Society and Environment

The Society and Environment department is concerned with how humans interact and influence the natural world. The principal areas include Geography, History, Economics, Australian Studies, and Politics and Law. The SOSE department also encompasses the field of  Careers and Enterprise where students study the world of employment and are prepared for their entry into this. In Lower school (years 8 - 10) this is through a core subject study area where students study all aspects of the major areas. In Upper School (years 11 and 12) students will specialise into 4 main subject areas by their own choice, these being: Geography, History, Economics and Work Studies.

Geography

Geography involves investigating how people and the natural environment are inter-related in the way we live. The course covers a range of interesting areas including: Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes Coastal Studies Atmospheric Studies - including the effects of El Nino, Global Warming, Natural Hazards, and reading Synoptic Charts (weather maps) World Biomes - the study of ecosystems and natural environmnents, Patterns of Development - the study of rich vs poorer nations and population patterns accross the globe.

History

History is divided into 2 main semesters of study:

1. Nazi Germany; covering the impact of WW1, the rise of Nazism, nazi Policies, Hitler as a leader, the Jewish Holcaust, WW2, and criticism against Nazism.
2. USA between the Wars; a study of the impact of Isolationism as a foreign policy, Ku Klux Klan, Prohibition, The Scopes Trial, development of new technology, the Roaring 20's, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression of the early 1930's, followed by the road to recovery via Roosevelt's "New Deal".