11–12Modern History 11–12 Syllabus
The new Modern History 11–12 Syllabus (2024) is to be implemented from 2027.
2025 and 2026
- Plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
2027, Term 1
- Start teaching new syllabuses for Year 11
- Start implementing new Year 11 school-based assessment requirements
- Continue to teach the Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) for Year 12
2027, Term 4
- Start teaching new syllabuses for Year 12
- Start implementing new Year 12 school-based assessment requirements
2028
- First HSC examination for new syllabus
Content
Year 11
Students study at least TWO case studies, choosing ONE from List A and ONE from List B. The case studies may incorporate methods and issues involved in investigating the modern past, as relevant.
Teachers may develop their own case studies. These may be designed to provide a context for options selected from the Year 12 course but must not overlap with or duplicate significantly any option attempted in the Year 12 Modern History or History Extension courses. Teacher-developed case studies must follow the geographical division indicated in Lists A and B.
List A: Case studies from Australia, Europe and North America
- List A: Australia and the rise of communism
- List A: Making change: The Day of Mourning to the National Apology to the Stolen Generations
- List A: The changing nature of Anglo–Irish relations
- List A: The decline and fall of the Romanov dynasty
- List A: The transatlantic slave trade
- List A: The American Civil War
- List A: The rise of the American environmental movement
- List A: Women’s movements
List B: Case studies from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America
- List B: The Boxer Rebellion in China
- List B: The British in India and Burma
- List B: The Meiji Restoration
- List B: Tibet in the modern world
- List B: Contact in the Pacific
- List B: The making of modern South Africa
- List B: The origins of the Arab–Israeli conflict
Other possible case studies related to List A could include:
- Pemulwuy
- Maximilien Robespierre and the Terror
- Queen Victoria and the Victorian Age
- Leon Trotsky
- The American Revolution
- Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution
Other possible case studies related to List B could include:
- Empress Dowager Cixi
- Sun Yat-sen and the end of imperial China
- India under Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi
- Ho Chi Minh
- Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge
- The New Zealand (Māori) Wars
- The Kingdom of Kongo
- The Mahdi and the siege of Khartoum
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
- The dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet
Teacher-developed case studies must include the aspects of study identified in the following framework:
- the historical context
- the nature of the features, people, ideas, movements, events and developments selected for study
- a relevant historical debate or issue.
The rise of communism in Australia from the First World War, including the creation of the Communist Party, and the idea of an impending communist takeover
Threats to democracy after WWI, including the impact of the Russian Revolution
Attempts by the Communist Party to assert political influence, including in local organisations and political parties
Attempts by groups and politicians to resist communist influence in Australia
The role of espionage and counterespionage, and the role of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Petrov Affair
Australia’s response to international communism
The domino theory and reasons for Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War
Differing interpretations or representations of a debate or issue related to Australia and the rise of communism