Pre Modern History

Proposed Evaluation Procedures

Course evaluation will be a continuous process. Teachers will meet regularly to discuss the content of the course and any requirements for modification of activities, teaching strategies and assessment instruments. The current trends and innovations in the teaching of Pre Modern History will be considered as teachers attend workshops, seminars and participate in discussion groups with other teachers such as on Moderation Day.

Teachers will monitor student performance and progress and student responses to various teaching, learning and assessment strategies. Students and teachers will complete evaluation questionnaires at the end of each unit. The results of these will be collated and reviewed from year to year. There will also be a continuous monitoring of student numbers between Years 11 and 12.

Informal discussions between teachers and students, past students, parents and other teachers will contribute to the evaluation of the course.

In the process of evaluation; students, teachers and others should, as appropriate, consider:

Are the course and Course Framework still consistent?

Were the goals achieved?

Was the course content appropriate?

Were the teaching strategies used successful?

Was the assessment program appropriate?

Have the needs of the students been met?

Was the course relevant?

How many students completed the course in each of the years of accreditation?

Unit 1: Transformation Value 1.0

Unit 1a: Transformation Value 0.5

Unit 1b: Transformation Value 0.5

Students are expected to study the accredited semester 1.0 unit unless enrolled in a 0.5 unit due to late entry or early exit in a semester.

Prerequisites

Nil

Duplication of Content

Nil

Unit Description

The unit provides an introduction to the pre modern world. It looks at the factors that transformed societies in this period. It also explores the problematic and contestable nature of the evidence, both written and archaeological, that has survived. The fragmented nature of the evidence requires students to develop techniques for analysing historical silences. In addition, students will investigate the contested nature of interpretations and representations of this evidence. This unit focuses on issues relevant to the investigation of the pre modern world and builds on the historical skills developed in the Foundation to Year 10 curriculum to develop an introduction to historiography.

The unit provides an opportunity to select ONE or TWO of the electives listed with a close study of at least ONE of the topics in each. It is strongly advised that, in order to reach appropriate depth, teachers select no more than THREE topics in total.

Specific Unit Goals

By the end of this unit, students:

A	T	M
describe the nature of change in pre modern societies, the factors that contribute to it, and the transformations that result describe the nature of the evidence of the pre modern past and issues relating to the reliability and usefulness of the evidence in interpreting, the past identify key concepts as part of a historical inquiry, including evidence, and perspectives use historical skills to investigate the pre modern world, and use a range of evidence to support and communicate a historical explanation or argument	understand the nature of change in pre modern societies, the factors that contribute to it, and the transformations that result understand the nature of the evidence of the pre modern past and issues relating to the reliability and usefulness of the evidence in interpreting, and constructing representations of that past apply key concepts as part of a historical inquiry, including evidence, perspectives, interpretation, and representation use historical skills to investigate different representations of the pre modern world, and use a range of evidence to support and communicate a historical explanation or argument.	identify changes in pre modern societies use evidence from the pre modern past use a historical method

Contents

A Content Descriptors	T Content Descriptors	M Content descriptors
Historical skills All the following skills will be studied during this unit. Relevant skills will be emphasised for each topic.	Historical skills All the following skills will be studied during this unit. Relevant skills will be emphasised for each topic.	Historical skills All the following skills will be studied during this unit. Relevant skills will be emphasised for each topic.
Chronology, terms and concepts identify links between events to understand causation and consequences	Chronology, terms and concepts identify links between events to understand the nature and significance of causation, change and continuity over time	Chronology, terms and concepts identify links between events and change over time
demonstrate historical knowledge and understanding	use historical terms and concepts in appropriate contexts to demonstrate historical knowledge and understanding	demonstrate historical knowledge
Historical questions and research investigate historical topics	Historical questions and research formulate, test and modify propositions to investigate historical issues	Historical questions and research investigate historical issues
develop a coherent research plan	frame questions to guide inquiry and develop a coherent research plan for inquiry	follow a research plan
identify, locate and organise relevant information from a range of primary and secondary sources	identify, locate and organise relevant information from a range of primary and secondary sources	organise relevant information from a range of primary and secondary sources
practise ethical scholarship when conducting research	identify and practise ethical scholarship when conducting research	acknowledge sources when conducting research
Analysis and use of sources identify the origin and purpose of historical sources	Analysis and use of sources identify the origin, purpose and context of historical sources	Analysis and use of sources identify historical sources
use evidence from different types of sources to explain historical developments	analyse, interpret and synthesise evidence from different types of sources to develop and sustain a historical argument	respond to evidence from sources
describe the strengths and weaknesses of different sources	evaluate the reliability, usefulness and contestable nature of sources to develop informed judgements that support a historical argument
Perspectives and interpretations identify and explain the different perspectives of individuals and groups in the past	Perspectives and interpretations analyse and account for the different perspectives of individuals and groups in the past	Perspectives and interpretations identify perspectives of individuals and groups in the past
identify different historical interpretations of the past	evaluate critically different historical interpretations of the past, how they evolved, and how they are shaped by the historian’s perspective	identify that views of the past change
	evaluate contested views about the past to understand the provisional nature of historical knowledge and to arrive at reasoned and supported conclusions
Explanation and communication explain the past using appropriate evidence from a range of sources to support an argument	Explanation and communication develop texts that integrate appropriate evidence from a range of sources to explain the past and to support and refute arguments	Explanation and communication create texts from sources
communicate historical understanding by using a form appropriate to the purpose and audience	communicate historical understanding by selecting and using text forms appropriate to the purpose and audience	communicate historical findings
apply appropriate referencing techniques accurately and consistently	apply appropriate referencing techniques accurately and consistently	create a list of references

Historical Knowledge and understanding

For the standard (1.0) unit, students investigate the significant issues related to TWO of the electives listed with a consideration of the historical issues in relation to a chosen historical period or phenomena. It is strongly advised that, in order to reach appropriate depth, teachers select no more than THREE historical issues in total.

Electives

Big Trouble in Western Europe

Islam and the Rest

Invasion and Assimilation

The Sky is Falling

An alternative study of a transformative epoch in a pre modern society may also be chosen. Any alternative elective should be chosen on the basis that the transformation has been interpreted and represented in different ways, and has been the subject of some controversy.

For the half standard (0.5) unit, students investigate the significant issues related to at least ONE of the electives with a consideration of the historical issues in relation to a chosen historical period or phenomena.

Elective	Historical Contexts and Issues
Big Trouble in Western Europe	the reasons for transformation and how the society became transformed conditions in the society prior to transformation, with specific reference to the politics, economy, culture, religion and daily life the economic, demographic and environmental challenges to Western European Societies the emergence of internal and external forces for change and transformation and their relative significance the nature of resistance to change and transformation the outcomes of transformation on the politics, economy, culture, religion and daily life the contestable nature and silences of the surviving evidence and the historical arguments around these historical contexts from which to choose: Fall of Rome, Anglo-Saxon Migrations 5th - 8th Centuries AD, The Development of Western Christendom AD300 - AD1056, Viking Expansions 8th - 11th centuries AD
Islam and the Rest	the geographic and historical context of the Arab Peninsula the doctrines and development of the religion of Islam, 7th - 8th centuries AD the forces which led to the Islamic expansion and the contributions of individuals the conditions of societies prior to contact with Islam the nature of the appeal of Islam and the means by which Islamic authorities encourage conversion resistance to Islamic expansion within the boundaries of your chosen historical context the outcomes of Islamisation on politics, economy, culture, religion and daily life the contestable nature and silences of the surviving evidence and the historical arguments around these historical contexts from which to choose: Arab peninsula, Iberian peninsula, South-East Asia, Western Africa
Invasion and Assimilation	the geographic and historical context of the society being studied conditions in the societies prior to transformation, with specific reference to the politics, economy, culture, religion and daily life the political, economic, demographic and environmental challenges the nature of military technology, strategy and tactics notions and ideologies underpinning conquest and assimilation the emergence of internal and external forces for change and transformation and their relative significance resistance to invasion and the nature of assimilation the outcomes of transformation on the politics, economy, culture, religion and daily life the contestable nature and silences of the surviving evidence and the historical arguments around these historical contexts from which to choose: Mongols, Early Mughals, Normans, Founding the Japanese Empire, Ottomans
The Sky is Falling	the nature of the ecological underpinnings of the society, culture, economy, religion and political systems of the society selected factors driving environmental change in the physical environment of the society selected the ways in which environmental change drove transformation in the society, culture, economy, religion and political systems the outcomes of ecological transformation on the society, culture, economy, religion, political systems and the environment the contestable nature and silences of the surviving evidence and the historical arguments around these historical contexts from which to choose: Easter Island, Maya, Anasazi, Fall of Rome, Black Death, Nan Madol/ Micronesia