History

Humanities

VCE

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History is a dynamic discipline that involves structured inquiry into the human actions, forces and conditions (social, political, economic, cultural, environmental and technological) that have shaped the past and present. To make meaning of the past, historians use historical sources, which include primary sources and historical interpretations. Historians analyse and evaluate evidence and use this when constructing historical arguments. As historians ask new questions, revise interpretations, or discover new sources, fresh understandings about the past come to light.

This study enables students to:

  • develop an understanding of the nature of history as a discipline and to engage in historical thinking and inquiry
  • ask and use questions about the past, evaluate historical sources and construct historical arguments based on their use of sources as historical evidence
  • develop an understanding of and apply historical thinking concepts, including evidence, cause and consequence, continuity and change, and significance,
  • explore a range of eras and periods, events, people, places, ideas and historical perspectives to develop a broad understanding of the past
  • engage with historical interpretations and the contested debates between historians in an informed and critical manner
  • recognise how our understanding of the past informs decision-making in the present
  • appreciate that the world in which we live has not always been as it is now, and that it will continue to change in the future.

Assessment activities

  • historical inquiries
  • essays
  • evaluation of historical sources
  • short-answer questions
  • extended responses
  • multimedia presentations
  • exams.

Selection advice

The study of VCE History assists students to understand themselves, others, and the contemporary world, and broadens their perspective by examining events, ideas, individuals, groups and movements. Students of VCE History develop social, political, economic and cultural understandings of the conditions and features which have helped shape the present. They also explore continuity and change: the world is not as it has always been, and it will be subject to change in the future. In this sense, history is relevant to contemporary issues. It fosters an understanding of human agency and informs decision making in the present.

Links to further pathways

The study of VCE History equips students to enhance their critical thinking, take an informed position on how the past informs the present and future, and contributes to them becoming informed and engaged citizens.