What does the course entail?

Who should study Modern History General?

As a general course, this subject is not necessarily aimed at students wishing to go to university. Choose this course if you love historical stories and finding out more about our past and how societies and groups changed or resisted change.
This course challenges you to think critically, to break down historical sources and to understand a range of differing perspectives.

What doors can Modern History General Open?

A study of the Modern History General course will help students to understand a range of differing views and sources of information.
This course will be of benefit to students who are looking at an alternative pathway to university. It will allow you to be supported in further developing inquiry, analysis and communication skills.

What will be covered in this course?

YEAR 11
UNITS 1 & 2

Unit 1 - One or two of the following contexts
  • Charles Perkins, Eddie Mabo, Faith Bandler and others: Aboriginal advancement since the 1950s to the Apology
  • George Washington and the American Revolution
  • Nicholas II and the decline of Tsarism
  • The Dowager Empress Cixi, the Boxer Rebellion and the Republic
  • Local history: How a selected suburb, town or area of Western Australia has changed over time

Unit 2 - One or two of the following contexts
  • Imperial power and authority: the British in Australia and the Asia Pacific
  • Imperial power and authority: the French in Indo-China
  • International authority: the League of Nations and the United Nations
  • Authoritarian state: Communist Russia/USSR 1917–1953
  • Authoritarian state: Tokugawa Japan

YEAR 12
UNITS 3 & 4

Unit 3 - One of the following two contexts
  • Australia 1914–1949
  • The USA between the wars 1918–1941

Unit 4 - The context below
  • Nazism in Germany 1918–1945
​
Studying the Modern History General course exposes students to a variety of historical sources, including government papers, extracts from newspapers, letters, diaries, photographs, cartoons, paintings, graphs and secondary sources, in order to understand the historical narrative including cause and effect, and the forces influencing people and events. Through the process of historical inquiry, students are encouraged to question historical sources; identify various representations and versions of history; use evidence to formulate and support their own interpretations; and communicate their findings in a variety of ways.
What types of assessments are in the course?
  • Historical inquiry - research tasks
  • Explanation - could include short or extended written tasks and/or oral presentations
  • Source analysis
  • Tests - overview of entire semester
In Year 12 there will also be an Externally set task. This is a School Curriculum and Standards Authority requirement for all general courses in Year 12.
Head of Learning Area: Mr Jamie Paganoni
Contact Number: 9591 4219
​Contact Email: [email protected]