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Year 12 Geography ATAR

Course Overview

Geography draws on students’ curiosity about the diversity of the world’s places and their peoples, cultures and environments. It enables them to appreciate the complexity of our world and the diversity of its environments, economies and cultures and use this knowledge to promote a more sustainable way of life and awareness of social and spatial inequalities.
Through the study of geography, students develop the ability to investigate the arrangement of physical and human phenomena across space and time in order to understand the interconnections between people, places and environments. As a subject within the Humanities and Social Sciences, geography studies spatial aspects of human culture using inquiry methods that are analytical, critical and speculative. As a science, geography develops an appreciation of the role of the physical environment in human life, and an understanding of the effects human activities can have on environments. As a result, it develops students’ ability to identify, evaluate and justify appropriate and sustainable approaches to the future by thinking holistically and spatially in seeking answers to questions. Students are encouraged to investigate geographical issues and phenomena from a range of perspectives, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Course Description
This syllabus is divided into two units.

Unit 3 - Global Environmental Change
In this unit, students assess the impacts of land cover change with particular reference to climate change or biodiversity loss.

Unit 4 - Planning Sustainable Places
In this unit, students examine the causes and implications of urbanisation as well as challenges that exist in metropolitan Perth or a regional centre and a megacity with particular reference to how people respond to these challenges to influence sustainability and liveability.

Future Careers
Geography is important to careers in:

• Tourism
• Town Planning
• Agriculture
• Mining
• Land evaluation
• Environmental Planning
• Teaching
• Overseas Aid Programs
• Foreign Affairs
• Trade