The Humanities and Social Sciences learning areas in Years 7 and 8 focus on History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business. The focus in Years 9 and 10 is History. Year 7s begin with an understanding of what is History, and a study of water as a natural resource, then move on to the geography of Rome, Ancient Rome and Ancient India. Year 8 students begin the year by focussing on the collapse of the Roman Empire before moving onto the rise of Medieval Europe and also complete a unit on urbanisation, investigating the changing human geography of countries, followed by a study of Shogunate Japan and a study of the geomorphology of landscapes and their landforms.
In Year 9 students begin by studying the Industrial Revolution, with a focus on what life was like before the Industrial Revolution and what living and working conditions were like during this time. They then move on to studying the making of the modern world, focussing on Australia from 1750 to the start of World War One in 1918. The impact of the arrival of Europeans on Australia's First Nations People is examined in detail. Students then study the causes of World War One, Australia’s involvement and the ANZAC legend.
In Year 10 students focus on the rise of Fascism and Hitler, the causes of World War Two, the Holocaust and War in the Pacific. Students complete depth studies: on the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan; the Making of Modern Australia, considering the impact of migration on Australia's social and economic development post World War Two and the Aboriginal Civil Rights movement; and the Globalising World, exploring the protest for equal rights across the world including the Women's Movement.
Elective courses in Years 9 and 10: In Years 9 and 10 students have the opportunity to pursue continued study of HASS by partaking in the following Elective courses:
Business & the Economy explores Australian businesses and the factors that influence them at local, national and global levels. Students put their business knowledge into practice by running their own small business within the college, and also participate in the Australian Stock Exchange Schools Sharemarket Game as a practical example of influences on markets.
Geography - focuses on investigating how people, through their choices and actions, are connected to places throughout the world in a wide variety of ways. In Year 9 students study Biomes and Food Security and Geographies of Interconnections and in Year 10, Environmental Change in Management and Geographies of Human Wellbeing.
History Extended – looks at how the times and places we live in affect us, shaping our attitude and experiences of life. Topics studied are of special relevance to our world today and are partly guided by student interest, particularly the inquiry based component of the course.
Introduction to Working with Children - provides students with the opportunity to build a solid understanding of what it takes to work in a professional capacity in the community service industry. Students examine influences and build understanding of how to support and help children develop and learn through play at various developmental stages.
Criminology – considers the causes of crime, why people offend, crime prevention and the systems of punishment and rehabilitation. Using sociological thinking students analyse and investigate complex social and global issues. Areas of study include: crime and deviance, forensics, the criminal justice system, police powers, crime and the media.
Psychology focuses on the study of the individual and why people do the things they do. Areas of study include: history of psychology, dreaming and sleep, personality, pseudo psychology, mental illness and the nature vs nurture debate.