finance, the law, Economics, employment, investing, business and political involvement. It provides a framework of institutions and processes in which society operates and assists students to make informed decisions that affect their lives and the broader community.
Commerce is a useful preliminary course for senior studies in Business Studies, Economics and Legal Studies.
Stage 6 (Years 11-12)
Ancient History develops understanding of past civilizations, especially of Egypt, the Middle East, Greece and Rome. Through case studies and investigation, students gain an understanding of events, places and major personalities that shaped those periods. Students develop skills in historical and archaeological research and in written and oral communication.
History Extension offers an in depth study of historiography and provides students with the opportunity to undertake individual research projects that develop high level research skills.
It is suitable for students of both Ancient and Modern History.
Business Studies provides a broad understanding of the role and structure of business. The Preliminary course focuses on small business. Students undertake a mandatory, independent investigation of a business and produce a detailed report. The HSC course provides a comprehensive overview of larger business. Areas include management, accounting, marketing, employment relations and global business. The comprehensive grounding in business concepts is beneficial for further tertiary studies or for employment and life skills.
Economics provides an understanding of the structures of an economy including the role of consumers, business, the financial sector and government and provides an understanding of how a modern market economy functions.
The HSC course focuses on the broader (macroeconomic) aspects of managing an economy. Australia is increasingly integrating with the global economy. The course examines the effectiveness of economic management policies and their impacts on specific sectors and on society in general.
Students are encouraged to read contemporary media and to debate current issues.
Economics is an important component of tertiary business courses and an understanding of its concepts is useful in managerial positions.
Geography is a lifelong natural curiosity about how and why the world's people and their environments are so varied. It involves an understanding of the distribution of global environments and the processes that continually transform them and the impacts that these have on the environments, people and economic activity.
The preliminary course investigates issues concerning the planet's biophysical processes and global challenges confronting it. Students undertake a detailed individual research project on a local issue and present a report. (Senior Geography project)
The HSC course includes investigations of ecosystems at risk, urban places, people and economic activity.
As a mandatory skill to enhance coursework, students must undertake fieldwork studies.
Geographic methodology skills and an understanding of environmental issues are increasingly valued for employment and as a career path.
Legal Studies enables students to think critically about the role of law and legal institutions in society. It outlines the general nature, functions, rules, processes and institutions of domestic and international law. It traces the historical development of the Australian legal system, its role in protecting and improving society and the processes available to protect individual rights and those of society.
The HSC course examines law and justice and human rights and aspects of the operation of the legal system. Additional focus areas include crime, family and shelter.
Whilst there is a considerable body of factual information, many of the concepts are issues based. Students are encouraged to debate issues, to formulate values and to communicate these orally and in writing.
Legal Studies provides an excellent preparation for life skills and for further education and training.
Modern History-The study of past human experience helps to make the present more intelligible. It provides a framework for students to examine the impact of the broad social, technological, economic, political and moral changes affecting the world from the late eighteenth century to the present. History is not a fixed body of information but rather a series of recorded accounts written from different perspectives. Through analytical and critical examination of primary and secondary sources, students develop an appreciation of how the broad historical developments have shaped present society.
The preliminary course provides opportunities to develop historical skills in a range of case studies up to the twentieth century including a detailed research project.
The HSC course involves a study of world war one, a national study, a personality and an international study in peace and conflict.
Society and Culture is an inter-disciplinary course that draws on research methodologies from anthropology, communication, cultural studies, media studies, philosophy, psychology, social ecology and sociology. Students examine a range of issues that enable them to compare their lives with those of adolescents whose culture is different to their own. The research methodologies promote skills for lifelong learning. Students undertake a major research project (Personal Interest Project) that is externally assessed. The HSC course includes the research project, social continuity and change popular culture and belief systems.
As an issues based course, students are encouraged to read widely and to communicate orally and in writing.
Studies of Religion explores the nature of religion and beliefs. Students consider the origins and development of a number of religions, with particular emphasis on Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.
Students participate in a number of excursions to religious sites and places of worship to develop a greater understanding of the variety of religious expressions currently being practiced in Australia.
Students develop skills in interpretation and analysis. They are required to answer multiple choice, short answer and extended response questions.
