Rationale
Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) incorporates the study of people, places and environments, as well as how people and events from the past have shaped societies over time. Through the foundational knowledge, understanding and skills of geography and history, HSIE introduces students to the complex interconnections between people and places, past and present so they can become active, confident, engaged and valued members of Australia’s diverse community.
The HSIE syllabus acts as a mirror to reflect a student’s personal experiences and a window through which to view the world at different times and places. By engaging with stories, images, objects and sites as evidence of the past and with geographical information presented in maps, globes and graphs students learn the essential schema by which people locate and understand themselves, the environment and others in the world and in time. Students explore what it means to be Australian, and through civics and citizenship learn the roles and responsibilities which form the basis for Australia’s free, democratic and egalitarian society.
Students learn about Aboriginal Cultures and Histories, providing opportunities to broaden every student’s knowledge about Aboriginal Peoples by engaging with the oldest living, continuous Cultures in the world. Students develop an understanding of the sustainable practices developed and implemented by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples over millennia, the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, the interdependence with Country and Place, and understandings of past and present.
Human Society and its Environment helps students navigate the dynamic world in which they live and develop a sense of connection to communities and groups. They learn to value the Earth, themselves and others, by learning from past human experience. Building knowledge about diverse people, customs and practices across time and place inspires wonder and curiosity and drives the motivation to learn. This helps students to become independent, critical and creative thinkers and contribute to a socially just and sustainable future.