Social Sciences
The Social Sciences Department covers a broad learning area whereby the focus is about how societies work and how people can participate as critical, active, informed and responsible citizens.
During their studies, students will be exposed to contexts from the past, present and the future, as well as working at a variety of scales – local, regional, national and global.
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Maku e ki atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!
Ask me, “What is the greatest thing in the world?”
I will reply, “It is people, people, people!”
COURSES
In the junior school, students will all study social studies. There are four strands that make up the course: identity, culture and organisation; place and environment; continuity and change; the economic world. In these two years students will learn about many societies, cultures, economies and environments.
They will increase their awareness of societal issues such as sustainability and clarify bicultural history and multicultural society.
In the senior school students will have the opportunity of studying any combination of classical studies, geography and history.
- Classical studies involves the study of civilization of classical Greece and Rome.
- Geography emphasises the relationship between people and their environment, and explores this interaction in a wide range of New Zealand and overseas contexts.
- History will examine how the causes and consequences of events of the past have been of significance for New Zealanders.
WHY CHOOSE SOCIAL SCIENCES?
Studying the social sciences subjects develops invaluable skills in students. Inquiry is integrated into all courses, so students develop valuable research skills and are capable of writing clear analysis and well structured reports. Skills learned will be appropriate across a wide range of careers.
Social scientists are regarded as being aware of societal issues, having an ability to reflect on and evaluate information, and having a tolerance for and appreciation of others’ viewpoints. Career prospects are wide-ranging, as too are the university courses that link to these subjects.
Social studies will increasingly become a subject that concerns itself with social issues and becomes involved at a local and regional scale. Scholarship passes have been gained in all senior subjects with Louis Chambers being named as the top N.Z. history student in 2007.
“Social studies has taught me a lot about what has made cultures today and why situations are as they are. It is a very interesting subject with many different branches.” – Natalie, Yr 9.
“This year I found social studies was interesting and enjoyable. The topics that we included were all well organized and fun.” – Charlotte, Yr 9.
“Social studies was a cool subject and I learnt a lot.” – Chris, Yr 9.
