Year 8 Humanities
The Year 8 Humanities course is built around two units of History and two units of Geography. History is a disciplined process of inquiry into the past that develops students’ curiosity and imagination that helps students appreciate how the world and its people have changed, as well as the significant continuities that exist to the present day.
The History units are built around student-centred investigations into particular events and people, based on the available evidence derived from remains of the past. The course is deliberately interpretative by nature, promotes debate and encourages thinking about human values, including present and future challenges. Our process of historical inquiry develops transferable skills, such as the ability to ask relevant questions, critically analyse and interpret sources, consider context, respect and explain different perspectives, develop and substantiate interpretations, and communicate effectively.
Many of these same skills are also deployed in the study of Geography, where investigations into the wellbeing and sustainability of the environment and society enable young Australians to develop a holistic understanding of the world. The Geography units empower students to shape change for a socially just and sustainable future.
Structure
Unit 1: Changing Nations
- The changing human geography of countries with the process of urbanisation.
- The reasons for the high level of urban concentration in Australia.
- The influences of internal and international migration.
- Comparing the distribution of population in Australia to other countries including shifts in population distribution over time.
- Managing the sustainability of Australia’s urban areas.
Unit 2: Landforms and Landscapes
- The processes that shape individual landforms.
- The values and meanings placed on landforms and landscapes by diverse cultures.
- The hazards associated with landscapes.
- The distribution of Australia’s distinctive landscapes and significant landforms.
- The sustainability of significant landscapes and the management of the impact of hazards.
Unit 3: The Spanish Conquest of the Americas
- Empires and Expansions
- 'Cold case-style' investigations into i) Columbus – first contact and immediate impact of the Spanish in the Americas, and ii) Cortes and Moctezuma – the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs.
Unit 4: Medieval Europe
- Medieval Europe and the Early Modern World
- The transformation of the ancient world to the early modern world, from the decline of the Roman Empire in western Europe through Medieval, Renaissance or pre-modern Europe.
- The roles and relationships of different groups and significant individuals within feudal European society and the interaction between power and/or authority in this time.
Assessment
A data test, a field report, a short-response test and an extended written response to research.
