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sudodds

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History Extension Question Thread!
« on: February 18, 2017, 10:39:46 pm »
+6
hello hello 2k17 historiographers and beyond!

How hard is History Extension right, I mean it is basically a university subject  :P All those theories, dialectics, quotes and ideologies - enough to make your head spin! Well hopefully I (and any other amazing people who want to contribute a response!) can help make it (just a tad - I mean we are human after all) easier  ;D I've created this thread to be a neat and tidy space to answer any and all history extension related questions!

Not sure how to phrase the thesis of your major work? Post it here!
Not sure if you understand the argument of [insert historian here]? Post it here!
Not sure how to structure your 'What is History' essay? Post it here!

Not sure what you're not sure about? We've all been there buddy and Post it here!

History Extension was a subject that I really enjoyed last year, and (after a lot of hard work) was quite successful within. I would love nothing more than to be able to pass this enthusiasm onto the next generation of students (I'd also love to bring some activity to this sadly neglected board  :'( ) so please feel free to leave any and all questions below and I will endeavour to provide a (hella detailed 8)) response as soon as I can :)

Susie

Tiny disclaimer - History Extension is a super subjective subject, so take all advice with a grain of salt. Also know that when it comes to content on Section II of the paper, the option I studied was Western Imperialism, so I probably won't be able to answer super specific questions on the other options (I'd recommend still posting them below though! Even if I can't help out doesn't mean another student won't be able to!)
« Last Edit: February 18, 2017, 10:41:36 pm by sudodds »
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ATAR: 97.80

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bellaaaaam18

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2017, 02:34:29 pm »
+1
Hi!
I've got an exam coming up and I have no idea how to prepare!!!
I'ts going to strictly be on the 'what is history' topic and apparantly I need to prepare a few historians and be able to write about their works.
do you have any suggestions?
thanks!

sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2017, 06:13:36 pm »
+3
Hi!
I've got an exam coming up and I have no idea how to prepare!!!
I'ts going to strictly be on the 'what is history' topic and apparantly I need to prepare a few historians and be able to write about their works.
do you have any suggestions?
thanks!

Hi bellaaaaam18!

Don't worry, you're definitely not alone. I remember when I had my half yearlies coming up and I was confused as to how to study, how to approach questions etc. etc. because history extension as a subject is just so different from the rest! In regards to 'What is History?' yes you want to make sure that you have a really strong group of core historians to bring into your response. It's a lot easier later in the year, when your opinions on certain things are more solidified, and your understanding of various concepts more determined (this will be aided by your major work), so for now I'd just try and focus on these historians who can work for a wide variety of different questions.

A really great place to find historians and extracts early on is through reading some of the extracts provided within the BOSTES reading list, which I have linked here!. I'd especially recommend looking at EH Carr, John Vincent, Hayden White/Keith Jenkins, GR Elton and Von Ranke. This will give you a wide variety of historiography which you can draw upon within your responses. Remember that you can also draw upon your study of your major work, so if the question is relevant it would be fantastic to include stuff from there within your response also!!

Along with this, start thinking about your own opinions in regards to the syllabus dot points, and other prominent historiographical debates - eg. objectivism v subjectivism, aim of history = truth or...?? Do you find that you agree with the postmodernists? The British Marxist Historians? The Empiricists? None of them?! Solidifying your views is what is going to give yourself an edge over the other students.

And my final tip - whatever you do DO NOT write a chronology. Don't do a paragraph on the ancient historians, and a paragraph on the empricists, a paragraph on the post modernists etc etc. Keep your essays concept driven.

I hope this helps! If you need anything else clarified feel free to post any more questions down below  ;D

Good luck with your exam!!!!

(also PS one more quick thing - if you have the time I highly recommend reading the entirety of EH Carr's 'What is History' - he's a authority when it comes to this kind of stuff and after reading his work my own responses and understanding definitely improved. It's not that long/complicated so don't be scared!  ;))

« Last Edit: February 26, 2017, 06:41:27 pm by sudodds »
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2016 HSC: Modern History (18th in NSW) | History Extension (2nd place in the HTA Extension History Essay Prize) | Ancient History | Drama | English Advanced | Studies of Religion I | Economics

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Looking for a history tutor? I'm ya girl! Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested!

Maraos

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2017, 08:59:17 pm »
+1
Hi,
Its awesome to see a history extension forum section! Thanks for creating this  ;D ;D

I've got a question regarding the external examination weighting for history extension. Someone told me your major work is worth around 40% whilst the actual written exam is worth 60%. However I've heard others saying that the externals are completely reliant on your written exam and not the major work, and that the major work only contributes to your internal marks.... I don't know who is right....
2016 HSC:
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2017 HSC:
Physics
Extension 1 Mathematics
Design and Technology
Ancient History
History Extension
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sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2017, 09:14:40 pm »
+2
Hi,
Its awesome to see a history extension forum section! Thanks for creating this  ;D ;D

I've got a question regarding the external examination weighting for history extension. Someone told me your major work is worth around 40% whilst the actual written exam is worth 60%. However I've heard others saying that the externals are completely reliant on your written exam and not the major work, and that the major work only contributes to your internal marks.... I don't know who is right....

No worries! I'm glad you find this thread useful  ;D

Okay so the thing with the history extension major work is that unlike other major works in art, music, drama, SAC, ext2 english, etc where it is sent off and assessed by an panel of external markers, the one for history extension is marked internally. This means that it is not sent to BOSTES/NESA and is instead marked by your teacher (and anyone else they deem qualified if they want to double mark).

That means that even if your major work may have an 80% weighting (like mine did) internally, externally it is just included within your internal mark. The actual percentage mark you receive for your major work is not sent off to BOSTES/NESA, and is essentially useless past being used to ascertain your internal rank (position within the subject cohort at your school), which they do send and is used within the moderation process to determine your overall mark. So you need to make sure that your exam skills are tight, because in the end that is the main determinant for your overall HSC mark. Eg. lets say that you smashed the major work with 50/50 internal mark coming first within your cohort, however in the exam (still achieving the highest mark) you recieve 44/50. Despite your internals being 50/50, your final HSC mark will be 44/50 - an E3 (still a fantastic mark, but may be a bit disappointing if you were expecting close to 100%).

I hope this makes sense!  ;D It is definitely a confusing process, so if you have any other questions, feel free to post below :)

Susie


« Last Edit: February 26, 2017, 09:17:15 pm by sudodds »
FREE HISTORY EXTENSION LECTURE - CLICK HERE FOR INFO!

2016 HSC: Modern History (18th in NSW) | History Extension (2nd place in the HTA Extension History Essay Prize) | Ancient History | Drama | English Advanced | Studies of Religion I | Economics

ATAR: 97.80

Studying a Bachelor of Communications: Media Arts and Production at UTS 😊

Looking for a history tutor? I'm ya girl! Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested!

Maraos

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2017, 09:24:54 pm »
+1
No worries! I'm glad you find this thread useful  ;D

Okay so the thing with the history extension major work is that unlike other major works in art, music, drama, SAC, ext2 english, etc where it is sent off and assessed by an panel of external markers, the one for history extension is marked internally. This means that it is not sent to BOSTES/NESA and is instead marked by your teacher (and anyone else they deem qualified if they want to double mark).

That means that even if your major work may have an 80% weighting (like mine did) internally, externally it is just included within your internal mark. The actual percentage mark you receive for your major work is not sent off to BOSTES/NESA, and is essentially useless past being used to ascertain your internal rank (position within the subject cohort at your school), which they do send and is used within the moderation process to determine your overall mark. So you need to make sure that your exam skills are tight, because in the end that is the main determinant for your overall HSC mark. Eg. lets say that you smashed the major work with 50/50 internal mark coming first within your cohort, however in the exam (still achieving the highest mark) you recieve 44/50. Despite your internals being 50/50, your final HSC mark will be 44/50 - an E3 (still a fantastic mark, but may be a bit disappointing if you were expecting close to 100%).

I hope this makes sense!  ;D It is definitely a confusing process, so if you have any other questions, feel free to post below :)

Susie

Oooo I C now. Thanks for the quick response  ;D it all makes sense now.


Only thing now is that I am even more concerned about the two essay questions for the HSC.... 100% weighting, that is indeed scary...  :( :(
2016 HSC:
Mathematics
(1 down 6 to go... :D)

2017 HSC:
Physics
Extension 1 Mathematics
Design and Technology
Ancient History
History Extension
English Advanced

sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 09:30:08 pm »
+2
Oooo I C now. Thanks for the quick response  ;D it all makes sense now.


Only thing now is that I am even more concerned about the two essay questions for the HSC.... 100% weighting, that is indeed scary...  :( :(

It's not exactly 100% weighting (unless you rank internally first and come first in the exam as well) as the major work does help to determine your rank which is important, however yes the exam is worth a lot more than most people think. However now you know! and super early within the game so you have more than enough time to prepare yourself for what those questions can throw at you  :) You'll be A okay trust me  ;)
FREE HISTORY EXTENSION LECTURE - CLICK HERE FOR INFO!

2016 HSC: Modern History (18th in NSW) | History Extension (2nd place in the HTA Extension History Essay Prize) | Ancient History | Drama | English Advanced | Studies of Religion I | Economics

ATAR: 97.80

Studying a Bachelor of Communications: Media Arts and Production at UTS 😊

Looking for a history tutor? I'm ya girl! Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested!

Maraos

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2017, 09:31:53 pm »
+1
It's not exactly 100% weighting (unless you rank internally first and come first in the exam as well) as the major work does help to determine your rank which is important, however yes the exam are worth a lot more than most people think. However now you know! and super early within the game so you have more than enough time to prepare yourself for what those questions can throw at you  :) You'll be A okay trust me  ;)
That's true, I guess it is also a team sport as-well  ;D, as long as the whole cohort goes well including yourself then everyone will be rewarded
2016 HSC:
Mathematics
(1 down 6 to go... :D)

2017 HSC:
Physics
Extension 1 Mathematics
Design and Technology
Ancient History
History Extension
English Advanced

sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2017, 09:38:33 pm »
+2
That's true, I guess it is also a team sport as-well  ;D, as long as the whole cohort goes well including yourself then everyone will be rewarded

Definitely! Not just in history extension but all of your subjects! (though as history extension classes are usually quite small it does become increasingly important). I highly recommend group study sessions. Before the HSC History Extension exam my friend and I found an empty classroom, got a white board marker from a teacher and started writing out as much as both of us knew, working out historians point of views, constructing arguments and debates etc. etc. and I cannot begin to describe how helpful I found it (plus surprisingly really fun!)
FREE HISTORY EXTENSION LECTURE - CLICK HERE FOR INFO!

2016 HSC: Modern History (18th in NSW) | History Extension (2nd place in the HTA Extension History Essay Prize) | Ancient History | Drama | English Advanced | Studies of Religion I | Economics

ATAR: 97.80

Studying a Bachelor of Communications: Media Arts and Production at UTS 😊

Looking for a history tutor? I'm ya girl! Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested!

Maraos

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2017, 09:42:45 pm »
+1
Definitely! Not just in history extension but all of your subjects! (though as history extension classes are usually quite small it does become increasingly important). I highly recommend group study sessions. Before the HSC History Extension exam my friend and I found an empty classroom, got a white board marker from a teacher and started writing out as much as both of us knew, working out historians point of views, constructing arguments and debates etc. etc. and I cannot begin to describe how helpful I found it (plus surprisingly really fun!)

Yeah! I find that teaching others concepts that I have learnt myself helps a lot. And talk about small classes I've only got 2 others in my class  ;D ;D (6 in total at my school doing the subject).
Thanks so much for the tips!  :D :D
2016 HSC:
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2017 HSC:
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History Extension
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kaseyv

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2017, 02:12:16 pm »
+1
Thank you so so so much for making this thread!! Bless your heart!

I have a slightly concerning question about my History Extension major work. I haven't really started at all (I know, I know, i've had ages and i've practically stuffed up the entire major work because I have absolutely no motivation and I am the queen of procrastination), so my question is: how do I start? I have my main idea (Witchcraft as Gender History) and I've decided the two events of history which may have impacted the way history is recorded (first and second wave of feminism), but I have no idea how to begin writing the actual major work. I am yet to find historians, but I have heaps of readings to do so that should be fine, but my issue is the way I should layout my major work and basically how do I start actually writing it, proposal and synopsis included.

Honestly I've asked my teacher and he just gives me more readings and I feel like I am slowly drowning!!
If you could help me out that would be actually so fantastic!!
Thanks  :) :) :-* :-*

sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2017, 03:38:45 pm »
+3
Thank you so so so much for making this thread!! Bless your heart!

I have a slightly concerning question about my History Extension major work. I haven't really started at all (I know, I know, i've had ages and i've practically stuffed up the entire major work because I have absolutely no motivation and I am the queen of procrastination), so my question is: how do I start? I have my main idea (Witchcraft as Gender History) and I've decided the two events of history which may have impacted the way history is recorded (first and second wave of feminism), but I have no idea how to begin writing the actual major work. I am yet to find historians, but I have heaps of readings to do so that should be fine, but my issue is the way I should layout my major work and basically how do I start actually writing it, proposal and synopsis included.

Honestly I've asked my teacher and he just gives me more readings and I feel like I am slowly drowning!!
If you could help me out that would be actually so fantastic!!
Thanks  :) :) :-* :-*

No worries haha, absolutely happy to help :) First of all, please don't freak out that you haven't started haha. Not that I want to encourage procrastination by any means, but you still have more than enough time (with some hard work) to bang out a fantastic essay :) Last year I wrote three essays to three different questions before finally finding "the one" in the middle of term 2!

In terms of how to start, I'd have a look at your topic and try and break it down into a discussion of historiographical concepts (eg. postmodernism, linguistics, orientalism, empiricism, reductionism, macro-history, etc.), rather than events. IMO concept driven major works tend to be more sophisticated, and allow for a greater level of integration of key aspects of the syllabus. They also really help with making sure that your essay has the appropriate level of historiography over just history if that makes sense :) Soooo I believe the best way to approach the major work is to structure your response around these key concepts, having a paragraph for each and how they relate to your argument.

It's easier to explain using my major work as an example. So my major work was on the legitimacy of Hegelian maoist dialectics (particularly the theory of the interpenetration of opposites) in explaining the current historiographical climate and trends. I looked at history and identified a pattern consistent with this theory, that though history was expanding and gaining momentum as an academic medium through new ideas and new historical actors/authors, it was also declining in significance due to the fact that there was no longer a concrete definition of history, and no way to actively assess the legitimacy of historians (I used Bill O'Reilly as an example - horrific historian but a historian none the less). History was transitioning into its opposite, from a discipline obsessed with objectivity that now thrived on its subjectivity. I structured my response around the "new ideas and new historical actors/authors" - the concepts of my essay. I had a paragraph on the linguistic turn/postmodernism as my expanding idea, and a paragraph on social history/bottom up approach in regards to new individuals engaging with the past or being included within its re-telling. (Just fyi when I use the term paragraph it's probably more appropriate to think of it as a "section" as they were made up of multiple paragraphs just on the same point).

If you are struggling with working out the concepts do not be afraid to structure your response around the key questions of the syllabus if they fit! So that includes;
• Who are the historians?
• What are the aims and purposes of history?
• How has history been constructed and recorded over time?
• Why have approaches to history changed over time?

A paragraph on each of these would also make for a fantastic essay! Yeah so basically my number one thing is to avoid structuring your essay around events as you want to avoid writing a chronology. DEFS mention first and second wave feminism. They're freaking important to what you're studying! But I'd really advise not using them as your structure, moreso as examples that back up your concept driven arguements :)

In terms of your proposal, that varies from school to school unfortunately. At my school, the proposal was only worth 2 marks, so as long as you appropriately outlined what you are going to discuss then you were fine. At other schools however it can be more strict. What I will say is that I believe that an effective proposal should include what you intend on discussing, why you want to discuss it, what is your question and thesis/judgement, how do you intend on answering that question, what sources have you looked at so far, what sources will you look to in the future :) I've attached my proposal for reference (this was for my old old question though). Your synopsis should just be written as your introduction. Like it can literally BE your introduction and then you start the essay from the first paragraph (check with your teacher first - but if it's good enough for the HTA then it should be good enough for them  ;)).

I hope this all makes sense! How to start the major work is quite a big one, but I think this has covered quite a few key points :) If you need any more clarification, feel free to post any more questions below, or check out this thread that I made: THE MAJOR WORK! TIPS FROM A 2016 SURVIVOR :)
FREE HISTORY EXTENSION LECTURE - CLICK HERE FOR INFO!

2016 HSC: Modern History (18th in NSW) | History Extension (2nd place in the HTA Extension History Essay Prize) | Ancient History | Drama | English Advanced | Studies of Religion I | Economics

ATAR: 97.80

Studying a Bachelor of Communications: Media Arts and Production at UTS 😊

Looking for a history tutor? I'm ya girl! Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested!

Zainbow

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2017, 06:06:43 pm »
0
Hey sudodds   :D

You've had some really great advice, thanks for that

Just a question: how would you structure the first HSC question, the 'what is history' one? I've practiced writing concept-based essays rather than chronological, but still find trouble incorporating the source. Also, how much information is it required to know about each historian? Like I know that we need their name (obviously), their type of historiography, maybe examples from them and context, but is there anything else? How much detail is needed?
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sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #13 on: March 11, 2017, 12:51:17 am »
+1
Hey sudodds   :D

You've had some really great advice, thanks for that

Just a question: how would you structure the first HSC question, the 'what is history' one? I've practiced writing concept-based essays rather than chronological, but still find trouble incorporating the source. Also, how much information is it required to know about each historian? Like I know that we need their name (obviously), their type of historiography, maybe examples from them and context, but is there anything else? How much detail is needed?

Hey!!

Hmm this is a tricky one! Again, I always wrote concept driven essays (NEVER write a chronology - that's a history essay not a historiography essay), and in particular later on ones that revolved around the themes and issues I discussed within my major work. It's great that you're already practicing those types of essays, keep it up! In terms of incorporating the source really the only way that you can do this is by making sure that the arguments you present within your response are highly relevant to those being discussed within the extract. For example, lets say that the question was "to what extent can history be objective," and the source was mainly focused around the concept of bias (eg. bias of historians, evidence, society) etc. then you'd want that to be the main theme of your essay, not other factors such as linguistics (definitely something that you can still mention and include, just make sure the overriding focus - particularly your topic sentences - directly relate to the source). I'd say a really easy way of doing this is integrating quotes within the explanation of your topic sentences. When reading the extract I'd often find quotes that just summed up a potential argument, and I'd just continually refer to them :) Remember that you will also have to be including 2 related sources though, so keep their arguments in mind and how they relate to various aspects of the source as well! In regards to historians... your second question.

In terms of how much information you need to know on historians... that's another really tricky question to answer. Really you want to have a very strong knowledge of their background (why they formulate their opinions) and then their opinions in general. Examples are definitely a must, both explicit in-text reference, and also any examples of their historiorgraphical concepts (for eg. I used John Vincent a lot who spoke about flaws of "great men history." I'd often related this back to our limited knowledge on the common people during the Julio-Claudian dynasty in comparison to the emperors.) It's going to be really hard to do this for every historian you learn, so I think it is a good idea to find a group of maybe 3-5 historians, who present a wide range of opinions and discuss multiple topics, that can be used for most questions. For me this was EH Carr (a staple imo), John Vincent and Keith Jenkins (I also used a lot of the historiography I learnt within my major work as well).

I hope this helps!! Good luck  ;D

EDIT: Realised I wrote David Vincent instead of John Vincent haha, the latter is his actual name
« Last Edit: March 19, 2017, 11:33:54 pm by sudodds »
FREE HISTORY EXTENSION LECTURE - CLICK HERE FOR INFO!

2016 HSC: Modern History (18th in NSW) | History Extension (2nd place in the HTA Extension History Essay Prize) | Ancient History | Drama | English Advanced | Studies of Religion I | Economics

ATAR: 97.80

Studying a Bachelor of Communications: Media Arts and Production at UTS 😊

Looking for a history tutor? I'm ya girl! Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested!

Zainbow

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2017, 03:58:42 pm »
+1
Hey!!

Hmm this is a tricky one! Again, I always wrote concept driven essays (NEVER write a chronology - that's a history essay not a historiography essay), and in particular later on ones that revolved around the themes and issues I discussed within my major work. It's great that you're already practicing those types of essays, keep it up! In terms of incorporating the source really the only way that you can do this is by making sure that the arguments you present within your response are highly relevant to those being discussed within the extract. For example, lets say that the question was "to what extent can history be objective," and the source was mainly focused around the concept of bias (eg. bias of historians, evidence, society) etc. then you'd want that to be the main theme of your essay, not other factors such as linguistics (definitely something that you can still mention and include, just make sure the overriding focus - particularly your topic sentences - directly relate to the source). I'd say a really easy way of doing this is integrating quotes within the explanation of your topic sentences. When reading the extract I'd often find quotes that just summed up a potential argument, and I'd just continually refer to them :) Remember that you will also have to be including 2 related sources though, so keep their arguments in mind and how they relate to various aspects of the source as well! In regards to historians... your second question.

In terms of how much information you need to know on historians... that's another really tricky question to answer. Really you want to have a very strong knowledge of their background (why they formulate their opinions) and then their opinions in general. Examples are definitely a must, both explicit in-text reference, and also any examples of their historiorgraphical concepts (for eg. I used David Vincent a lot who spoke about flaws of "great men history." I'd often related this back to our limited knowledge on the common people during the Julio-Claudian dynasty in comparison to the emperors.) It's going to be really hard to do this for every historian you learn, so I think it is a good idea to find a group of maybe 3-5 historians, who present a wide range of opinions and discuss multiple topics, that can be used for most questions. For me this was EH Carr (a staple imo), David Vincent and Keith Jenkins (I also used a lot of the historiography I learnt within my major work as well).

I hope this helps!! Good luck  ;D

Thank you!  :)
HSC 2017 (All Rounder)

2018: B/Eng (Mechatronic (Space)) (Hons) & B/Sci (Physics) (Dalyell) at Usyd