MODERN HISTORYMODERN HISTORY

How and Why?How and Why?

WHY STUDY MODERN WHY STUDY MODERN HISTORY?HISTORY?

Modern History helps students to understand why the world is the way it is today.

Modern History develops the skills of critical thinking – this means students learn to question information they encounter

Modern History helps students to refine their writing and research skills

Modern History helps students to develop empathy for people of other cultures and lifestyles through an understanding of the historical background to those cultures

WHAT DO STUDENTS STUDY?WHAT DO STUDENTS STUDY?o Modern History is the study of people, places and events integral to

understanding the formation of modern nation-states, contemporary ideas of democracy, the prevalence of technology in modern societies, and the conflicts that have shaped our contemporary world.

Here are some of the things you might study in Senior Modern History:

* * What is History? * The beginning of the Australian Nation – the process of Federation

* Australia’s “Baptism by Fire” * Race Relations in Australia – “Has White Australia a Black History?”

* World War I, the Peace Treaties, and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis.

* People Power: * Industrialism and Globalisation Gandhi and Indian Independence

* Democracy in the USA and Socialism in the USSR * Communism in China

* Cold War Conflicts * The end of the Cold War and the ‘New World Order’

* The war against Terror

LEARNING IN MODERN LEARNING IN MODERN HISTORYHISTORY

Research SkillsResearch Skills

Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking

Analyse of Analyse of

relevant and current issuesrelevant and current issues

Social SkillsSocial Skills

Decision-MakingDecision-Making

Participation in a Participation in a variety of group activitiesvariety of group activities

Information Processing Information Processing and Categorisationand Categorisation

Communication SkillsCommunication Skills

HOW IS MODERN HISTORY HOW IS MODERN HISTORY STUDIED?STUDIED?

Modern History focuses on Student Inquiry – this means less note-taking and more focus on developing the skills of critical thinking and problem solving for students.

In Modern History students are able to engage in a variety of learning

experiences: - Students investigate relevant and current issues or

controversies; - Students analyse viewpoints, learn to recognise bias and

identify underlying values; - Students clarify and justify their views on historical problems

and issues; - Students provide alternative explanations to the paradigms of

history.

JOB SKILLSJOB SKILLSAn ability to think logicallyAn ability to think logically Oral communication SkillsOral communication Skills

Written communication skillsWritten communication skillsA general knowledge ofA general knowledge of

social, political, economic social, political, economic

and world affairs and issuesand world affairs and issues

Research Skills

General General computer literacycomputer literacy

Internet Internet research skillsresearch skills

CAREER PATHSCAREER PATHS

o Historiano School Teachero Researchero Librariano Museum Curatoro Archaeologisto University Lecturero Biographero Writer

o Journalisto Anthropologisto Booksellero Lawyero Archivisto Authoro Diplomato Editoro Political Scientisto Social Researcher

What is that Job Anyway?What is that Job Anyway?o Researcher: someone who uses an active, diligent, and systematic process

of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviours, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws, or theories.

o Librarian: a person who organizes information and provides services that assist people in identifying and accessing any needed information or information resource (article, book, magazine, etc.). In a library, there are many other positions besides the librarian, including library associates, library technicians, library assistants, pages, shelvers, and volunteers.

o Museum Curator: A curator of a cultural heritage institution (e.g. archive, gallery, library or museum) is a person who cares for the institution's collections.

o Biographer: authors who write an account of another person's life, or, if you get famous enough you could be an an autobiographer and write a biography about yourself. Studying History develops many of the research skills that are needed when researching someone’s life.

o Lecturer: generally divided into Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, and Principal Lecturers/Readers and are permanent positions in a university which involve carrying out both teaching and research.

o Writer: usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. Skilled writers demonstrate skills in using language to portray ideas and images, whether producing fiction or non-fiction. The writing skills you learn in history complement what you will learn in Senior English and are especially useful for non-fiction.

o Archaeologist: Archaeologists and Prehistorians reconstruct cultures by studying material remains from archaeological excavations.

o Historian: If you choose to study Senior history you will be an historian, in terms of a career however, an historian is someone who professionally investigates and analyses competing ideas, facts, and purported facts to create coherent narratives that explain "what happened" and "why or how it happened."

o Anthropologist: Anthropologists gather and analyse data on social and cultural behaviour, artefacts, language and human biology of groups and societies

o Diplomat: Someone who practises the art and practice of conducting negotiations between groups or nations.

o Political Scientist: Someone who deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour.