Humanities and Commerce Faculty

This is the first contribution to the newsletter from the newly formed Humanities and Commerce Faculty. At first glance Humanities and Commerce may seem incongruous, but if one considers Humanities as being ‘about the world’ – past, present and future – and Commerce, as being ‘in the world’ then the subjects within the faculty sit very well together.

At present the QCAA is celebrating some of the top ATAR achievers around the state and an interview with one particular student from a local boys’ school, caught my attention. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“I love learning and helping others. I also thrive in a fast-paced team environment. After identifying these things about myself a future in medicine was clear”.

After reading this one might assume that this student had studied the ‘typical’ suite of Maths/Science subjects but when asked about his favourite subjects in Year 12 he replied:

“Geography and Economics challenged me to consider complex ideas – such as why people make the decisions they do, and how the physical environment can lead to better health outcomes for communities.”

When asked for tips and advice for current students:

“Pick subjects that you like … and give it your all, because at graduation, you’ll have little to regret”.

This is such a wonderful testament to the value of Humanities subjects when choosing any career pathway.

In Faculty news:

• Three Year 11 Legal Studies students will be attending Youth Parliament on Friday 17 March. The Legal Studies Youth Parliament is a valuable opportunity for Year 11 and 12 Legal Studies students to debate a mock bill on a contemporary social issue (this year it’s about the ways that government can acquire and use big data), or to speak in an adjournment debate about any issue falling within the jurisdiction of the Queensland Parliament.
   
• Our two RSL Liaison students, Ella Falzon and Isabella Kasparian will be travelling to Canberra this year to attend the ANZAC Day Dawn Service. Both students also happen to study Humanities subjects (both study Geography and Ella also studies Modern History) so this trip will be enriching both personally and academically. I am also very excited to be chaperoning the ten students from local schools to this event.
   
• As part of Humanities and Commerce’s support for literacy across the curriculum, our Year 7 Geography students have been honing their comprehension skills for NAPLAN, by engaging in Geography themed comprehension tasks.