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March 29, 2024, 07:37:14 pm

Author Topic: History Extension Question Thread!  (Read 130438 times)  Share 

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sudodds

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #375 on: October 25, 2018, 08:55:51 pm »
+6
Hey everyone, hope your study is going well!

I'm feeling quite nervous for tomorrow. I know all of my sources and quotes, but I still feel pretty stressed. Does anyone have any advice for the night before the exam? What are you guys doing to prepare tonight?

 :) :)
Hey Imogen! It's totally normal to feel stressed before an exam - especially for a subject known to be as hard as history extension! Just remember that everyone is in the same boat as you - no one is born good at this subject! It sounds like you have put in a lot of effort, and have studied hard, and thats all any teacher could ask for :) Even though the exam is never easy, I do believe that the markers for extension are very fair - they understand how hard the subject is too! I can out of the exam feeling pretty rotten, but that was not reflected in my final mark :)

I wouldn't recommend doing any more study right now - It's 9pm, I'd chill out for an hour, then get an early night! Tomorrow, just look over your quotes, maybe have a discussion with one of your friends tomorrow morning, but nothing too hardcore!

Just remember to demonstrate your voice and your opinion tomorrow. Don't be afraid to disagree with the source (if you do that is!), and give yourself time to go over that source too - don't rush into writing the essay. Way better to write a 50 minute essay that's well thought out, than a 60 min one that is messy and confused.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll smash it <3

Susie

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imogen.b

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #376 on: October 25, 2018, 09:03:52 pm »
0
Hey Imogen! It's totally normal to feel stressed before an exam - especially for a subject known to be as hard as history extension! Just remember that everyone is in the same boat as you - no one is born good at this subject! It sounds like you have put in a lot of effort, and have studied hard, and thats all any teacher could ask for :) Even though the exam is never easy, I do believe that the markers for extension are very fair - they understand how hard the subject is too! I can out of the exam feeling pretty rotten, but that was not reflected in my final mark :)

I wouldn't recommend doing any more study right now - It's 9pm, I'd chill out for an hour, then get an early night! Tomorrow, just look over your quotes, maybe have a discussion with one of your friends tomorrow morning, but nothing too hardcore!

Just remember to demonstrate your voice and your opinion tomorrow. Don't be afraid to disagree with the source (if you do that is!), and give yourself time to go over that source too - don't rush into writing the essay. Way better to write a 50 minute essay that's well thought out, than a 60 min one that is messy and confused.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll smash it <3

Susie

Thank you Susie!! <3

LochNess Monster

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #377 on: October 25, 2018, 09:31:18 pm »
+1
Omigosh just about to say the same thing.

i'm stressed for tomorrow too!! ahahahahah  ;D :'(

i'm STRESSED...

*(it doesn't help that I'm normally a easily-gets anxious and over-thinks-things person)…

i'm just re-writing my notes now as I haven't memorised it all yet. will memorise tomorrow too. got me some talking points and opinions! hopefully I can write well. I could never write fancy like my other classmates can.  :-[

anyway good luck to everyone else tomorrow too!

(I only have 3 exams left including tomorrow! SO excited to be close to done. I can taste it...)
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henrychapman

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #378 on: October 26, 2018, 10:27:53 am »
+2
Hello!  :D
For Section 2- if the question says 'to what extent' - do we need to explicitly provide an extent (limited, significant, etc) and also if it says 'to what extent does this statement apply' - are we meant to include the statement verbatim in our thesis?? or is just another way of saying 'to what extent is the view expressed...' ??
Also- does anyone have any tips for how to approach the questions of friday, some sort of plan of attack??
And for Section 1- is there a guide on how many ideas to include (Say 2-3 ideas?? for the whole essay...)
thanks so much  ;D

hey there,
I don't think there's any "set" structure for history extension essays and I guess thats beauty and the tough part of it. Us HSC kids like structure however I believe for HIX it's purely dependant on the source in regards to how many ideas you believe you can get out of it and then ably support those ideas with relevant historians.
Plan of attack going into the exam- just an open and clear mind I'd say ! HIX is all about thinking on your feet and adapting to the source so there's really no use in doing anything hardcore practice wise before the exam in terms of wrote learning an essay. Just have your historians, a few quotes and few potential things u may say under each of the syllabus dot points.
While I guess it may look impressive to have a huge amount of historians known the reality is that isn't really necessary. The markers are looking for how well you can extract ideas from the source and integrate it throughout your response - the other historians are just there to support your claims.
I know this approach can maybe make us all feel underprepared but its just the nature of the beast and better then trying to wrote learn something as that's the markers pet hate.
Good luck !
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EmzieRose

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #379 on: October 26, 2018, 04:48:03 pm »
0
Wow! That exam was great, such a breath of fresh air compared to Ancient. I felt like it was definitely easier than other years as the source talked about so many thing. Section two was also quite good.
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owidjaja

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #380 on: October 26, 2018, 04:52:49 pm »
+1
Hey guys,
Just letting you know the exam discussion is over here!
2018 HSC: English Advanced | Mathematics | Physics | Modern History | History Extension | Society and Culture | Studies of Religion I

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zayyy

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #381 on: October 30, 2018, 09:10:13 pm »
0
hey! I have just begun the history ext course and realised I have literally no ideas for a major project ? I want to stray from focusing on a specific historical topic but more on conceptual ideas. I have been looking for other ideas, I have found few, like historicism vs presentism (and maybe looking at confederate monuments as an example) and history's writings on suffregates, but I really wanted to have more options?? If anyone has any ideas that you think might be interesting to research pls pls help !!! :-))

I also have no idea how to write a good major work (or how it looks like) so it would actually be amazing if you could send me your own major works just so I can understand how it all works (only if you want to of course) !

thank u so much !!! <33
zay

owidjaja

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #382 on: October 30, 2018, 09:21:22 pm »
+2
hey! I have just begun the history ext course and realised I have literally no ideas for a major project ? I want to stray from focusing on a specific historical topic but more on conceptual ideas. I have been looking for other ideas, I have found few, like historicism vs presentism (and maybe looking at confederate monuments as an example) and history's writings on suffregates, but I really wanted to have more options?? If anyone has any ideas that you think might be interesting to research pls pls help !!! :-))

I also have no idea how to write a good major work (or how it looks like) so it would actually be amazing if you could send me your own major works just so I can understand how it all works (only if you want to of course) !

thank u so much !!! <33
zay
Hey there,
I have compiled some ideas for your Major Work- you can find the link here! Also, if you scroll through the History Extension Debating Thread, we've argued on a number of topics so maybe there's something there you can go more in-depth in for your Major Work :)

As the Major Work itself, the structure goes like: synopsis, essay, log, annotated bibliography, reference list, appendix (optional- I had an appendix because I used images). You also need to submit a proposal essay first and then the bulk of your Major Work (plus logbook) later in the year. In regards to writing it, it really depends on your topic and essay question. My question wasn't really a question but more like 'an analysis of...', which is a slightly different approach to your usual 'to what extent questions.'

Hope this helps!
2018 HSC: English Advanced | Mathematics | Physics | Modern History | History Extension | Society and Culture | Studies of Religion I

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Mr.Sultan

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #383 on: November 08, 2018, 02:19:31 pm »
0
Hello. I have recently begun the history extension course and am currently suck figuring out a topic for
the major project. I have a lot of ideas in mind, but the difficult part is narrowing them down to relate to historiography in some way. Do you have any tips for narrowing down topics, or making them more complex?
Also how am I exactly supposed to structure my essay? I've looked at some past essays and it seems really confusing as to how they are structured. Is there any set format for it?

owidjaja

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #384 on: November 08, 2018, 09:53:41 pm »
+3
Hello. I have recently begun the history extension course and am currently suck figuring out a topic for
the major project. I have a lot of ideas in mind, but the difficult part is narrowing them down to relate to historiography in some way. Do you have any tips for narrowing down topics, or making them more complex?
Also how am I exactly supposed to structure my essay? I've looked at some past essays and it seems really confusing as to how they are structured. Is there any set format for it?
Hey there,
One way you can make your topic a bit more historiographic is exploring different perspectives on a certain debate/historical figure. You shouldn't have to worry about making it complex because you're gonna end up confusing yourself! As long as your topic addresses a historiographic debate, you should be fine. I was looking at historical fiction, and for the first few months I felt a bit self-conscious because it 'didn't sound fancy' but then I ended up having so much fun with the topic because it was so chill in contrast to the dense journal articles my other classmates had to read.

When you say essay, do you mean the proposal essay or the final essay? If you mean the proposal essay, essentially you should be summarising what you're gonna be looking at, why you chose this topic, a set of enquiry questions that you aim to address in your research and your methodologies (note: these are the requirements set at my school, it might be different at your school).

If you mean the final essay, you shouldn't be worrying too much about the final essay since you have plenty of time. However, just to answer your question, there's no set format because it depends on your question. My question wasn't really a question but more like 'An analysis of...' in comparison to your usual 'To what extent...' question. As for the HTA essay winners, I will say that those essays are extremely academic and I can't even understand most of them. You shouldn't have to force yourself to make your essay sound as complicated as possible. It's better for you to convey your ideas clearly and get the marks than your teacher not understanding the essay.

Hope this helps!
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anything258

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #385 on: November 09, 2018, 08:07:23 pm »
0
Hey everyone!

For the History Extension major work I was thinking of doing something related to "communist/Marxist-Leninist historiography in Russia/the Soviet Union".

Could anyone please help me narrow this down and suggest a few questions that I could use as my essay topic?

Thanks! :)

LochNess Monster

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #386 on: January 01, 2019, 01:49:59 pm »
+2
Thank you everyone on this thread! I got a Band 6 in His. Ext., which I had never expected!

Also to @anything258, is there an individual you're interested in that you could focus on? I did narratology surrounding the Soong sisters (which is basically just a smart way of saying how history has warped interpretations of historical figures).

Or maybe you could do a specific time period? Is there a time in the Soviet Union you are most interested in???

Hope that helps!
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Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” - Yeats

abhiroop.pal1

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #387 on: January 02, 2019, 11:30:37 pm »
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I did narratology surrounding the Soong sisters (which is basically just a smart way of saying how history has warped interpretations of historical figures).

Or maybe you could do a specific time period?

Hope that helps!

Hey guys! So i am happy with doing the Rape of Nanjing/The Nanjing Massacre for my major work!
Doing some preliminary research I've come across a few ideas which I need advice/help on to find i guess a solid argument.

LochNess monster, do you mind giving me some information about narratology that sounds really interesting!!!!

IDEAS:

1. Perhaps the historiography of personality? (idk who though)
2. Ideology? Still have no clue
3. Representation of x (i have 0 clue rip)
4. Narratology of something
5. Japanese denialism of the event
6. The role of the media in recording the event or even manipulating, dikstorting and overexaggerating the event and e.g. casualties?
7. The lack of available and verifiable information
8. The reliability of photographic and oral survivor/victim evidence in the reconstruction of the past.
9. A study on a historian (IDEK WHO THIS WORRIES ME ALOT)
10. Was the Nanjing Massacre an ethnic genocide or simply a war for territory and nationalist ideologY??????? (what am i even doing wow)

Hopefully someone can give me some sort of guide or assistance in progressing forward! (I freally like the 9 listed above but idk how many i should include in my essay and what my overarching argument would be!)
« Last Edit: January 02, 2019, 11:33:22 pm by abhiroop.pal1 »

LochNess Monster

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #388 on: January 03, 2019, 04:35:24 pm »
+2
Hey guys! So i am happy with doing the Rape of Nanjing/The Nanjing Massacre for my major work!
Doing some preliminary research I've come across a few ideas which I need advice/help on to find i guess a solid argument.

LochNess monster, do you mind giving me some information about narratology that sounds really interesting!!!!

IDEAS:

1. Perhaps the historiography of personality? (idk who though)
2. Ideology? Still have no clue
3. Representation of x (i have 0 clue rip)
4. Narratology of something
5. Japanese denialism of the event
6. The role of the media in recording the event or even manipulating, dikstorting and overexaggerating the event and e.g. casualties?
7. The lack of available and verifiable information
8. The reliability of photographic and oral survivor/victim evidence in the reconstruction of the past.
9. A study on a historian (IDEK WHO THIS WORRIES ME ALOT)
10. Was the Nanjing Massacre an ethnic genocide or simply a war for territory and nationalist ideologY??????? (what am i even doing wow)

Hopefully someone can give me some sort of guide or assistance in progressing forward! (I freally like the 9 listed above but idk how many i should include in my essay and what my overarching argument would be!)

Hi abhiroop!

I would love to give you more info around narratology (I'm a bit of a geek about it now since I spent a whole year learning about it ;D) I used a lot of readings and a couple of key books which developed my idea around this:
- Metahistory by Hayden White
-The idea of history by R.G. Collingwood (can be found as an online article)
- The art of time travel by Tom Griffiths

You should also ask your teacher to explain this concept more thoroughly, as we spent 3 lessons on it in our class during the year. In the end, I went with historical imagination, as this is a branch of narratology and simplified my essay a lot, so I could concentrate on my analysis.

I feel like your project with the Najing massacre actually works really well with what one of my friends did for his project - namely, have you heard of the concept of Orientalism?

I would suggest you start there, with Orientalism by Edward Said. You don't have to read all of it but you can skim through - it has heaps of good ideas around how the West has constructed an "imaginary" East to reflect their opposite. (eg. if West is orderly and perfect, East is exotic and savage, to put it simply).

This also can work strongly with your "denialism" point, which is an awesome idea by the way! You have a lot of good ideas which are all strong essay points, but I would suggest that reliability and media are two different essays (as they are both BIG ideas).

I like the idea of you exploring the period of this Nanjing regime rather than a personality (unless you come across someone you Really want to do later).

I think connecting Orientalism and either your media/evidence/denialism with the event would be a good place to start.
Also rememeber to keep on asking your teacher for advice, cause in the end they are the ones marking it!

Hope this helps  ;)

Feel free to message me privately for any more questions   :) I might not be able to respond as I am going away on holidays soon and starting uni this year  ::) *squuuuuuueeeeeeaaallls of exactment, non-sarcastic* but I will try my best to get round to it when I can! I'm usually pretty punctual so don't worry  ;D
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⸜( ˙ ˘ ˙)/ ・゚☆✧ Sometimes wrong numbers are the right numbers ~ Cecelia Ahern

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I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” - Yeats

abhiroop.pal1

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Re: History Extension Question Thread!
« Reply #389 on: January 03, 2019, 10:11:35 pm »
+3
Hello everyone, I'm just feeling a bit confused on what we can and cannot do for our major work according to NESA. I have had some people tell me that we are not allowed to do any topic that crosses over with anything that we could have been taught in years 11 and 12, while other people have told me that I can choose any topic as long as I personally have not studied it in class. I normally would not ask and just pick something totally different to what's in the courses, but I am interested in doing mine on the motivations of Pope Urban II for calling the First Crusade, which would overlap heavily with the Crusades subject for extension history, however we are doing JFK for our course. Similarly, I was thinking of doing something involving Order No. 227 instead if I can't do the crusades, but that might overlap with the Russian national study we're doing in modern history.

Hey!

I believe you cannot pick a topic that coincides with ANY Stage 6 (Y11 or year 12) syllabus.

If it is however a very different perspective that is different from the syllabus. I think it's okay!

Hope I helped!