Humanities 

A pathway which includes one or more courses in the Humanities will help you to develop a deep knowledge and sense of wonder, curiosity and respect for places, people, cultures, events, ideas and environments throughout the world. You’ll be armed with the ability to think critically, solve problems, make informed decisions and propose actions in relation to real-world events and issues. Some courses will enhance your enterprising behaviours and capabilities which can be transferred into life, work and business opportunities; while other courses will hone your understanding of, and commitment to, the concepts of sustainability to bring about equity and social justice.

The goal of the Humanities Department is to engage you with the world around you and equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to thrive.

Contact:     Mr Anthony Ritchie, Head of Humanities

Accounting and Finance: ATAR 

Accounting and Finance: General

Agribusiness: ATAR

Geography: ATAR

Humanities and Social Sciences in Action: General

Modern History: ATAR

Accounting and Finance: ATAR

Prerequisites: B grade (preferred) or high C Grade in Year Ten Humanities; high C grade or better in Year Ten English.

The Accounting and Finance ATAR course focuses on financial literacy and aims to provide students with the knowledge, understandings and a range of skills that enables them to make sound financial judgements. Students develop an understanding that financial decisions have far reaching consequences for individuals and business. 

The course will provide students with the 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 the preparation, examination and analysis of a variety of financial documents and systems, students develop an understanding of the fundamental principles and practices upon which accounting and financial management are based. 

An understanding and application of these principles and practices enables students to analyse their own financial data and that of businesses and make informed decisions, forecasts of future performance, and recommendations based on that analysis. 

A successful study of Accounting and Finance can lead to careers in fields such as auditing, taxation, financial analysis, forensic accounting, investment banking, corporate finance, financial planning, consulting, entrepreneurship, and government accounting.

Year Eleven Course Outline

Unit 1:

The focus for this unit is on double entry accounting for small business. 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.

Assessment for the Accounting and Finance: ATAR course in Year Eleven

Year Twelve Course Outline 

Prerequisites: C grade or better in Year Eleven Accounting and Finance: ATAR

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 Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting (the Conceptual 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 social disclosure issues and ethical behaviour within corporations. 

Assessment for the Accounting and Finance: ATAR course in Year Twelve

Accounting and Finance: General

Prerequisites: Not applicable

The Accounting and Finance General course focuses on financial literacy and aims to provide students with the knowledge, understandings and a range of skills that enables them to engage in sound financial decision making. Students develop an understanding that financial decisions have far reaching consequences. Through the preparation, examination and analysis of financial documents and procedures, students develop an understanding of the fundamental principles and practices upon which accounting and financial management are based. An understanding of these principles and practices enables students to analyse their own financial data and that of small businesses, and make informed decisions based on that analysis. 

Year Eleven Course Outline

Unit 1:

The focus for this unit is personal finance. The concepts, principles and terminology used in financial decision making and management on a personal basis are introduced. The unit addresses main institutions that operate in financial markets and how governments and other bodies can affect the way individuals and groups make financial decisions. The main financial documents and reports used in personal financial transactions and decision making and the systems that facilitate individuals to carry out their financial transactions are considered. 

Unit 2:

The focus for this unit is accounting for small cash entities. It addresses the fundamental accounting and finance principles and the application of these to the establishment and operation of small cash entities, including small incorporated bodies. The main financial institutions that small cash entities deal with are introduced and the methods that governments and other community bodies use to influence decision-making processes are considered. It also addresses financial record keeping on a cash basis for small entities, as well as the main financial documents and reports used in the financial transactions of small incorporated entities. The unit explores the main issues involved in business decision making and considers simple analysis of given information to determine the financial performance and position of a business.

Assessment for the Accounting and Finance: General course in Year Eleven

Year Twelve Course Outline

Prerequisites: C grade (or better) in the Year 11 General course

Unit 3:

The focus for this unit is 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 Goods and Services Tax (GST). Students learn about the various forms of business organisations adopted by small business.

Unit 4:

The focus for this unit is 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. They learn of the role and functions of the professional accounting and financial associations.

Assessment for the Accounting and Finance: General course in Year Twelve

AgriBusiness: ATAR

Agriculture is the world’s largest industry with a wide variety of employment opportunities. Agribusinesses are sophisticated and need people with a broad variety of skills. The Agribusiness ATAR course enables students to develop knowledge and skills related to the business decisions needed to run enterprises from production to marketing, adding value at all stages of the production process.

Agriculture makes a significant contribution to Australia’s economy through investment, employment of skilled workers, consumption of products from other sectors of the economy, and export income. The value chain, from production enterprises (for example, farms) to processing plants, to retail outlets and exports, including research and development, is a major contributor to Australia’s economic activity.

Domestic and international demand, particularly from Asia, for high quality and safe food and fibre, presents a positive outlook for the Australia’s agriculture and food sector. Demand will continue for people skilled in combining scarce resources and for innovative methods of production and marketing.

Year Eleven Course Outline

Unit 1:

In this unit, students learn about what agribusinesses are and their role in the Australian economy. They learn about the concept of the agribusiness value chain and the various challenges facing the local and global agribusiness industry. Students explore factors internal to businesses involved in food and fibre production systems that impact on the decisions that need to be made for the successful operation of a business.

Unit 2:

In this unit, students learn about Australia as a global producer of agricultural products, and how scarcity and choice in society impact on resource allocation in an agribusiness context. They learn about the laws of supply and demand and how price is determined in a competitive market. They are introduced to risk factors important in creating sustainable agribusinesses and to the concept of entrepreneurship and its relationship to innovation in agribusiness.

Assessment for the Agribusiness: ATAR course in Year Eleven

Year Twelve Course Outline

Unit 3

In this unit, students learn about the influence of consumer preferences in agribusinesses, the importance of stakeholder engagement in value chains and the influence of local and global challenges on agribusiness. Students learn about structure of management in an agribusiness, manager functions and analysis of external factors influencing an agribusiness using the PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal) framework. They learn about the purpose of a business plan, including a marketing plan, in the strategic management of an agribusiness.

Unit 4

In this unit, students learn about the concepts of comparative advantage, absolute advantage and opportunity cost in the context of Australia as a producer of food and fibre for global markets. They learn about government policies that influence the managerial decisions in agribusinesses and the laws of supply and demand, and market structures. Students learn about financial statements and their use in decision-making, common sources of finance for agribusinesses, and how agribusinesses assess and manage risk. They also learn about planning for sustainability to maintain the productivity of an agribusiness, including economic, environmental and social aspects.

Assessment for the Agribusiness: ATAR course in Year Twelve

Geography: ATAR

Prerequisites: B grade (preferred) of high C grade in Year Ten Humanities; high C grade or better in Year Ten English.

The study of the Geography ATAR course draws on students’ curiosity about the diversity of the world’s places and their peoples, cultures and environments. It provides students with the knowledge and understanding of the nature, causes and consequences of natural and ecological hazards, international integration in a range of spatial contexts, land cover transformations, and the challenges affecting the sustainability of places.

In the ATAR course, students learn how to collect information from primary and secondary sources, such as field observation and data collection, mapping, monitoring, remote sensing, case studies and reports. 

A successful study of Geography can lead to employment in fields such as environmental management, urban planning, disaster management, international development, tourism and hospitality, conservation, renewable energy, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Year Eleven Course Outline

Unit 1:

Natural and Ecological hazards: In this unit, students explore both natural and ecological hazards, the impacts they have on people, place and environments and the risk management of these hazards. The depth studies covered at Great Southern Grammar are bushfires and invasive species. The unit includes fieldwork, with a highlight being a camp to the Dryandra Woodlands.

Unit 2:

Global Networks and Interconnections: In this unit, students explore the economic and cultural transformations taking place in the world – the diffusion and changing spatial distribution and the impacts of these changes – that will enable them to better understand the dynamic nature of the world in which they live. The depth studies covered at Great Southern Grammar are the changing nature of production and consumption of fast food as a finished product; and the diffusion of surfing as an element of culture.

Assessment for the Geography: ATAR course in Year Eleven

Year Twelve Course Outline

Prerequisites: C grade or better in Year Eleven Geography: ATAR 

Unit 3:

Global environmental change:  This unit focuses on the changing biophysical cover of the Earth’s surface, the creation of anthropogenic biomes and the resulting impacts on biodiversity. Through applying the concept of sustainability, students are given the opportunity to examine and evaluate a program designed to address the negative effect of land cover change. 

 Aspects of physical, environmental and human geography provide students with an integrated and comprehensive understanding of the processes related to land cover change, their local, regional and global environmental consequences, and possible sustainable solutions. The unit includes fieldwork, with a highlight being a camp to the Red Moort Nature Reserve.

Unit 4:

Planning Sustainable Places:  Challenges exist in designing urban places to render them more productive, vibrant and sustainable. How people respond to these challenges, individually and collectively, will influence the sustainability and liveability of places into the future. While all places are subject to changes produced by economic, demographic, social, political and environmental processes, the outcomes of these processes vary depending on local responses, adaptations and planning practices. The depth studies covered at Great Southern Grammar provide students with insight to the challenges facing Albany as a regional centre (again with several fieldwork activities); and New York as a megacity.

Assessment for the Geography: ATAR course in Year Twelve

Humanities and Social Sciences In Action: General

Prerequisites: Not applicable

The Humanities and Social Sciences In Action (General) course will encourage students to become socially aware and active participants in society and develop their skills to make informed choices about important social issues.

Year Eleven Course Outline

Unit 1: All humans have rights

In this unit students learn about human rights. Students explore the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and how humans across the world have been able to access these rights through legislation, policy changes and the progression of attitudes, perspectives, and behaviours over time. Students will probe the circumstances that have prevented minority groups from accessing basic human rights and suggest ways to improve access to rights for these groups.

Focus Area 1: Ongoing Human Rights Issues

Students study at least one group within society and how their access to human rights has changed over time. They will also learn about this groups access to human rights in the past, now and in the future.

Focus Area 2: Contemporary Human Rights Actions

Students study at least one contemporary example of an action/movement by either an individual, a group, organisation or community that has contributed to promoting or fostering human rights.

Unit 2: A sense of community

In this unit students focus on opportunities as well as challenges within their local communities. They will explore issues and possible solutions relevant to communities that they are or may be involved in. They will propose changes and solutions to issues facing a community and raising awareness for this. 

Focus Area 1: Engagement with the community

Students study at least one contemporary community service related to improving communities, and explore the potential issues they face and, how those issues are currently being addressed. 

Focus Area 2: Influencing Community Change

Students study at least one contemporary example of a community initiative by either an individual, group, organisation or community that has contributed to social change. 

Year Twelve Course Outline

Unit 3: People, Planet, Prosperity

In this unit, student's study the impact of human interaction with the environment when allocating resources, and to find ways to live more sustainably. Students will investigate how humans use resources to ensure the needs and wants of the world's population are being met and the impact this resource allocation has on the planet. They will explore ways that they themselves, and organisations, are reducing this impact and how they themselves can further contribute to these actions. 

Focus Area 1: Industry-Profit or Planet?

Students investigate the sustainability of at least one industry and the potential consequences of inaction for the natural environment.

Focus Area 2: People and Planet

Students investigate at least one contemporary issue as it relates to sustainability, how the issue is being addressed and the youth led actions initiating change, using community experiences and/or secondary sources to support the investigation.

Unit 4: Disruptions

In this unit students learn about how disruptions (economic, geographical, political, social, demographic and technological) and how the response to those disruptions can change the way people and the world operate. 

From disruptions comes the opportunity to innovate. Students will learn how disruptive innovations have the potential to be a positive force in the world and the role that innovators have in providing solutions that 'value add' to society. Students will explore the use of innovative methods to invoke action that promotes societal benefits. 

Focus Area 1: Disruptions

Students investigate at least one disruption and the impacts this disruption can have on people and the environment.

Focus Area 2: Disruptive Innovations

Students will investigate at least one innovation in response to a disruption.

Modern History: ATAR

Prerequisites: B grade or better in Year Ten Humanities and Year Ten English.  Students with C grades should consult their teacher.

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 skills developed, such as analytical and critical thinking and effective communication, are highly regarded by employers in areas such as journalism, government, public policy analysis, education, law, cultural heritage management, documentary filmmaking, and international relations.

Year Eleven Course Outline

Unit 1: 

Understanding the Modern World: Capitalism – the American Experience 1901–1941

This unit examines developments of significance in America in the modern era, including the ideas that inspired these developments and their far‐reaching consequences.  It is an exciting time in American history as society responds to the challenging outcomes of the American Civil War, the costs of World War One and the new demands of the ‘roaring twenties’ (think flappers, prohibition, the KKK and the Model T Ford) only to be hit with the Great Depression and World War Two.

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.  Students investigate the ways in which individuals, groups and institutions have challenged existing political structures, accepted social organisation and prevailing economic models to transform societies. In Germany, the experiment with democracy after World War One is challenged with devastating consequences.   

Assessment for the Modern History: ATAR course in Year Eleven

Year Twelve Course Outline

Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in Year Eleven Modern History.  Please consult your teacher regarding the Year Twelve Modern History course. 

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. Modern History focuses on cohesion and division, and in Russia/USSR, this was violent, passionate and revolutionary. 

Unit 4:

The Modern World since 1945: The Struggle for Peace in the Middle East since 1945

This unit examines some significant and distinctive features of the modern world within the period 1945–2001 in order to build students’ understanding of the contemporary world. These include changes to the nature of the world order: shifting international tensions, alliances and power blocs. There is no more complex or interesting region than the Middle East.

Assessment for the Modern History: ATAR course in Year Twelve