Humanities
Middle School
Middle School Humanities includes the study of History, Geography and Civics and Citizenship. More information about each program can be found below.
History
The Year 7 curriculum provides a study of history from the time of the earliest human communities to the end of the ancient period, approximately 60 000 BC (BCE) – c.650 AD (CE). It was a period defined by the development of cultural practices and organised societies. The study of the ancient world includes the discoveries (the remains of the past and what we know) and the mysteries (what we do not know) about this period of history, in a range of societies including Australia and China
Geography
There are two units of study in the Year 7 curriculum for Geography: Water in the world and Place and liveability.
Water in the world focuses on water as an example of a renewable environmental resource. This unit examines the many uses of water, the ways it is perceived and valued, its different forms as a resource, the ways it connects places as it moves through the environment, its varying availability in time and across space, and its scarcity.
Water in the world develops students’ understanding of the concept of environment, including the ideas that the environment is the product of a variety of processes, that it supports and enriches human and other life, that people value the environment in different ways and that the environment has its specific hazards. Water is investigated using studies drawn from Australia, countries of the Asia region, and countries from West Asia and/or North Africa.
Civics & Citizenship
The Year 7 curriculum provides a study of the key features of Australia’s system of government and explores how this system aims to protect all Australians. Students examine the Australian Constitution and how its features, principles and values shape Australia’s democracy. They look at how the rights of individuals are protected through the justice system. Students also explore how Australia’s secular system of government supports a diverse society with shared values.
History
The Year 8 curriculum provides study of history from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern period, c.650 AD (CE) – 1750. This was when major civilisations around the world came into contact with each other. Social, economic, religious, and political beliefs were often challenged and significantly changed. It was the period when the modern world began to take shape.
Geography
There are two units of study in the Year 8 curriculum for Geography: Landforms and landscapes and Changing nations.
Landforms and landscapes focuses on investigating geomorphology through a study of landscapes and their landforms. This unit examines the processes that shape individual landforms, the values and meanings placed on landforms and landscapes by diverse cultures, hazards associated with landscapes, and management of landscapes.
Landforms and landscapes develops students’ understanding of the concept of environment and enables them to explore the significance of landscapes to people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. These distinctive aspects of landforms and landscapes are investigated using studies drawn from Australia and throughout the world.
Changing nations investigates the changing human geography of countries, as revealed by shifts in population distribution. The spatial distribution of population is a sensitive indicator of economic and social change, and has significant environmental, economic and social effects, both negative and positive.
Civics & Citizenship
The Year 8 curriculum provides a study of the responsibilities and freedoms of citizens and how Australians can actively participate in their democracy. Students consider how laws are made and the types of laws used in Australia. Students also examine what it means to be Australian by identifying the reasons for and influences that shape national identity.
History
The Year 9 curriculum provides a study of the history of the making of the modern world from 1750 to 1918. It was a period of industrialisation and rapid change in the ways people lived and worked.
The Year 9 curriculum provides a study of the history of the making of the modern world from 1750 to 1918. It was a period of industrialisation and rapid change in the ways people lived, worked and thought. It was an era of nationalism and imperialism, and the colonisation of Australia was part of the expansion of European power. The period culminated in World War I 1914-1918, the ‘war to end all wars’.
Geography
There are two units of study in the Year 9 curriculum for Geography: Biomes and food security and Geographies of interconnections.
Biomes and food security focuses on investigating the role of the biotic environment and its role in food and fibre production. This unit examines the biomes of the world, their alteration and significance as a source of food and fibre, and the environmental challenges and constraints on expanding food production in the future. These distinctive aspects of biomes, food production and food security are investigated using studies drawn from Australia and across the world.
Geographies of interconnections focuses on investigating how people, through their choices and actions, are connected to places throughout the world in a wide variety of ways, and how these connections help to make and change places and their environments.
Civics & Citizenship
The Year 9 curriculum builds students’ understanding of Australia’s political system and how it enables change. Students examine the ways political parties, interest groups, media and individuals influence government and decision making processes. They investigate the features and principles of Australia’s court system, including its role in applying and interpreting Australian law. Students also examine global connectedness and how this is shaping contemporary Australian society.
Senior School
VCE Humanities at South Oakleigh encompass Ancient History, Legal Studies, Accounting, Business Management and Politics, all of which require students to inquire about the world around them.
Through exploration of the humanities we learn how to think creatively and critically, to reason, and to ask questions. When we spend time researching into the human experience, it adds to our knowledge about the world.
Humanities scholars help preserve the efforts of those who came before us, help us understand the world we live in, and give us the tools to imagine a wondrous future. The humanities teach empathy.
“Study the past if you would define the future.”
Accounting is the process of recording, reporting, analysing and interpreting financial data and accounting information which is then communicated to internal and external users of this information. It plays an integral role in the successful operation and management of businesses.
The systematic recording, reporting, and analysis of financial transactions of a business.
VCE Accounting focuses on the financial recording, reporting and decision-making processes of a sole proprietor small business. Students study both theoretical and practical aspects of accounting.
Financial data will be collected and recorded, and accounting information reported, using manual as well as information and communication technology (ICT) methods.
The course is designed to give students the conceptual tools, research skills and critical methodologies they can apply to understanding contemporary political and policy debates—global and Australian.
It will complement other VCE subjects in the humanities and political sciences—regardless of whether they have an Australian focus—and will provide excellent preparation for humanities and political science at the university level.
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”
VCE Legal Studies investigates the ways in which the law and the legal system relate to and serve individuals and the community. Legal Studies examines the processes of law-making, dispute resolution and the administration of justice in Australia.
Students develop an understanding of the impact of the legal system on the lives of citizens, and the implications of legal decisions and outcomes on Australian society. Students develop an understanding of the complexity of the law and the legal system and the challenges.
VCE Business Management examines the ways in which people at various levels within a business organisation manage resources to achieve the objectives of the organisation.
Students develop an understanding of the complexity, challenges and rewards that come from business management and gain an insight into the various ways resources can be managed in small, medium and large-scale organisations.