Aboriginal Studies General Information

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1 Aboriginal Studies Syllabus
2 Past Exam Papers
3 Standards Packages
4 Rationale
5 Aim
6 Objectives
7 Course Structure
8 Assessment
- 8.1 Internal Assessment
- 8.2 External Examination
9 Online Resources
10 References

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Aboriginal Studies Syllabus

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/syllabus2000_lista.html#aboriginalstudies

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Past Exam Papers

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/index.html

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Standards Packages

http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/hsc/std-packs/

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Rationale

Aboriginal Studies is designed to foster intellectual, social and moral development by enabling students to think critically about the historical and contemporary experiences of Aboriginal peoples. Through this study students will develop a keen understanding and appreciation of the concepts of social justice and shared histories, and will critically examine their role as active and informed citizens.

Aboriginal history and culture are fundamental to the development of Australian identity. Aboriginal Studies acknowledges the contribution of Aboriginal cultures and communities to Australian society.

Aboriginal Studies seeks to provide a body of knowledge that is both accurate and unbiased. The course will provide students with ways of detecting and analysing bias in representations of Aboriginal peoples.

Aboriginal Studies is a unique experience for both Aboriginal students and non-Aboriginal students. Aboriginal students are provided with an opportunity for cultural affirmation and positive educational experiences while non-Aboriginal students are able to ‘learn together’ with Aboriginal peoples and communities. All students are encouraged to take an active role in the process of Reconciliation.

For all students, Aboriginal Studies provides a flexible structure to prepare for further education, training and employment. Students will develop analytical skills, the ability to pursue independent research and the ability to develop coherent arguments.

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Aim

Aboriginal Studies develops students’ knowledge and understanding about the historical and contemporary experiences of Aboriginal peoples and the concept of ‘shared histories’ with a view to enabling students to be active and informed citizens in promoting a just society for all Australians.

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Objectives

Through Aboriginal Studies, students will develop:

knowledge and understanding about:

social justice and human rights issues and how they impact on Aboriginal peoples
the diversity of contemporary Aboriginal cultural, political, social and economic life
government policies, legislation and judicial processes and their impact on Aboriginal peoples

skills to:

investigate issues and communicate information from a variety of perspectives

informed and responsible values and attitudes about:

social justice
intercultural understandings
empathy with Aboriginal peoples’ experiences and views
ethical practices.

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Course Structure

Higher School Certificate Course (120 indicative hours)

Part I — Social Justice and Human Rights Issues(50% of Indicative Course Time)

A Global Perspective

Two of the following topics must be studied for each of the three communities:

1. Health

2. Education

3. Housing

4. Employment

5. Criminal Justice

6. Economic Independence

Comparative Case Study:

Local Aboriginal Community/ies (must be the same community/ies for all Parts) AND

A National Indigenous Australian Community (may be different communities for each

topic) AND

An International Indigenous Community (may be different communities for each topic)

Part II (20% of Indicative Course Time)

A. Aboriginality and the Land

The Land Rights movement and the recognition of native title
Government policies and legislation
Non-Aboriginal responses

Case Study: The Local Aboriginal Community/ies (must be the same community/ies for all Parts)

B. Heritage and Identity

Contemporary aspects of Aboriginal heritage and identity
Government policies and legislation
Non-Aboriginal responses

Case Study: The Local Aboriginal Community/ies (must be the same community/ies for all Parts)

Part III — Research and Inquiry Methods — Major Project(30% of Indicative Course Time)

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Assessment

Assessment is the process of gathering information and making judgements about student achievement for a variety of purposes.

In the Preliminary and HSC courses those purposes include:

assisting student learning
evaluating and improving teaching and learning programs
providing evidence of satisfactory achievement and completion in the Preliminary course
providing the Higher School Certificate results.

Reporting refers to the Higher School Certificate documents received by students that are used by the Board to report both the internal and external measures of achievement.

NSW Higher School Certificate results will be based on:

an assessment mark submitted by the school and produced in accordance with the Board’s requirements for the internal assessment program
an examination mark derived from the HSC external examinations.

Results will be reported using a course report containing a performance scale with bands describing standards of achievement in the course.

The use of both internal assessment and external examinations of student achievement allows measures and observations to be made at several points and in different ways throughout the HSC course. Taken together, the external examinations and internal assessment marks provide a valid and reliable assessment of the achievement of the knowledge, understanding and skills described for each course.

Standards Referencing and the HSC Examination

The Board of Studies will adopt a standards-referenced approach to assessing and reporting student achievement in the Higher School Certificate examination.

The standards in the HSC are:

the knowledge, skills and understanding expected to be learned by students — the syllabus standards
the levels of achievement of the knowledge, skills and understanding — the performance standards.

Both syllabus standards and performance standards are based on the aims, objectives, outcomes and content of a course. Together they specify what is to be learned and how well it is to be achieved.

Teacher understanding of standards comes from the set of aims, objectives, outcomes and content in each syllabus together with:

the performance descriptions that summarise the different levels of performance of the course outcomes
HSC examination papers and marking guidelines
samples of students’ achievement on assessment and examination tasks.

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Internal Assessment

The internal assessment mark submitted by the school will provide a summation of each student’s achievements measured at points throughout the course. It should reflect the rank order of students and relative differences between students’ achievements.

Internal assessment provides a measure of a student’s achievement based on a wider range of syllabus content and outcomes than may be covered by the external examination alone.

The assessment components, weightings and task requirements to be applied to internal assessment are identified on page 43. They ensure a common focus for internal assessment in the course across schools, while allowing for flexibility in the design of tasks. A variety of tasks should be used to give students the opportunity to demonstrate outcomes in different ways and to improve the validity and reliability of the assessment.

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External Examination

In Aboriginal Studies Stage 6 the external examination will be a written paper for external marking. The specifications for the examination in Aboriginal Studies Stage 6 are on page 44.

The external examination provides a measure of student achievement in a range of syllabus outcomes that can be reliably measured in an examination setting.

The external examination and its marking and reporting will relate to syllabus standards by

providing clear links to syllabus outcomes
enabling students to demonstrate the levels of achievement outlined in the course performance scale
applying marking guidelines based on established criteria.

HSC External Examination Specifications

Examination Paper Time allowed: 3 hours

The written paper is divided into 3 sections:

Section I Social Justice and Human Rights Issues(60 marks)

Part A: A Global Perspective Question 1(a)–(d) (20 marks)

There will be FOUR short answer stimulus-based questions. All questions must be answered in the spaces provided on the examination paper.

Part B: A Comparative Investigation Questions 2–7 (40 marks)

There will be SIX structured response questions corresponding to each of the electives relating to the comparative investigations. Students will select the TWO questions corresponding to the electives undertaken in the course. All questions are worth 20 marks each. Students will complete each question in a separate examination booklet.

Section II(30 marks)

EITHER

A. Aboriginality and the Land Question 8

There are 2 compulsory questions on ‘Aboriginality and the Land’:

a stimulus-based question worth 10 marks

an unstructured extended response worth 20 marks.

Students will complete both questions in the same examination booklet.

B. Heritage and Identity Question 9

There are 2 compulsory questions on ‘Heritage and Identity’:

a stimulus-based question worth 10 marks

an unstructured extended response worth 20 marks.

Students will complete both questions in the same examination booklet.

Section III Research and Inquiry Methods – Major Project (10 Marks)

Question 10

There will be ONE question focused on the components and/or content of the project.
The question is compulsory and could contain internal choice.
A variety of response methods would be appropriate (eg tables, diagrams, mind maps).
Students will complete the question in a separate examination booklet.

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