The Pre Modern History curriculum explores life in the pre-modern world through the analysis and interpretation of physical and written evidence from c. 400–1750 CE. Global in scope, the course encourages students to develop curiosity about the past and an appreciation of how historical societies have shaped the modern world. Students examine the development of key features of contemporary societies, including social organisation, culture, religion, governance, and legal systems, while also investigating the motivations and actions of individuals and groups that influenced political, social, and cultural change.
Building on the Foundation to Year 10 History curriculum, students strengthen historical inquiry skills that are transferable across many areas of learning. These include interpreting and evaluating evidence, synthesising information from diverse sources, and constructing reasoned, evidence-based arguments. The curriculum emphasises critical literacy and challenges students to engage with differing historical interpretations and perspectives.
The course offers flexibility and depth through a range of study options across four units, including opportunities to explore Indigenous societies, Asia’s historical significance, and sustainability challenges. Students also develop advanced historiographical skills by analysing fragmentary literary, documentary, architectural, and archaeological evidence to reconstruct and understand the pre-modern world.
This unit introduces students to the pre-modern world and the factors that shaped societies during this period. Students examine written and archaeological evidence, exploring how incomplete and contested sources influence our understanding of history. The course develops skills in analysing historical evidence, identifying historical silences, and evaluating different interpretations and representations of the past, while introducing students to historiography.
This unit explores the role of influential individuals in shaping history and compares their impact with broader social and structural forces. Through two case studies, students investigate the concept of a “Golden Age” and the contribution of significant historical figures to political, economic, social, artistic, and cultural developments. Students also examine who benefited from these periods, how ordinary people experienced them, and how surviving sources shape our understanding of both the Golden Age and the individuals associated with it.
This unit examines interactions between societies in the pre-modern world and the impacts these interactions have on one another. Using a comparative approach, students explore different perspectives on historical events by analysing written and archaeological sources. They develop skills in interpreting evidence, recognising the limitations and biases of sources, and analysing historical silences created by fragmented evidence. The unit also investigates the complexities of intercultural contact, including adaptation, conflict, cooperation, exchange, and the lasting effects of these interactions.
This unit explores the nature and exercise of power and authority in pre-modern societies. Students investigate how power was structured, maintained, and challenged by analysing historical relationships and systems of authority. They engage with a range of historical theories and perspectives, including Gender Theory, Marxism, Post-colonialism, and Orientalism, to understand how historical interpretations are shaped. The unit also develops students’ ability to engage with scholarly and historiographical debate.