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Year 12 Politics Units 3 and 4 – Bellum Bellum Blended Learning Hub
Overview
Studying 3/4 Politics will give you a grounding in international relations, including the study of global cooperation, conflict, crises, and power.
Unit 3 looks at problems on a global scale and how international actors can address them. You will investigate the causes of these problems, what makes them so difficult to resolve, and what makes one more significant than another. You will look at both a humanitarian crisis impacting human rights, and an international issue such as weapons of mass destruction, climate change, economic instability, or development.
Unit 4 examines the fierce competition for power and influence in the Indo-Pacific region. You will examine the national interests that Australia is trying to achieve, and look at how these aims need to be balanced with maintaining relationships with other actors in the region – many of whom have far less power than Australia, but some who have far more.
Who is it for?
VCE Politics is for students who enjoy keeping up with current events in the news, or have an interest in international problems. Students who are considering tertiary study in an area like politics, journalism, law, or education, should consider studying VCE Politics.
What do you do?
Students spend time researching current events, examining material in video, podcast, infographic, and news article forms. Students work together to give briefings to the class on particular topics. They write short answer responses and extended answers to questions about the material being covered.
What skills do you need?
High level reading comprehension and analytical writing skills will helps students studying VCE Politics.
What skills do you develop?
VCE Politics develops students’ critical thinking and reasoning skills. Students learn to sort fact-based perspectives from those based on misinformation. Students learn how to use high quality evidence to demonstrate a perspective, and put those perspectives in writing.
Requirements
Internet is needed to access this course. All work will be completed and submitted online each week. Regular, independent reading of political coverage in the media is needed.
Things to think about
Like many Year 12 subjects, you will find yourself busy when studying this subject. However, it’s definitely manageable.
Maintaining regular communication with your teacher can help you keep on top of things. If you are based at a school other than VSV, make sure you always use the free/spare periods assigned for this subject.
Things you can do now
Students interested in studying VCE Politics can start watching and reading quality news analysis now. Below are a list of recommended sources for high quality coverage of world events, including a range of perspectives;
www.abc.net.au (ABC News Australia)
www.bbc.com (BBC World News)
www.aljazeera.com (Al Jazeera News)
www.voanews.com (Voice of America News)
www.amnesty.org.au (Amnesty International Australia)