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Humanities

When a 国产爆料 student finishes their humanities education, they understand the world around them; how it has been constructed, and their place in it. By studying history, geography, and philosophy, students learn about the forces that have shaped their world and gain the confidence to participate as global citizens in that world.

Students learn more than simple facts about a subject, they skillfully apply knowledge to build a deep understanding of topics. In an ever-changing world where it is increasingly challenging to sort truth from fiction, our students learn the importance of evidence, logic, and nuance; skills they will use daily in their life. By understanding the context of the world and how it operates, students are less likely to be swept along by it, and better equipped to be active participants in it.

Humanities fac

Humanities Year 7-10 Overview

Humanities in Years 7-10 plays an important role in the way that it presents students with examples of human behaviour and interactions, as well as various social, cultural, and environmental contexts.   

History is how we make sense of the past. It is not a list of what happened long ago, it is understanding the significance of what happened. Woven through each unit are key historical thinking skills such as cause and effect, perspective, empathy, significance, and evidence. The learning of History is compulsory for all students in Years 7-10. An advanced year 10 History course which delves deeper into the historiographical debate of key thematic concepts studied for that year will be offered based on merit.   

Geography is the study of places, and the relationships between people and their environments. Through the study of Geography, students explore the physical properties of Earth's surface and the human societies spread across it. In doing so they break down barriers between science, economics, politics, and history, building a nuanced understanding of the world. Geography is studied in Years 7-9. In Year 10 students can elect to study Global Futures; a specialized course where students investigate pivotal modern global issues and analyse their solutions. Fieldwork is undertaken at all year levels, making the world our classroom.鈥���

Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Offered in Year 10 as an elective, it helps to develop student's ability to assimilate and assess new and unfamiliar ideas and information. It teaches sound reasoning methods and problem-solving strategies that work in all sorts of contexts, including new and unfamiliar ones. 

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IBDP Subjects and Pathways

IBDP Humanities 2026
Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) - Group 3 or 4

Standard Level only - taught as an anticipated one year course at Year 11 or 12.

Course Description and Aims

Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) is a dynamic interdisciplinary subject that takes 21st century challenges and socio-environmental real-world issues and looks at them through the lens of human societies and the interrelationships of the natural world: biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Students explore how these relationships change over time and space, consider the potential adaptations and mitigations that human societies and the natural world may currently be undergoing, and how these could impact the future and our place in it.

The course is firmly grounded in both the scientific exploration of environmental systems in terms of their structure and function, and in the exploration of cultural, economic, ethical, political and legal interactions of societies with environment and sustainability issues. Consequently, ESS requires its students to develop a diverse set of skills, knowledge and understandings.

The interdisciplinary nature of the course means students gain a holistic understanding from the various topics studied; they undertake research and investigations, and participate in philosophical, ethical and pragmatic discussions about the issues involved, from the local to the global level.

Pre-requisites

As this is an anticipated course, there are pre-requisite subject requirements:

Year 11 鈥� Year 10 Geography (A grade); with Year 10 Science as assumed knowledge

Year 12 鈥� either Y11 Geography or Year 11 Biology

For SACE students 鈥� ESS can be your one non-SACE subject, and it is not precluded against either SACE Geography or SACE Biology

For IBDP students 鈥� ESS is flexible and can fulfil either or both Group 3 and 4 requirements, or as an additional Humanities or Science subject in Group 6.

NB For IBDP students, ESS is offered as an anticipated course at Year 11 level at Standard Level only. After completion of the Year 11 course, it is possible to retake ESS exams again the following November, by negotiation. It may be possible for a Year 11 IBDP student to change one of their subjects to ESS at Year 12 level, but this is not guaranteed, owing to timetable and IBDP pattern restrictions, and must be negotiated with the IB coordinator.

Assessment 鈥� 75% external assessment (examination) and 25% internal assessment (IA)

External assessment 鈥� 3 hours

  • Paper 1 (25%) 鈥� 1 hour 鈥� resource booklet with an unseen case study. Questions will be based on the analysis and evaluation of the data in the case study. Answer all questions
  • Paper 2 (50%) 鈥� 2 hours 鈥� paper made up of section 1 (part 1): short-answer and data-based questions, answer all questions. Part 2: structured essay response, with a choice question.

Internal assessment 鈥� 10 hours

  • Fieldwork based investigation
History (Standard or Higher Level) - Group 3鈥�

Course Description and Aims鈥�
The IB history course is focused on the following depth studies: The Move to Global War, Authoritarian states (20th Century), The Cold War, and the History of Europe (HL only).鈥��&苍产蝉辫;

The IB history course involves the study of a variety of types of history, including political, economic, social, and cultural strands. It encourages students to think historically, to gain historical skills as well as gaining factual skills. The course puts a premium on developing skills of critical thinking and on developing an understanding of multiple interpretations of history. In this way the course involves a challenging and demanding critical exploration of the past. Teachers explicitly teach thinking and research skills such as comprehension, text analysis, and the use of primary sources.鈥�� 鈥�

The course aims to encourage students to engage with multiple, complex perspectives of history, develop key historical thinking skills, and to increase a student鈥檚 understanding of the world.鈥�� 鈥�

Higher Level Distinction鈥�
HL students study an extra topic, 鈥楾he History of Europe鈥�, and complete an extra paper in their exam. This topic overlaps with SL topics. The skills they are assessed on differ from their SL counterparts as they are asked to:鈥�

-reflect on methodology of historians鈥�
-demonstrate higher levels of structure and analysis on their essay responses鈥�
-demonstrate higher levels of research skills鈥� 鈥�

Assessment:
External Assessment (75% SL, 80% HL)鈥�

Examination Paper 1 (30% SL, 20% HL):鈥��
Source analysis paper written on 鈥楾he Move to Global War鈥� topic.鈥��

Examination Paper 2 (45% SL, 25% HL):鈥��
Two essays written on 鈥楾he Cold War鈥� and 鈥楢uthoritarian states (20th Century)鈥�.鈥�

Examination Paper 3 (HL only, 35%):鈥��
Three essays based on the depth study 鈥楾he History of Europe鈥�.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Internal Assessment (25% SL, 20% HL).
Students write a 2200-word historical investigation essay on a topic of their choice.鈥�

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SACE Subjects and Pathways

Sace humanities
Stage 1 Geography - 20 credits

Course Description:
Through the study of this subject, students develop an understanding of the spatial interrelationships between people, places, and environments. They appreciate the complexity of our world, the diversity of its environments, and the challenges and associated opportunities facing Australia and the world. 

Geography develops an appreciation of the importance of place in explanations of economic, social, and environmental phenomena and processes. It provides a systematic, integrative way of exploring, analysing, and applying the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale, and change. Students identify patterns and trends and explore and analyse geographical relationships and interdependencies. They use this knowledge to promote a more sustainable way of life and an awareness of social and spatial inequalities 

The three themes in Stage 1 Geography around which content is organised are Sustainable Places, Hazards and Contemporary Issues 

Assessment: 
Assessment Type 1: Geographical Skills & Application 
Assessment Type 2: Fieldwork 

Assumed Knowledge: There are no formal prerequisites to Stage 1 Geography, however, prior study of Geography in year 10 will be advantageous.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;

Stage 2 Geography - 20 credits

Course Description and Aims
Through the study of Geography, students develop an understanding of the spatial interrelationships between people, places, and environments. This course outfits students to appreciate the complexity of our world, the diversity of its environments, and the challenges and associated opportunities facing Australia and the world.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Stage 2 Geography focuses on the transforming world through the following five topics, which are organised under the two themes of environmental change and social and economic change.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Theme 1: Environmental Change鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

路 Topic 1: Ecosystems and people (examined)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

路 Topic 2: Climate change鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Theme 2: Social and Economic Change鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

路 Topic 3: Population change (examined)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

路 Topic 4: Globalisation鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

路 Topic 5: Transforming global inequality.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Geographical skills are also developed through spatial technologies, mapping, and fieldwork.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Assessment鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Internal Assessment (70%)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

  • Folio Tasks (40%). Students complete four folio tasks, 1000 words each.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
  • Fieldwork report (30%). Students complete a fieldwork report on a topic of their choice.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;

External Assessment (30%)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

  • 130min exam鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Stage 1 Modern History - 20 Credits

Course Description and Aims鈥�

Year 11 History students undertake the IB in Year 11. This equates to 20 SACE Stage 1 credit points. Completing the IB course in Year 11 rather than SACE Stage 1 allows students to focus on skill and content development. This leaves them well positioned to succeed in Stage 2 History.

Assessment

  • Essay
  • Comparative essay
  • Source Analysis
Stage 2 Modern History - 20 credits

Course Description: 
In the study of Modern History, students explore changes within the world since 1750, examining developments and movements, the ideas that inspired them, and their short term and long-term consequences for societies, systems, and individuals. Students study two topics, 鈥楳odern Nations鈥� in which the focus is China, and 鈥楾he World Since 1945鈥� which focuses on The Cold War.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;

Modern Nations: China鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

In what is emerging as 鈥楾he China Century鈥� this course aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge to understand the emergence and global ramifications of China鈥檚 rise.鈥�疉 background study introduces students to the policies of Mao Zedong that resulted in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. They consider the ways in which post-Mao China responded to those changes, underwent reform and modernisation following new social, political, cultural, and economic challenges.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The following are focus areas for study in this topic:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

鈥� Mao and the consolidation of the Revolution鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
鈥� the search for harmony鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
鈥� the road to modern China鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The World Since 1945: The Cold War鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The end of the Second World War saw the emergence of new superpowers. Students investigate ways in which the Cold War experience involved complex phases of reaction, reform, conflict, and compromise.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;

The following are focus areas for study in this topic:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

鈥� the origins and nature of the superpower rivalry鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
鈥� the end and consequences of the Cold War鈥�&苍产蝉辫;鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Assumed Knowledge: Year 11 History is a pre-requisite to selecting Stage 2 Modern History.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Assessment
鈥疭肠丑辞辞濒 Based Assessment (70%)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Four to five folio pieces (50%). Students will complete various writing tasks, 1000 words each.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Historical Studies essay (20%). Students complete a 2000-word essay on a topic of their choice.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

External Assessment (30%)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

130min exam, comprising essay on China unit, and Source Analysis鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

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