HSIE 'Human Society in It's Environment'
Students are challenged to develop values of social justice, empathy and informed citizenship. The Faculty offers the following subjects in Stage 6 Business Studies, Economics, Geography, History (Ancient, Modern and Extension), Legal Studies, and Society and Culture. History and Geography is mandatory in Stage 4 and 5 and Commerce is an elective in Stage 5.
Stage 4 - Year 7 and 8 - History content includes
Study of the Ancient World with Depth Studies
- Investigating the Ancient Past
- The Mediterranean World
- The Asian World
Study of the Ancient to Modern World
- The Western and Islamic World
- The Asia-Pacific World
- Expanding Contacts
Stage 5 - Year 9 and 10 - History content includes
The Making of the Modern World
- Making a Better World
- Australia and Asian
- Australians at War
Stage 4 - Year 7 and 8 - Geography content includes
- Landscapes and Landforms
- Place and Liveability
- Water in the World
- Interconnections
Stage 5 - Year 9 and 10 - Geography content Includes
- Sustainable Biomes
- Changing Places
- Environmental Change and Management
- Human Wellbeing
Stage 6 subjects offered
Business Studies
Business activity is a feature of everyone’s life. Throughout the world people engage in a web of business activities to design, produce, market, deliver and support a range of goods and services. In addition, investors, consumers and employees depend on the business sector for much of their quality of life.
As a course, Business Studies is distinctive in that it encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of business in contexts which students will encounter throughout their lives. Conceptually, it offers learning from the planning of a small business to the management of operations, marketing, finance and human resources in large businesses. Through the analysis of contemporary business strategies the course also provides rigour and depth and lays an excellent foundation for students either in tertiary study or in future employment.
Economics
Economic decisions have a crucial influence on the quality of life experienced by people throughout the world. The study of economics can help individuals, groups and societies make choices that assist them to improve their quality of life.
As a subject, Economics Stage 6 is distinctive because of the range of problems and issues that it investigates and the skills that it develops.
Geography
Geography is an investigation of the world which provides an accurate description and interpretation of the varied character of the earth and its people. It is a key discipline through which students develop the ability to recognise and understand environmental change and the interactions which take place in our world.
Ancient History
The study of history is an inquiry into past experience that helps make the present more intelligible. A study of the past is invaluable, for to be unaware of history is to be ignorant of those forces that have shaped our social and physical worlds. Through the study of ancient history, students learn both about the interaction of societies and the impact of individuals and groups on ancient events and ways of life. The study of ancient history gives students an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of comparing past to present and present to past by exposing them to a variety of perspectives on key events and issues. It also gives them opportunities to develop their own perspectives on the origins and influence of ideas, values and behaviours that are still relevant in the modern world.
Modern History
The study of Modern History Stage 6 has a distinctive role in the school curriculum as it challenges students to consider the great social, technological, economic, political and moral transformations from the late eighteenth century to the present. It requires students to analyse the causes, progress and effects of these transformations and, finally, to make judgements about them. Modern History Stage 6 is especially relevant to the lives of students, as the events and issues that form its content are, in many cases, still current.
Extension History
The purpose of HSC History Extension is to enable students to build on the outcomes of the Stage 6 Ancient History and Modern History courses in relation to historiography and historical enquiry and communication. The course further develops students’ understanding of how historians work. The focus of the course is not on content alone, although an understanding of content is important. Rather than simply extending students’ knowledge of a particular period or event in history, the course is aimed at using specific historical investigations to reflect on the nature of history and how and why approaches and interpretations change over time.
Legal Studies
The syllabus focuses on the way in which law is generated, how it is structured and how it operates in Australian and international contexts. Learning about our legal system will allow students to investigate the way our society operates and the influences that shape it.
Students will develop an understanding of the implications that legal decisions can have for Australian society and the ways in which the legal system can affect the lives of Australian citizens. A critical understanding of the processes of reform and change will help students to contribute to making our society more equitable for all.
Society and Culture
The central goal of Society and Culture Stage 6 is the development of social and cultural literacy and a clear understanding of the interaction of persons, societies, cultures, environments and time. The influence of other aspects of societies and cultures – including power, authority, identity, gender, technologies and globalisation – is also central to the course.
Society and Culture draws on cross-disciplinary concepts and social research methods from anthropology; communication; cultural and media studies; philosophy; social psychology; and sociology.