history extension .. (1 Viewer)

[hopeles5ly]

hey, im just wondering if i can pick up history extension for yr12? im currently doing modern at the moment .. and i wana kno what are the main aspects you learn from it? i looked at the syllabuse buh doesnt seem to be given away a lot of info ..

 

[kazan]

well since you cant do it in the prelim course you have to pick it up.... ask a teacher for an explination of the course

 

[hopeles5ly]

i thought u could, cause in my exam timetable there was history extension, and my year-coordinater edited the timetable many times to ensure there were no clashes, but i never heard of the class, seems a bit strange but thanks ..

 

[nwatts]

You've never heard of history extension? Oh noes!

I'm doing it. It's alright. Make sure you're passionate about history. And make sure you're passionate about writing essays. I've found it to be a lot of work for a one unit course (to be honest, I've done more work in extension than I have in modern), which is also a slight drawback. If you're interested in doing a major work (which is the big drawcard of the course), IMO you should consider EE2. Glitterfairy won't have much difficulty convincing you it's the best thing since sliced bread.

The course is set out in three parts (well, this is the way I see it).

'What is History?' - 1st Module
You look at the philosophy behind history. You'll read a stack of sources at the start of the year. I really loved this section. Got into some meaty discussion on the nature of history, truth, objectivity, etc. etc. It's downside is remembering quotes! Which i'm not always brilliant at.

'Case Study' - 2nd Module
There's a stack to pick from, and it's just like your national case study in modern, except more focused on historical debate than events. I did "Jesus", many do "JFK" or "Elizabeth I". I'm not so keen on this one, probably because it's a lot of the same kinds of material, and there's not as much room for debating your own ideas. (But many disagree!)

And of course, your major work...
Which is composed of a few different parts, and can be a lot of fun. The word limit may kill you though. Mine was 2000, which was awful.

 

[gordo]

yeh u pick it up as a yr 12 subject
its broken up into 2 sections
the first section u study past historians to formulate a variety of perspectives on how history operates, its purpose, its origins etc etc
the second section u do a case study, there are none in the syllabus and your teacher will pick one. eg we did the american war of independance, some schools do JFK. U again look at historians, however this time u use several historians who all have a differnet perspective on your case study. By comparing/contrasting theses u can see how an historians context affects the way they view a particular historical event etc etc

on top of this you have to complete a major work for your internal assessment, you can do this on watever u want, i think the word limit was 2500 words, can;t remember. To do well in this try and show an understandning of how history operates.

if you have any questions feel free to pm me

 

[hopeles5ly]

no i heard of history extension, but i thought it was a yr11 course lol, cause it was in my prelim timetables .. thanks for the info tho. what is the weighting of major work tho?

 

[nwatts]

40% of assessment mark (I think). It's up to the school.

 

[hopeles5ly]

wow thats a lot, mainly i want to pick up the subject for a backup, for i am dropping software design development .. is there any particular aspects of history u learn about? and will there end up being any assignments beisdes the major work and trials?

 

[kazan]

its not one you should get as a backup, i am told it involes a shitload of work, and shouldn't be undertaken lightly

 

[hopeles5ly]

yer i wana pick up ancient, but im pretty sure were not allowed to ><

 

[nwatts]

You pick the subject of your major work. And as a class you'll pick your case study. There's nothing set. So you'll get 1/2 of exactly what you want, but there'll be some debate over which case study you do.

In the 'what is history?' module, you learn pretty much about ALL fields of history. From Herodotus to Marx to Von Ranke to Carr and so on.

I'd encourage you to pick it up, give it a go for a few weeks and get rid of it if it isn't to your liking. Also, which levels of english are you doing?

 

[hopeles5ly]

im doin standard i can write pretty good, but its hard for me to get out my ideas esp in a short period of time or under pressure

 

[nwatts]

Ah, that's a pain. Although, you'll improve as the HSC year progresses. I remember my prelim efforts were mediocre, but i've come a long way. Writing quickly comes easy when you know a lot, and damn, HSC english/history are huge courses.

I'd recommend you grabbing extension history. There's no harm then in dropping.

 

[.ben]

I heard it was more analytical than 'story'.

 

[gordo]

history is nothing like english,
they abhor fancy words, u just have to be direct and to the point.

 

[AsyLum]

Exactly.

The course as has been stated, is divided into those three parts. More on the Case study: it is marked Internally (that being it is not marked by the Board of Studies rather based upon the school itself). This can be about any historiographical issue and the level of writing is usually exceptionally high. The expectation is for a great amount of research, and is basically a first year history unit in university.

The "What is History?" question is an exploration of the historiographical issue stemming from the movement away from the classical conception of history to the more modern/post-modern/revisionist/etc conceptions which have arisen.

The case study which your class undertakes is not too hard at all, and usually involves quite popular (thus many source) people.

If you enjoy history, then do it, if you plan on taking it as a "backup" then you'll be sad to find it probably involves more work than other subjects.

 

[hopeles5ly]

ok thanks, yer i like history a lots, but im jus afriad that im gona be caught up more in this subject and not be able to catch up wit my other subjects ..

 

[lilkiwifruit]

history is nothing like english,
they abhor fancy words, u just have to be direct and to the point.

LOL My teacher spent the whole year emphasising the importance of "sophisticated language" and other fancy words that would increase marks in history