English + Social Sciences
= Humanities Faculty

At ŌC we have combined the Social Sciences and English departments into a single Humanities faculty.  Why?  Throughout most of our courses in both the English and Social Sciences, topics and issues raised from our histories and current events are also reflected in our literature.  Literacy skills used and developed in both courses are similar, but sometimes taught within different contexts (eg. geography / map reading, poetry reading and writing).  We combine English and Social Sciences because the skills used in both subjects are similar and the subject matter is the same: people - telling the story of humanity, our interactions with each other and with the environment over place and time. 

Humanities are the stories, the thoughts, and the language that help us make sense of our reality and our world. Humanities introduce us to people we have never known, places we have never seen, and ideas that may have never crossed our minds. By showing how others have lived, Humanities help us decide what is important and how to improve life.  Humanities help us address the challenges we face as individuals, together in our whānau, our communities, and as a nation.

Junior Humanities

All junior Humanities courses combine both English and Social Sciences to allow students to develop their literacy skills and their social science skills within semester courses created from student feedback and input.  Check out what we have on offer this year in Year 9 Humanities and Year 10 Humanities.

In Year 9 Humanities, ākonga must either take 

• the Tūrangawaewae course and a minimum of TWO other Humanities courses, one in each semester. 

OR

• the full-year Reo Rua course Iwi, Kiwi me te Ao (counts as 2 semester courses) and a minimum of ONE other Humanities course. 

In Year 10 Humanities, students must take either

• the Future Ready course and TWO other Yr 10 or Y9 & 10 Humanities courses, one in each semester. 

OR

• the full-year Reo Rua course Iwi, Kiwi me te Ao (counts as 2 semester courses) and take a minimum of ONE other Humanities course.

In total, each student in Year 9 or 10 must complete the equivalent of 3 Humanities semester courses of learning each year. 

Of course, if you are a passionate Humanities student and want to take more, you can do that too!

Senior Humanities

In Years 11-13, we offer separate NCEA English and History/Social Sciences courses, although we offer one Classical Studies standard in our Year 12 English course, and the History/Social Science courses offer a variety of standards.  Check out what we are offering in Y11/L1 Humanities, Y12/L2 Humanities and Y13/L3 Humanities.