Humanities News

By Jayne Carrigg - Faculty Leader: Humanities

VCE Sociology

The Humanities Faculty is looking forward to stepping up and stepping forward in 2026, to embrace learning opportunities that not only present themselves in the classroom but in the wider world. We are inspired by Mary Ward who stepped out with purpose and determination to make a difference in her world. 

On Tuesday 10 February we welcomed back to the college Emma Leehane, a former Loreto student and First Nations educator from Federation University to work with the Unit 3 Sociology class. Emma draws on her own life experience as a proud Yorta Yorta woman and her extensive local knowledge of the Wadawurrung people in her workshops. Emma welcomes student involvement in her workshops with the students being able to ask questions and share their own life experiences. 

The students learn about Aboriginal life before European settlement including life in a clan group, the importance of songlines as a means of communications between different language groups, rituals such as marriage, kinships relationships, the deep connection that Aboriginal people have to the land, local dreamtime sites of significance such as lake Wendouree and the importance of totems. These workshops provide rich material for further discussions in the Unit 3 Sociology classes. 

Ella and Imogen wrote the following after participating in the workshop with Emma:

`Both Sociology classes had the opportunity to hear from Emma Leehane in support of the First Nations topic we are learning about in Unit 3. Emma discussed the various cultural aspects of the First Nations community, including material and non - material culture. Emma brought in tangible items as part of the Indigenous culture for us to look at, including a possum skin cloak, hook boomerang, nulla nulla, woomera and a coolamon. In this session, we learnt about the family kinship system and male and female roles.’