NEWS
ENRICHMENT SERIES ENHANCES BOYS ’ SKILLS IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
HEAD OF HISTORY ,
DR MARK JOHNSTON , WITH MEMBERS OF THE HISTORY
RESEARCH GROUP
HOW HISTORIANS THINK
The History Research Group – a joint initiative of Extension Studies and the History Department – is an enrichment series focusing on historical research , how historians think , and presentation of new technology that enhances the Scotch boys ’ capacity to discover , critically assess , and respond to primary and secondary sources .
Boys from Years 7-10 are invited , or have expressed express interest in , the initiative . The series brings in people of significant expertise such as Dr Jo Clyne from the History Teachers ’ Association of Victoria , Dr Mark Johnston , Scotch ’ s Head of History , Mr Paul Mishura , Scotch ’ s Archivist , Professor Peter Stanley from the Australian National University , and includes sessions with the State Library and Immigration Museum .
There is no defined task , other than the boys enjoying something they are passionate
about with experts in that area . It sets boys up with the skills to further their reading and research in their area of interest .
Below , Angus Paterson of Year 7 looks at the history of Russian language teaching at Scotch :
When we step into the Language and Culture Centre today , we hear the usual greetings of Guten Tag , Ni hao and Buongiorno , or learn about the French Revolution , Julius Caesar or Suharto , but for a long time in Scotch ’ s history there was another option : Russian .
It all started with [ former teachers ] Wally Butler and Alan Shugg . Scotch boys for 32 years had the ability to learn all about the culture , the people and of course the language . Alan Shugg stayed on to become the Head of Languages , and credited one of his major achievements as making boys study a language prior to Year 8 ( back then a European language ) in Year 7 and adding an Asian one in Year 8 .
Even though many saw Russian as hard , with a new alphabet and vocabulary , many took it on as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and pick up a skill for life . Because of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA , many thought that Russian would be a great asset for the future .
After Mr Shugg retired in 1999 , Russian was no longer a language-learning option , instead switching to the languages we still have today . A lot has changed since the height of the Cold War , but many former students of Russian still hold high esteem for the language .
ANGUS PATERSON – YEAR 7
28 Great Scot Issue 164 – December 2021