Length: Full Year

Recommended background: Successful completion of Stage 1 Modern History

Content:

In the study of Modern History at Stage 2, students investigate the growth of modern nations at a time of rapid global change. They engage in a study of one nation, and of interactions between or among nations.

At Stage 2, students explore relationships among nations and groups, examine some significant and distinctive features of the world since 1945, and consider their impact on the contemporary world.

Students will have the opportunity to study one topic from ‘Modern Nations’:

• Australia (1901-56)
• United States of America (1919-45)
• Germany (1918-48)
• The Soviet Union (1945-91)
• Indonesia (1942-2005)
• China (1949-1999)

Students will have the opportunity to study one of the following topics from ‘The World Since 1945’:

• The changing world order (1945–  )
• Australia’s relationship with Asia and the South Pacific Region (1945–  )
• National self-determination in South-East Asia (1945–  )
• The struggle for peace in the Middle East (1945–  )
• Challenges to peace and security (1945–  )
• The United Nations and establishment of a global perspective (1945–  )

In their study of a topic from ‘Modern Nations’, students investigate the concepts of ‘nation’ and ‘state’, and the social, political, and economic changes that shaped the development of a selected nation.

In their study of a topic from ‘The World Since 1945’, students investigate the political, social, and economic interactions among nations and states, and the impact of these interactions on national, regional, and/or international development.

Assessment:

Students’ performance will be determined according to the subject’s Performance Standards, as outlined by the SACE Board. Grades A to E will be used for reporting purposes. The following assessment types enable students to demonstrate their learning in Stage 2 Modern History:

School assessment (70%):

• Assessment Type 1: Historical Skills (50%)
• Assessment Type 2: Historical Study (20%)

External assessment (30%):

• Assessment Type 3: Examination (30%)

Students provide evidence of their learning through seven assessments, including the external assessment component. Students undertake:

• five historical skills assessments 
• one historical study
• one examination