In the Preliminary Course, students undertake studies of The Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty, the American Civil War, and World War I. In the HSC Modern History Course, students have the opportunity to study interwar Russia and the Soviet Union, Conflict in Indochina, the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and Civil Rights in the USA.
Modern History develops students’ understanding about people and how they are influenced by past events. Through examinations of various primary and secondary sources students gain a critical understanding of current events and can place these events into their proper historical context. Crucial to this course is the need to think critically and creatively about the interplay between individuals, groups, events and institutions. Good historians have the skills of differing research methodologies, critically analysing primary and secondary sources, understanding perspectives, editing, proofreading, building arguments and understanding causation. The knowledge, understanding and skills that students acquire through studying Modern History provide a firm foundation for further study, the world of work, active and informed citizenship, and for lifelong learning. It fosters a critical approach to understanding events, issues and interpretations as well as the effective communication of accounts conveying ideas, judgements and evidence.
The Modern History subject is divided into the Preliminary and the HSC Courses:
Preliminary Course:
Investigating Modern History: The Nature of Modern History
Investigating Modern History: Two Case Study
Historical Investigation: Personal Interest Project
The Shaping of the Modern World: World War I
HSC Course:
Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919–1946
National Study: Russia and the Soviet Union 1917–1941
Change in the Modern World: Civil Rights in the USA 1945–1968
Peace and Conflict: Conflict in the Pacific or Conflict in Indochina
