The beginning of your journey The beginning of a learning curve about history The beginning of a learning experience about yourself

Modern History Historical Investigation

HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION

The way forward

Hints on choosing a topic

Historical investigationAny historical debate from any country in

the 18th, 19th, 20th centuries

The investigation should not overlap with or duplicate significantly any topic attempted for the HSC Modern History or History Extension courses.Your topic must centre around an historical debate relating to the topic, i.e. a topic where there is not clear agreement about the causes, the events or the aftermath.

It could be:

An aspect of your preliminary core study – World at beginning of 20th century.

A personality (but needs to be one of significant importance to the history of a period, and should reflect some controversy in interpretation about their lives).

International conflicts to the present day

A Preliminary case study.

Syllabus List A Examples of Case Studies from Europe,

North America and Australia

1 The trans-Atlantic slave trade2 The Reign of Terror in France 1792–953 The social consequences of industrialisation in Britain in the early nineteenth century4 The decline and fall of the Romanov dynasty5 Yankees and Confederates in the American states in the mid-nineteenth century6 Bismarck and the unification of the German states7 The Paris Commune 18718 Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragette Movement9 The 1916 Easter Rebellion in Ireland and its consequences10 Bodyline bowling and the 1932–1933 Anglo-Australian test series11 The failure of the League of Nations12 The Civil Rights Movement in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s13 The struggle for Indigenous rights in Canada in the late twentieth century14 Post-Communist Russia

Syllabus List BExamples of Case Studies from Asia, the Pacific, Africa,

the Middle East and Central/South America

1 The Indian Mutiny 18572 The Meiji Restoration: nature and impact3 The Boxer Rebellion in China 4 The making of modern South Africa 1890–19105 The Netherlands East Indies in the early twentieth century6 The origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1880s–19477 Decolonisation in Indochina 1945–19548 Nuclear testing in the Pacific 1950s to 1960s9 The Cuban Revolution and its impact in Latin America10 Allende, Pinochet and the 1973 military coup in Chile11 Ayatollah Khomeini and Muslim Fundamentalism12 Aung San Suu Kyi and the pro-democracy movement in Burma13 Tibet’s fight for survival in the modern world14 The Chinese Government and Tiananmen Square

To what extent was slavery a cover up by Abraham Lincoln to finish an unpopular war?Evaluate the way in which the German government handled the events in 1972 in Munich. Did we land on the moon?Did Lee Harvey Oswald work alone to assassinate JFK? Evaluate the verdict of the Warren commission. Assess the extent to which McCarthy used the idea of communism as a political scare tactic to control political and cultural opponents?

Some historical investigation topics from previous years

To what extent is it true that the world failed the people of Rwanda?How did the Tiananmen Square massacre affect Chinese/American relationships? Who was Jezebel, Cleopatra, great women of History?Assess Che Guevara’s political life and his effectiveness as a leader.How successful was the League of Nations in fulfilling its goals?Ned Kelly - hero or villain?

Some historical investigation topics from previous years

Event: September 11, Sinking of the Lusitania, Turkish view of Anzac Day, Vietnamese Australian’s view of the American WarIssue: Execution of Breaker Morant, female suffrage, American Civil War, Civil Rights Movement in the USA in 1950/60sPersonality: Qn Victoria, Che Guevara, Martin Luther KingGroup: Ku Klux Klan

Suggestions

Museums as History

Historical fiction – how valuable?

Construction of history in the media – the director’s role in creating history

Critical analysis of a major historical work

Value of archaeologist/scientist to the historian

Thematic study

Historical debate

Value of art /oral history/ biographies to the historian

Suggestions:

What to do from this point?

• Check the BOS Modern History syllabus at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au to avoid choosing topics that are not alllowable. Check with me if you are unsure – we may be able to play with the topic

• Choose an area in which you can maintain a long term interest, you already have some background knowledge or interest

• Is this topic manageable? – you have 6 ½ weeks – this is not your life’s work

• DO NOT delve into very detailed information.• You are looking for an overview of your topic• Try an encyclopaedia• Consult the resource list on the wiki

• You should commit to an enquiry area in week 2 of term 2

.....and, remember not to get too stressed – enjoy the ride!!