Geography
Knight

The Humanities provide a framework for students to examine the complex processes that have shaped the modern world and to investigate responses to different challenges including people’s interconnections with the environment.

In Civics and Citizenship, students explore the systems that shape society and learn about Australia’s role in global systems, and are encouraged to appreciate democratic principles and to contribute as active, informed and responsible citizens.

In History and Geography, students explore the processes that have shaped and which continue to shape different societies and cultures, to appreciate the common humanity shared across time and distance, and to evaluate the ways in which humans have faced and continue to face different challenges.

Civics and Citizenship
The Civics and Citizenship curriculum recognises that Australia is a secular democratic nation with a multicultural and multi-faith society, and promotes the development of inclusivity by developing students’ understanding of broader values such as respect, civility, equity, justice and responsibility. It acknowledges the experiences and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their identities within contemporary Australia. While the curriculum strongly focuses on the Australian context, students also reflect on Australia’s position, and obligations, and the role of the citizen today within an interconnected global world.
In studying civics and citizenship students will develop knowledge and understanding of Australia's representative democracy and the key institutions, processes, and roles people play in Australia’s political and legal systems. Emphasis is placed on Australia's federal system of government, derived from the Westminster system, and the liberal democratic values that underpin it such as freedom, equality and the rule of law. The curriculum explores how the people, as citizens, choose their governments, how the system safeguards democracy by vesting people with civic rights and responsibilities, how laws and the legal system protect people’s rights and how individuals and groups can influence civic life.

Geography
The Geography curriculum presents a structured way of exploring, analysing and understanding the characteristics of the places that make up our world, using the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale and change. It addresses scales from the personal to the global and time periods from a few years to thousands of years.
The concept of place develops students’ curiosity and wonder about the diversity of the world’s places, peoples, cultures and environments. Students examine why places have particular environmental and human characteristics, explore the similarities and differences between them, investigate their meanings and significance to people and examine how they are managed and changed. Students learn to question why the world is the way it is, reflect on their relationships with and responsibility for that world and propose actions designed to shape a socially just and sustainable future.

History
History is a process of investigation into the past that develops students' curiosity and imagination. Awareness of history is an essential characteristic of any society, and historical knowledge is fundamental to understanding ourselves and others. It promotes the understanding of societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from earliest times. It helps students appreciate how the world and its people have changed, as well as the significant continuities that exist to the present day.
Australian history is taught within a world history approach. This equips students for the world in which they live and enhances students’ appreciation of Australian history. Students appreciate Australia's distinctive path of social, economic and political development, and Australia’s position in the Asia-Pacific region, and our global relationships. Students develop an understanding of the past and present experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their identity, and the continuing contribution and value of their culture. This knowledge and understanding is essential for informed and active participation in Australia's diverse society.