It has been a busy start to the year in the Social Sciences Department. Classes are underway with new topics, assignments and common assessment tasks being worked through. 

We welcome Mr McMillan as our new Head of Department Social Studies, and Mrs Paine to join our committed and enthusiastic team.

The Year 9 Social Studies teaching programme has begun with the ‘Kiwi Identity’ topic which explores what it means to be an Aotearoa/New Zealand citizen. Our annual visit to Ōtākou Marae is an important part of our Social Studies curriculum and improves our understanding of our local area.

The Year 10 Social Studies teaching programme commenced with the topic ‘People and the Environment’. This topic explores resources and the sustainability of our planet with students researching an important New Zealand resource.

The combined Year 11 and 12 Classical Studies class has spent most of Term 1 learning about the Greco-Persian Wars, including the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. The Year 13 Classical Studies class has been looking at the life and times of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian King who led an army into Asia and conquered the Persian Empire.

Geography courses start the year with internal assessments on Aotearoa/New Zealand’s future energy needs at Year 13. Year 12 students are looking at crime in Chicago using Geographic Information Systems and Year 11 students are exploring the global patterns of Earthquakes before tackling the ongoing issue of coastal erosion at St Clair Beach. Fieldwork is an important component of our Geography courses. Many of these field trips to locations such as Mount Cook National Park, Tautuku Coastal Environment, Dunedin Beaches, Macraes Gold Mine and Queenstown are carried out in Terms 2 and 3.

Year 11 History introduces students to what life is like as an historian, looking at the evidence, resources and questioning the idea of ‘what is the truth’? They investigate New Zealand’s involvement in World War One and produce an evidence folder that includes fieldwork, such as the image taken below. Students go on to write a report on their research and look into the topics of Black Civil Rights and the Dawn Raids in Terms 2 and 3.

Currently, Year 12 History is looking at an overview of the Cold War Period including the Space Race, the Berlin Wall Construction, America’s Red Scare and the Korean War.

Year 13 History poses the question ‘What is History’? It Challenges students to reflect on what History is, why it is and where it is going. The primary topics covered look at scientific racism, with a particular look at Eugenics and early Psychiatric Care. Later in the year, students investigate the validity of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the various perspectives attached to it.

Year 13 Tourism Studies has started the year researching tourism destinations in the Pacific. Transportation, accommodation, attractions and events are explored in this important industry.