High School Programs

• Year 11 Preliminary Unit
• High School Lecture Series

Year 11 Preliminary Unit

America: Rebels, Heroes & Renegades

The United States Studies Centre has recently developed a course which will be offered by the University of Sydney in 2010/2011 Summer School. 

This HSC Board-endorsed course offers Year 11 students the opportunity to study a Year 11 HSC unit outside of the school program. Board-Endorsed Courses such as America: Rebels, Heroes & Renegades offer the opportunity to extend the curriculum, providing enrichment of a subject area.

AIM: 

The aim of this unit of study is to introduce students to the complexity and diversity of the United States in both a contemporary and historical context. It will appeal to high-school students with an interest in the US and a willingness to embark on University-level US studies.

The United States is a powerful force in an increasingly globalised world and its people provide some insight into why this is so. By studying its people, students will develop knowledge and understanding the US and its impact on the world.

This unit is designed to complement other HSC subjects in the humanities and political sciences and will provide excellent preparation for humanities and political science at the University level.

STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP:

1. Knowledge and understanding about the United States and its impact on the world
2. Skills in oral and written expression of conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking
3. An ability to access diverse resources to build and defend a reasoned position
4. An ability to identify values and beliefs inherent in a culture unlike their own
5. An appreciation of the role of reasoning, the imagination & curiosity in communication

BENEFITS:

After successful completion of the course, credit will be given for six credit points (a semester-length unit of study) towards a degree in Arts or some combined degree programs at The University of Sydney.

The course fee represents approximately one-third of the full fee rate for a 6 credit points Arts unit of study at the University. Students who gain admission to a degree - which this subject can be credited toward - will not incur a HECS debt or be liable for the full fee for these six credit points.

AMERICA: REBELS, HEROES & RENEGADES IS RECOGNISED BY THE BOARD OF STUDIES:

America: Rebels, Heroes & Renegades is endorsed as a one-unit option. The course is recognised by the Board of Studies as a Year 11 preliminary unit and forms part of a student's final HSC record. Board Endorsed Courses are designed for high-achieving students to supplement and extend the HSC curriculum, though the results in these courses are not included in the calculation of the Universities Admission Index (UAI).

The result for America: Rebels, Heroes & Renegades will appear on a student's Record of Achievement and it is worth six credit points toward an undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney.

MODULES:

1.      Understanding the Rebel & the Hero (15 Hours)

Students examine the idea of heroism and the hero story (an ageless pattern and a series of archetypes). Students are introduced to the debate which surrounds the labelling and portrayal of someone as a hero or a rebel. Questions will be raised which include the following:

• Who defines heroes and rebels?
• Who is a hero or renegade?
• Can a hero be a typical citizen?
• How are heroes and rebels portrayed?
• Who do you consider heroic and why?

Students will learn how theories are constructed and employed in academic study.

Assessments:  Students will read about and discuss hero myths. They will scour print media in order to complete a journal in scrapbook form, writing commentaries about the language and portrayal of a particular hero or rebel and assessing the extent to which this hero or rebel conforms to the ageless pattern. (25%)

2.      Heroes, Rebels  and Journeys (15 Hours)

Is every hero or rebel connected with adventure or a journey? Is every hero or rebel initially reluctant, encouraged by a wise elder, encountering tests, enduring an immense ordeal before succeeding. Is the journey of each American hero or rebel equivalent to the journey experienced by the US as a nation in a hostile world?

• Scientists and discovery (eg, Thomas Edison, Neil Armstrong)
• Explorers and discovery (eg, Columbus, Puritans, Lewis and Clark, Lindbergh)
• Heroes of strength (eg, Davy Crockett, Superman, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, TV series The Greatest American Hero)
• Revelatory heroes (eg, Joseph Smith & L. Ron Hubbarb and American-based religions)

Students will learn about the importance of the journey in the making of a hero. They will also learn about the journey as an important tool for their own writing, including academic writing.

Assessment: Choose two heroes or rebels, find out all you can and write a character profile about their history and their development as a hero or rebel especially in relation to their journey. What preceded their time as hero or rebel, what tests did they encounter, what discoveries, and what similarities and differences can you detect.  (25%)

3.      The Political Hero & Renegade (15 Hours)

Given the influence wielded by the US in the world, political heroes become an interesting source for examples. The political landscape includes politicians, presidents, policy makers, journalists, television commentators and military heroes. Is this just another form of celebrity? Can a celebrity be a hero? What part do American values play in the formation of political heroes? What would make a political hero a genuine hero? What is an anti-hero? The fictional Batman is described as an anti-hero-what makes him so and is there a real equivalent in the American political landscape?

• Presidents (eg, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Truman, Kennedy and more)
• Media-Watergate (eg, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, young reporters with Washington Post in 1970s)
• Military (eg, George Patton, Norman Schwarzkopf)
• Failed, tragic or discredited heroes (eg, Hillary Clinton, Robert Kennedy & Jessica Lynch)

Students will learn about the Socratic method as a historical and current tool for critical analysis, especially separating fact from fiction.

Assessment: Choose a hero for a case study and paint a vivid portrait in words and pictures-argue for or against their classification as a hero

4.      Obstacles to Heroism in the US (15 Hours)

This module will focus on people who do not possess the attributes that are typical of heroes: women and non-white Americans. They are not necessarily rebels or renegades, though possibly mavericks. Students will also be asked to locate those who deserve hero status but have been denied it for reasons that require exposure.

Students will conclude their study with an appreciation of building an argument and defending it through a structured academic essay.

Assessment: Critically analyse the ways in which your chosen hero's race or sex has affected her/his classification as hero. (25%)

ASSUMED PRIOR KNOWLEDGE:

• Assumed prior knowledge is covered in Stage 5 English.
• Students will be expected to have good analytical, written and oral communication skills.
• The course assumed no prior knowledge about American heroes

TIMETABLE:

America: Rebels, Heroes & Renegades will be offered as part of the Summer School program in January each year.

HOW TO APPLY:

Eligibility: Any student who has an interest in the topics covered and the ability and aptitude to undertake university-level study is welcome to apply. Only students who will have commenced Year 11 transitioning into Year 12 may apply to enrol in the course.

Application process: Applications are assessed by the course convener on the basis of a student's past academic record and their school principal's recommendation that the student has the capacity to meet the demands of the course. This takes into account a candidate's potential to work at university level and their ability to work both in a team and independently.

The application must be given to the student's school principal for approval and submission to the University. Students must also attach a copy of their most recent school report.

The student's completed application will be forwarded to the course convener for assessment and offers will be sent out to successful applicants with fee payment details.

The application form will be available shortly.

For further information contact:
Milly Vranes
Student Affairs Officer
Email: m.vranes@sydney.edu.au

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High School Lecture Series

The US in the World - A Discussion with High School Students

The US Studies Centre invites Year 10 & 11 students from across Sydney to a lecture and discussion with Professor Geoffrey Garrett.  Professor Garrett is CEO of the US Studies Centre, Professor of Political Science and one of the leading commentators in the Australia about the US.

The lecture series is great opportunity for students to experience a university-level large lecture with one of Australia's leading experts on the US. Students have a chance to look behind today's news headlines for a deeper understanding of the United States

The focus of the lectures are the role of the United States amid the challenges posed by globalisation, the rise of Islamic extremism, nuclear proliferation and the emergence of China and India as world powers. The recent US presidential election will also be examined. Through interactive technology and use of the Socratic method, students will be invited to share their ideas about the US.

Students are welcome to bring their lunch or purchase food on campus following the lecture.  For further information please contact Milly Vranes, Student Affairs Officer at the US Studies Centre on m.vranes@sydney.edu.au.

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