HUMANITIES LEARNING AREA
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE – ATAR
The Accounting and Finance ATAR course aims to make students financially literate by creating an understanding of the systems and processes through which financial practices and decision making are carried out, as well as the ethical, social and environmental issues involved.
Through engagement with the course, students develop an understanding of the fundamentals on which accounting and financial management are based. Many students will find themselves self-employed and there is a high probability that they will have to engage in some form of accounting practices. Having an understanding of these practices enables them to analyse their own financial data and make informed decisions based on that analysis.
In a rapidly changing world, the impact of technology on financial and accounting practices has been vast. The use of computer systems for record keeping, and the communication of financial data is already vital, and will continue to shape future careers.
Year 11
Unit: 1
The focus for this unit is on double entry accounting for small businesses. Students apply their understanding of financial principles, systems and institutions to manage financial information and make decisions in a variety of small businesses. Students develop an understanding of the rationale for the use of particular conventions and principles and the consequences of disregarding them. Students record and process financial information using the double entry system and apply the principles of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Students learn about the various forms of business organisations adopted by small business.
Unit: 2
The focus for this unit is on accrual accounting. Students apply financial systems and principles to the operations of businesses and distinguish between cash and accrual methods of accounting. Students prepare and analyse financial reports for a variety of types of business organisations and become familiar with the main aspects of electronic processing of financial data. Students learn of the role and functions of the professional accounting and financial associations.
Year 12
Unit: 3
The focus for this unit is on internal management for business. Students prepare and interpret budgets and performance reports in relation to forecasting a business’s future. The unit distinguishes between internal and external reporting requirements. Decision-making processes using cost accounting techniques are a feature of the unit. The unit focuses on critical analysis of financial information. The unit also explores the importance of short and long term planning for business.
Unit: 4
The focus for this unit is on Australian reporting entities and how they are regulated by the Corporations Act 2001. The Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of General Purpose Financial Reports (The Framework) and the Accounting Standards are used in the preparation of the financial statements for a reporting entity. The financing options of larger entities are identified and evaluated, particularly in relation to conformity with basic principles, including profitability and stability. The unit addresses corporate social disclosure issues and ethical behaviour within corporations.
ECONOMICS – ATAR
You will be influenced by Economics as a citizen for your lifetime. Economics is a key discipline in many professional occupations and careers.
Economics investigates the choices which all people, groups and societies face as they confront the ongoing problem of satisfying their unlimited wants with limited resources. Economics aims to understand and analyse the allocation, utilisation and distribution of scarce resources that determine our wealth and wellbeing. Economics develops the knowledge, reasoning and interpretation skills that form an important component of understanding individual, business and government behaviour at the local, national and global levels.
The Economics course develops reasoning, logical thinking and interpretation skills demanded by the world of work, business and government. The learning experiences available through studying this course explore the knowledge, values and opinions which surround the complex range of economic events and issues facing our community, such as unemployment, income distribution, business strategy and international relations.
Year 11
Unit: 1 Microeconomics
This unit explores the theory that markets are an efficient way to allocate scarce resources, using real world markets with an emphasis on the Australian economy. When the forces of demand and supply do not allocate and price resources in a way that society would regard as efficient, equitable or sustainable, market failure can occur. Students examine examples of market failure along with a range of government policy options that can be applied to achieve more desirable outcomes. Students are also introduced to the language of economics and the use of theories and models to explain and interpret economic events and issues.
Unit: 2 Macroeconomics
This unit explores the government’s role in a modified market economy and Australia’s recent (the last ten years) and contemporary (the last three years) macroeconomic performance. The cyclical fluctuations in the level of economic activity result in changes in the levels of output, income, spending and employment in the economy which, in turn, have implications for economic growth, inflation and unemployment. Students examine the role of government, through its spending and taxing powers, which can affect the allocation and price of resources, and the level of economic activity by targeting economic objectives.
Year 12
Unit: 3 Australia and the global economy
It explores the interdependence of Australia and the rest of the world. Australia is a relatively open economy and, as such, is influenced by changes in the world economy. It explores the linkages between economies and the concepts of globalisation, trade liberalisation and protection in relation to the Australian economy. Students examine Australia’s trade, the recording of international transactions and the impact of these transactions on the Australian economy.
Unit: 4 Economic policies and management
It explores how economic actions and policies such as fiscal policy, monetary policy and microeconomic reform operate in the pursuit of the Australian Government’s economic objectives. The changes that have taken place in the operation of these policies in recent times are also examined. Students learn to make informed predictions about the operation of these policies using economic models and past and current key economic data. Students apply the language, theories and tools of economics to develop a critical perspective on the role of these policies in the economy.
GEOGRAPHY – ATAR
Geography is the study of physical and cultural environments from a holistic perspective. It equips students with the knowledge and skills to observe and describe places on the Earth’s surface, and to analyse, explain and evaluate cultural and physical phenomena and their complex interconnections. Students develop a range of geographical skills that help them to understand the world, interpret the past, evaluate the present and design sustainable strategies for the future.
Year 11
Unit 1: Natural and Ecological Hazards
This unit focuses on understanding natural and ecological hazards, their causes and impacts and how they can be managed at local, regional and global levels. Management strategies include prevention, mitigation and preparedness. Depth studies include Bushfires and Covid 19.
Unit 2: Global networks and interconnections
This unit focuses on the process of globalization and the opportunities and threats associated with living in an increasingly interconnected world. Students develop and understanding of the origins and spread of cultural transformations and their implications across the globe today. Depth studies include Fast Food and the Geography of Music.
Skills:
Throughout Unit 1 and 2, students develop skills including posing geographical questions, collecting and analysing statistical data, identifying patterns and trends, proposing explanations and solutions.
Units 1 and 2 include one-day field trips.
Year 12
Unit 3: Global Environmental Change
This unit focuses on changes to the Earth’s biophysical cover, the creation of human environments, and the resulting impacts on either global climate or biodiversity. Students apply the concept of sustainability to examine and evaluate programs designed to address these negative environmental impacts, with a focus on local issues that have real-world impacts on a global scale.
Unit 4: Planning sustainable cities
This unit investigates the importance of urban planning. Students explore the challenges of designing cities that are efficient, liveable, inclusive and environmentally sustainable. Urban planning involves multiple stakeholders and decision-makers. Students examine how present and future needs are addressed through: Allocation and reallocation of land uses, transport and infrastructure planning and enhancing the urban experience. A key component of this unit is a comparison between Perth and New York City Fieldwork (Year 12).
Units 3 and 4 have one-day field trips.
MODERN HISTORY – ATAR
Studying the Modern History ATAR course enables students to become critical thinkers and helps inform their judgements and actions in a rapidly changing world. Students are exposed to a variety of historical sources, including government papers, extracts from newspapers, letters, diaries, photographs, cartoons, paintings, graphs and secondary sources, in order to determine the cause and effect, and the motives and forces influencing people and events.
Through the process of historical inquiry, students are encouraged to question and evaluate historical sources; identify various representations and versions of history; use evidence to formulate and support their own interpretations; and communicate their findings in a variety of ways.
The study of Modern History can lead to careers in: Law, journalism, public relations, television, advertising and multimedia development, literature, publishing, performing arts, archaeology, museum curating, conservation and social work, teaching, travel writing, human resources and industrial relations, policing, criminology, crime detection, politics, public service and local government.
Year 11
Unit 1 – Understanding the modern world
“I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1938
This unit examines developments of significance in the modern era, including the ideas that inspired them and their far-reaching consequences. The period 1901 to 1941 in the history of the USA saw it move from being a large, resource-rich country to the most powerful and influential nation in the world.
Over the next forty years, American capitalism played a dominant role, impacting all levels of society. Students explore not only the benefits of the 1920s economic boom with the growth of consumerism and the influence of the car and entertainment industries, but also the negatives with the rise of the KKK, the prohibition of alcohol and political intolerance. Its huge wealth, faith in the democratic system and outstanding leaders, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt and ending with his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, gave it the strength to work through the most significant challenges of the twentieth century.
Unit 2: Movements for change in the 20th century: Nazism in Germany
This unit examines significant movements for change in the 20th century that led to change in society, including people’s attitudes and circumstances. This unit focuses on the economic, political and military circumstance in Germany after WW1, and how these circumstances led to the rise of Nazism. Key content for this unit includes:
- The economic, political and military circumstances in Germany at the end of WWI and how those circumstances contributed to the rise of Nazism; the reasons for the Nazi Party's rise to power; the nature and effects of key aspects of the Nazi state; Nazi policies of anti-Semitism and the promotion of the Aryan race, the role and impact of significant individuals in Weimar and Nazi Germany; the legacy of Nazism after WWII.
Year 12
Unit 3: Modern nations in the 20th century: Russia and the Soviet Union 1914–1945
(World War I to the end of World War II)
This unit examines the characteristics of modern nations in the 20th century; the crises that confronted nations, their responses to these crises and the different paths nations have taken to fulfil their goals. Students study the characteristics of one nation. An overview of Russia in 1914 as background for more intensive study of the period. The content for this unit includes:
- the significant ideas of the period, including autocracy, Marxism, communism, Leninism, Stalinism, and collectivisation; the significance of the struggle of Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky for power and the reasons for the success of Stalin; the changes that transformed Russia, including War Communism; the New Economic Policy; the creation of the USSR; the Five Year Plans and how they contributed to state control of the economy, forced rural collectivisation, state-created famine and the modernisation of the Soviet Union; the social/cultural impact of Bolshevism and Stalin’s Cultural Revolution to 1945; the impact of World War II and the methods that enabled the USSR to secure victory; the role and impact of significant individuals in the period, including political, military and social/cultural leaders.
Unit 4 – The modern world since 1945
This unit focuses on the distinctive features of the modern world that emerged between 1945 and 2001. It aims to develop students’ understanding of the contemporary world by examining how and why Australia has reached its present position. The unit is studied within the context of Australia’s engagement with Asia and includes an investigation of the impact of World War II on Australia and Asia; Australia’s responses to key developments in international relations, such as the Vietnam War; the formation of formal alliances and regional forums; the role of significant leaders such as Robert Menzies and Gough Whitlam; the significance of post‑war immigration policies on regional relationships; the influence of cultural ties with Asia; the changing nature and ongoing importance of trade with Asia; and the political impacts of these developments, including the rise of Pauline Hanson and the One Nation Party.
POLITICS AND LAW – ATAR
Politics and Law is a study of the processes of decision-making concerning society’s collective future. It aims to develop knowledge of the principles, structures, institutions and processes of political and legal systems primarily in Australia. It brings together the judicial, executive and legislative arms of government to demonstrate how society is governed and examines the philosophy and values on which society is governed.
Students will be encouraged to participate in the Interschool Mock Trial competition as barristers, witnesses and solicitors. This is held at the Central Law Courts throughout Semester I.
Year 11 students have the option to travel to Canberra for a week to visit Old and New Parliament Houses and observe Question Time and participate in committee hearings, the War Memorial, the Electoral Commission, the High Court, the National Portrait Gallery, National Archive and the Sound and Screen Museum.
Year 11
Units: 1 and 2
The study of Politics and Law will play a significant role in producing informed citizens who understand the processes of decision making concerning society’s collective future. The course also aims to support all students in developing a sense of awareness of their basic legal rights, obligations and duties.
The Politics and Law course will allow students to develop knowledge and understanding of the principles, structures, institutions, processes and practices of the political and legal systems, primarily in Australia. The course will, however, encourage students to question, analyse and understand different political and legal systems around the world.
Topics in Year 11 include: the electoral systems, political parties, pressure groups, the operation of Parliament, as well as the Court hierarchy and the criminal and civil trial processes in WA. Contemporary political and legal issues/events are the focus of research assignments.
Recent and current events and issues, both at home and abroad, are the focus of class discussions and will allow students to formulate their own opinions about national and international events.
Year 12
Unit: 3 Political and legal power
Students will examine how the roles of the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government maintain and develop the law. Students will consider the influence of individuals, pressure groups, political parties, public opinion, and the media and internal and external factors on law making. There is a close study of the constitution and federalism, the 1975 constitutional crises as well as the High Court and how some of its judicial interpretations affect the federal balance.
Unit: 4 Rights and governance
Students will examine the ways political and legal systems respond to contemporary civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights issues. Students will examine the ways countries can uphold or undermine democratic principles by examining their political and legal structures, means of exercising power, judicial independence, representation, and the extent of popular participation, natural justice and the rule of law. The protection of human rights abuses are discussed as well as the judicial activism evident in the recent High Court decisions and a study of the protection of human rights in Australia and another country. This has relevance to the present asylum seeker debate. Accountability of the legislature, executive and the judiciary is a key element of this course and the agencies that keep them accountable are examined e.g., CCC, Royal Commissions etc.