Geography (ATAR)
Course Outline
The study of geography draws on students’ curiosity about the diversity of the world’s
places and their peoples, cultures and environments. It enables them to appreciate the
complexity of our world and the diversity of its environments, economies and cultures and
use this knowledge to promote a more sustainable way of life and awareness of social and
spatial inequalities.
In the senior secondary years, the Geography ATAR course provides a structured,
disciplinary framework to investigate and analyse a range of challenges and associated
opportunities facing Australia and the global community. These challenges include
rapid change in biophysical environments, the sustainability of places, dealing with
environmental risks and the consequences of international integration.
Geography addresses questions about the interaction of nature and human environments
within various natural and social systems. It examines the factors that impact upon
decisions about sustainability, the conflicting values between individuals and groups over
sustainability and the degree of commitment towards sustainable development.
Through the study of geography, students develop the ability to investigate the
arrangement of biophysical and human phenomena across space in order to understand
the interconnections between people, places and environments. As a subject of the
humanities and social sciences, geography studies spatial aspects of human culture
using inquiry methods that are analytical, critical and speculative. In doing so, it values
imagination and creativity. As a science, geography develops an appreciation of the role
of the biophysical environment in human life, and an understanding of the effects human
activities can have on environments. As a result, it develops students’ ability to identify,
evaluate and justify appropriate and sustainable approaches to the future by thinking
historically and spatially in seeking answers to questions.
• Unit 1 – Natural and Ecological Hazards: Natural and ecological hazards represent
potential sources of harm to human life, health, income and property, and may affect
elements of the biophysical, managed and constructed elements of environments.
This unit explores the management of hazards and the risk they pose to people and
environments.
• Unit 2 – Global Networks and Interconnections: The unit focuses on the process
of international relations (globalisation) and is based on the reality that we live in an
increasingly interconnected world. It provides students with an understanding of the
economic and cultural transformations taking place in the world today, the spatial
outcomes of these processes, and their political and social consequences.
Assessment Profile
The course is assessed through a variety of tasks that include Geographic Inquiry
(assignment, research report, project presentation), Fieldwork and Practical skills
(excursion, investigation), Short and External Responses (tests, sectionalised essay,
multiple-choice questions) and Examination.
Formal Prerequisites
• Students require at least a C grade in Year 10 Humanities and Social Sciences.
Contact:
Mrs Leah Truscott
Head of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty
(08) 9377 8513
[email protected]
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