Year 12 HSC Society and Culture

Congratulations to our Year 12 Society and Culture students who have completed one of the most rigorous components of the HSC: the Personal Interest Project (PIP).

Worked on continuously since Term 4 of last year, the PIP is a major, independent research report worth 40% of the final HSC mark. It requires students to step into the role of social researchers, combining primary methodologies with secondary research to analyse a sociocultural topic of personal passion.

This year’s cohort demonstrated exceptional intellectual curiosity, investigating a broad spectrum of contemporary issues including:

• Ways in which farmers markets shape consumption and community identity

• Why Dance Struggles to Be Recognised as a Sport in Contemporary Society

• AI-generated content on social media

• Digital Playgrounds: Who Sets The Rules?

• The structural gatekeeping of migrants that denies them social agency and fosters a marginalised identity

• Tradwives: How Class Privilege Shapes Which Women Accept or Reject Feminism

• News media forming an ‘us’ vs ‘them’ narrative within an individual’s belief system, subsequently causing social divide

• An Investigation into the political fragmentation of Rural/Regional NSW.

Over the past ten months, these students have gained invaluable life skills: evaluating bias, synthesising complex qualitative data, maintaining ethical research standards, and managing a long-term deadline independently.

The analytical depth and dedication displayed by this group have been outstanding. We are incredibly proud of their hard work, resilience, and scholarly growth.

Well done, Year 12!

Aimee Arentz | Human Society and its Environment