Humanities

All Humanities subjects are offered as electives at Year 10.

The Humanities is a study of human progress. Students examine how people have organised themselves in societies over time. They consider how people interact with their physical environment as well as each other. The knowledge, skills and values that students acquire in this study enable them to participate as confident, responsible and active citizens in a democratic society.

Rights and Freedoms (replacing Facists & Dictators) 

Aim

This subject’s aims are:

• Develop VCE History skills such as source analysis and historical writing.
• Develop student understanding of Historical Thinking Concepts such as Perspectives, Continuity and Change and Cause and Effect.
• Examine the development of modern civil and human rights in different global contexts with a focus on protest, international law and Australian law.
• Educate on the importance of knowing one's civil rights in modern society.

In Rights and Freedoms, students will focus on modern history as they explore the fight for civil, human and systemic rights in the American and Australian contexts.

We will commence with an exploration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an anchor for this study and explore the ethics of this before delving into an evaluation of the importance of the Civil Rights Movement of 1954 - 1968. Students will explore historical circumstances such as segregation and protests as well as key figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. 

Following this, students will explore how the U.S Civil Rights Movements influenced the Australian Civil Rights Movement for First Nations people. Students will be exploring key events such as the 1967 Referendum, the Mabo Decision, the Bringing Them Home Report and different historical perspectives in Australia.

Students will ultimately examine whether Rights and Freedoms have been achieved by both groups through an analysis of the past. Assessment is by satisfactory completion of a range of tasks including source analysis, historical essays and presentations.

Assessment

Assessment is by satisfactory completion of a range of tasks including source analysis, historical essays and research tasks. 

Gender Agenda

Aim

This subject’s aims are:

• To understand how the impact of women’s movements and rights crosses time and borders.
• To build on key geographic and research skills from Year 9 in preparation for VCE Humanities studies.

Content

Students will explore the how the role of women has been shaped, maintained, and transformed throughout history. Blending multiple disciplines of the humanities, including History, Politics and Sociology, students will examine themes related to feminism, the construction of gender, and distribution of power within society. This subject will support students to critically engage with the world around them by exploring social theory and critique, ultimately empowering them to answer questions about why our current social order has emerged and how we can advocate for a more equal future for all regardless of their gender.

Assessment

Assessment is by satisfactory completion of a range of tasks including fieldwork, topic tests, research assignments and classroom presentations.

Politics & Power

Aim

This subject’s aims are:

• To understand and apply fundamental political concepts.
• To understand the nature of contemporary politics and power in national and global contexts. 

ContentStudents explore, explain and analyse national and global political issues and events, studying how power is gained and exercised. They also study how political, social, cultural and economic forces that shape interactions between states. Students examine the interconnectedness of contemporary global politics and the impact of globalisation on culture, human rights and the environment. This subject gives students the opportunity to engage with key political, social and economic issues and to become informed participants in their local, national and international communities

AssessmentAssessment is by satisfactory completion of a range of tasks including research assignments, debates, film analyses, classroom presentations and topic tests.

Unlimited Wealth

Aim

This subject’s aims are:

• To introduce how economic decisions play a role in all facets of life.
• To maximise understanding of basic economic theory in preparation for future study in Business Management or Accounting.

Content

This elective introduces students to the concept of wealth creation in a society and explores how riches are shared between people within the community. Students learn about money and how it is important to everyday life in the 21st Century, as well as some of the ways people make money, including working and investing/owning valuable assets such as properties and businesses.

This elective develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the nature and operation of different types of economic systems including market capitalism. It examines how prices are adjusted to achieve equilibrium in all markets, including food and clothing. Students explore ethical and social responsibility issues relating to markets such as: human exploitation, animal rights and damage to the environment. Moreover, students will consider the future of employment and wealth creation in Australia as the impacts of rapidly advancing technologies disrupt traditional industries and how technology augments and changes the nature of work and career opportunities in a modern economy. 

Assessment

Assessment is by satisfactory completion of a range of tasks including field work, topic tests, research assignments and classroom presentations.

Year 10 students can elect to study Unit 1 & 2 of the following Humanities subjects. The VCE Curriculum Handbook has full details of the area of study and content of each unit. 

VCE Accounting

VCE Business Management

VCE Economics

VCE Global Politics

VCE History

VCE Legal Studies

VCE Sociology