Humanities students have participated in a range of experiences and activities in recent weeks, reinforcing the relationship between Humanities subjects and the real world around them. 

The Supreme Court of Victoria

At the start of Term 3, VCE Legal Studies students visited the Supreme Court of Victoria and enjoyed a conversation with retired Supreme Court Justice the Honourable David Harper AM, about his extensive experiences in the law and the differences between criminal and civil law. The students also observed the opening arguments in a major criminal case at the Supreme Court.  

Humanities Week, held last week, saw the launch of an awareness campaign around the plight of the more than 120 million refugees around the world. This campaign will continue through to the end of the term, with guest speakers providing our students with insights into how refugees can be supported. In collaboration with St Catherine’s Student Representative Council and our Human Rights Club, our students will be encouraged to participate in fundraising events to support the work of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees. A series of videos about the Olympic Refugee Team that participated in the recent Paris Olympics was shown in the Nicholas Library to start this campaign. 

International Relations Professor Dr Aiden Warren from RMIT University’s School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies

Year 12 Global Politics Teacher, Mr Chris Gates invited International Relations Professor Dr Aiden Warren from RMIT University’s School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies to speak to senior students. Students from VCE Politics and Year 10 Globalisation and History heard from Dr Warren about arms control and this year’s US Presidential election.  

More actively, students participated in the annual Geography Scavenger Hunt facilitated by VCE Geography teachers, Mr Blennerhassett and Ms Sully and supported by Ms Martin, using old-fashioned and new technology to navigate our School campus and demonstrate their geography skills. 

Humanities Week concluded with another annual fixture – Medieval Day. Year 8 History students learned about medieval life through interactive sessions about Health and Healing, Costume and Lifestyle, and Arms and Armour. Many students eagerly volunteered to be weighed down by kilos of iron armour or layers of heavy clothing, or simply battle each other with mock medieval weapons. 

While all this has been happening, students in Year 9 Geography and Year 10 Electives have continued to develop their understanding through our Critical Conversations Program, which has become an important feature of the Humanities learning experience.  

Humanities Competitions 

Deepening our students’ knowledge of Humanities outside the national curriculum we also encourage the girls to participate in external national competitions, including the Australian Geography Competition and the Australian History Competition. We recently received the results for these two Competitions, with some students achieving outstanding results. We look forward to acknowledging these students and presenting them with their Certificates very soon.