Course Title: Humanities 1: History and Society

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Humanities 1: History and Society

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2275

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 2 2013

TCHE2276

Brunswick Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 2 2013

Course Coordinator: Lyn Longaretti

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 6631

Course Coordinator Email: lynette.longaretti@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None listed


Course Description

This is a core course that focuses on introducing students to concepts and pedagogical approaches relevant to the teaching of the Humanities in primary schools. In particular, this course focuses on studies of society from predominantly historical and economic perspectives. Students will engage with content that focuses on significant events in Australian History and a selection of significant people who have enacted change and shaped Australian culture. Themes around the links that exist between history, culture, reconciliation and identity/subjectivity and the different dimensions of identity/subjectivity will be considered. Specifically, the relationships that individuals have with family, with the local community, with the state, and with the country and the influences these relationships have on identity/subjectivity will be explored.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course is designed to assist students to:
• Become familiar and engage with concepts and pedagogical approaches relevant to the teaching of the Humanities, particularly related to history and economic perspectives, within classrooms of diverse learners.
• Deepen their knowledge about key moments of change in Australian history and impacts on the economy.
• Deepen their knowledge about key figures in Australian History.
• Investigate the history, culture and ways of knowing of Indigenous peoples in Australia.
• Reflect on the nature of Historical knowledge and the implications of this for the learning and teaching of Humanities subjects.
• Understand that society is a dynamic construct and examine historical and economic influences on people, cultures and society.
• Reflect on their developing professional understanding of Humanities teaching and learning principles and practice.


Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
• Design and deliver curriculum materials that could be used to support learning and teaching of Humanities in the primary school, and that are informed by a variety of pedagogical approaches, theories and policies.
• Apply analytic skills to primary and secondary sources to support learning and teaching in the Humanities.
• Convey personal knowledge about selected areas of Humanities knowledge.
• Articulate and understand the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to Australian society.
• Discuss and be familiar with relevant Victorian, Australian and International policy documents and frameworks related to Humanities learning and teaching.
• Articulate and actualise an emerging Humanities teaching philosophy.


ICT Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course, students will have demonstrated and/or acquired the following ICT capabilities:
• Awareness of a range of contemporary ICT resources suitable for the classroom.
• Understanding of how to use ICT in the classroom to facilitate learning, in particular critical skills such as information skills, analysis, problem solving and decision making.
• Abilities to provide opportunities for students to be engaged in ICT enriched activities that are essentially self-regulating and co-operative.


VIT Standards
This course is aligned with the following standards:
• Teachers know how students learn and how to teach them effectively.
• Teachers know the content that they teach.
• Teachers plan and assess for effective learning.
• Teachers use a range of teaching strategies and resources to engage students in effective learning.


Overview of Learning Activities

Students’ learning in this course will involve a range of activities including but not limited to: lectures, workshops, groupwork, excursions, microteaching, discussion, reading of academic texts and articles, curriculum design and materials incorporating web based teaching and learning resources.


Overview of Learning Resources

See Part B


Overview of Assessment

Assessment tasks are directly linked to the stated objectives and outcomes. Assessment in the course will be both theoretical and practical in nature. A range of formative and summative assessment types will be incorporated into the course (for example, written, oral or performance based assessment).

Students should refer to Part B of the course guide for further information on assessment.