Elective History

A NESA Elective

Elective History

The History courses in Years 9 & 10 are designed to give the student a broader understanding of world history from ancient times to the modern world. While it is not possible to cover every aspect of history in this period students will examine a range of historical studies and target the forces that create change in and between nations – political, economic and social – that are as relevant today as in the periods where they first occurred.

History is also helpful in developing certain skills necessary for a student’s future education. There is a strong concentration on the development of research and writing skills to enable a student to present a logical argument in written form. This is a necessary grounding for the pursuit of any future courses of study that involve assessment in essay or research assignment form.

The courses are both relevant and challenging and will give the student a firm basis from which to pursue the study of history in senior years in either the HSC or IB. The courses are also enjoyable in that they enable students to study societies that are very different from their own.

Year 9 – Core Content

	Core Topic 1	Core Topic 2	Core Topic 3
Semester 1	Do the ends justify the means?	Piracy: From the Sea Peoples to Somalia	Building Utopia: Athenian and Spartan visions for Ancient Greece
	An examination of ethical dilemmas in history, including the bombing of Dresden, the industrialisation of the USSR, the dropping of the Atomic Bomb and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.	An investigation into piracy throughout history including ancient pirates, the Golden Age of Piracy (as depicted in Pirates of the Caribbean) and modern piracy in the Middle-East and Asia.	An investigation into how the Athenians and Spartans tried to create their own model Greek society.
Semester 2	Australian History Uncut	The History of Warfare
	Students examine controversial episodes in Australian History including Black Caesar, the Frontier Wars, the Rum Rebellion, blackbirding, ANZAC misconduct and the testing of the atomic bomb in Maralinga.	Students conduct an investigation into the nature of warfare from the Stone Age to the present.

Year 10 – Core Content

	Core Topic 1	Core Topic 2
Semester 1	Famous Assassinations	Alexander: the Great?
	An investigation into the causes, impact and controversies surrounding ancient, medieval and modern assassinations.	An investigation into whether Alexander the Great was truly a “great” individual.
Semester 2	Authoritarian States and Dictators	The Meiji Restoration
	An investigation into some of History’s most reviled and infamous leaders and the countries they ran, including Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Julius Caesar.	An investigation into the forces that transformed Japan from a medieval society into a modern powerhouse in a mere thirty years. Students will also investigate the phenomenal regional and global impact of this modernisation.

Elective History