The study of history is an inquiry into past human experience that helps make the present more intelligible. History has been described as a contested dialogue between past and present, where the concerns of the present illuminate a consideration of the past, while the experiences of the past contribute to an understanding of the present. The study of history allows students to perceive the world in a variety of ways as they develop powers of deduction and reasoning and learn to make sense of an increasingly complex global society.
The study of Modern History Stage 6 has a distinctive role in the school curriculum as it challenges students to consider the great social, technological, economic, political and moral transformations from the late eighteenth century to the present. It requires students to analyse the causes, progress and effects of these transformations and, finally, to make judgements about them. Modern History Stage 6 is especially relevant to the lives of students, as the events and issues that form its content are, in many cases, still current.
