The new NSW HSC Modern History syllabus has made some fundamental changes to the way Modern History will be taught in year 12 in NSW from the end of 2018. Most obviously, several important changes have been made. These include:
There is a new Core Study (Power and Authority in the Modern World, 1919 – 46) replacing the old World War I topic.
The old 'Personality Study' has been replaced by a topic called 'Change in the Modern World' which is much larger and broader in scope.
Students are required to study at least ONE 'non-European/Western' topic in year 12 (these can be found on page 14 of the NESA Modern History Syllabus).
In the wider view, one of the primary challenges will be putting together a logical sequence of topics so that the four components of the Year 12 course are as cohesive as possible.
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Poor sequencing: an obvious problem
A poor sequence of topics would look something like the following:
Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World, 1919 – 1946
National Study: India, 1942 – 1984
Conflict Study: Conflict in Indochina, 1954 – 1979
Change in the Modern World: Apartheid in South Africa, 1960 – 1994
There is nothing inherently 'wrong' with any of the topics identified in this sequence. In fact, they would all be appealing choices in different contexts. The problem is that none of them really relate to each other. Students are essentially jumping from Europe, to India, to Southeast Asia and then to Africa. Each topic would require them to come to terms with an entirely new set of ideas, key terms/concepts and historical contexts and that would dramatically increase the workload on them. It is the sequence, not the topics that are the key problem in this particular case.
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Logical Sequencing: Some examples
The alternative is to try to find topics that 'line up' more coherently; topics that share connections and contexts that help students focus on developing deep knowledge of the material they investigate. In the past, the most popular way to do that was to complete the Core (WW1), Nazi Germany (National Study), Albert Speer/Leni Reifenstahl (Personality Study) and then finish with Conflict in Europe. In that continuum students basically learn about European, and most German, history from 1914 - 1945. This can no longer be done because their is no Personality Study and students are required to complete one non-European/Western topic.
So, what are some logical choices for the new syllabus and its more particular requirements?
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Sample One: Dictators and Revolutions
In this approach students would complete the following topics:
Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World, 1919 – 1946
National Study: Russia and the Soviet Union
Peace and Conflict Study: Conflict in Indochina, 1954 – 1979
Change in the MW: Civil Rights in the USA, 1945 – 1968
This sequence moves from studying the inter-war dictatorships to a detailed study of the Stalinist regime in the USSR. It then looks at the nationalist/communist revolution in Indochina and its regional consequences and finishes with an examination of the civil rights movement in the USA which could easily be considered a type of social revolution. The key underlying themes of an approach like this include: nationalism, communism, the nature of modern government, change in society and the lives of ordinary people. In this case, the Conflict in Indochina, 1954 – 1979 option meets the requirement to study at least one non-European/Western topic (see page 14 of the NESA Modern History syllabus, 2017).
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Sample Two: The United States in the 20th Century
In this approach students would complete the following topics:
Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World, 1919 - 1946
National Study: USA, 1919 - 1941
Peace and Conflict Study: Conflict in Indochina, 1954 - 1979
Change in the MW: Civil Rights in the USA, 1945 - 1968
The only topic choice that has changed here is the National Study (from the USSR to the USA). The obvious underlying theme in this sequence is 20th century US history. The Core and National Studies establish some important context for the United States in the 20th century and then the Peace and Conflict option (Indochina) looks at a pivotal event in US foreign policy while the Change in the Modern World option (civil rights) examines US domestic change in the post-war era. Again, the Conflict in Indochina, 1954 – 1979 option takes care of the requirement to study one non-European/Western topic (see page 14 of the NESA Modern History syllabus, 2017).
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Sample Three: Japan and the nuclear age
In this approach students would complete the following topics:
Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World, 1919 – 1946
National Study: Japan, 1904 – 1937
Peace and Conflict Study: Conflict in the Pacific, 1937 – 1951
Change in the MW: The Nuclear Age, 1945 – 2011
Because the Core Study requires students to look at the inter-war 'dictatorship' in Japan, it is an entirely logical choice to follow-up this with the Japan, 1904 – 1937 National Study. This then leads seamlessly into the Conflict in the Pacific, 1937 – 1951 option. Then, after students have examined the closure of the Pacific theatre in the Second World War using atomic weapons, they then move on to look at the Nuclear Age, 1945 – 2011 option. This sequence requires students to engage with a broader set of themes than Sample Two above but there is also more variety in it which may be appealing.
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Sample Four: China and the Modern World
In this approach students would complete the following topics:
Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World, 1919 – 1946
National Study: China, 1927 – 1949
Peace and Conflict Study: Conflict in the Indochina, 1954 – 1979
Change in the MW: The Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square, 1966 – 1989
This sequence is more focussed on Asian history topics. Students examine the Core Study followed by the emergence of Chinese communists by 1949. They then investigate Conflict in Indochina, 1954 – 1979 in which China played a crucial role. Finally, they return to Chinese national history in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In this case, all three non-Core studies meet the requirement to complete a non-European/Western option.
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There is no single approach to Year 12 Modern History in NSW that will suit all contexts. I am not suggesting that the four sequences outlined above are 'the best' options but they strike me as logical and, given my own teaching background, comfortable. There would also be some good logical sequences surrounding other topics but to include them would probably labour the point.
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