Is History Extension the right course for you?

So you’re considering studying history extension? Well to study extension, there’s a lot to consider! Whether it was recommended to you by your teacher, a past student, that friend who really doesn’t want to be alone, or you just think the course sounds interesting, there is no doubt that studying any extension unit can be extremely rewarding. As almost all extension students will tell you – these rewards do not come without a challenge. Spoiler: History Extension is one of the biggest challenges of them all.

Extension History? Not quite.

Let’s get one thing clear – History Extension is NOTHING like Modern or Ancient – in fact, treating this subject like one of the two-unit history courses is a recipe for disaster (and is also why I believe that excelling in two-unit history is NOT a prerequisite to study the course!). History Extension isn’t concerned with actual History, it is concerned with History’s construction, a little thing we like to call historiography. Rather than dealing with what actually happened, you will look at why we think what we think about what may have or may not have, in a round about way, happened, essentially. Can history be objective? What is the nature of truth? what are the purposes of history? – these are the types of questions you will be dealing with, rather than questions dealing with what actually happened during a particular historical event or period.

Furthermore, the subject is structured like no other – take one glance at the syllabus and you’ll realise this. “What are the aims and purposes of history?”, is a lot less straight forward than anything you will find on your two-unit history syllabi. Though this definitely makes the course exciting, as there are so many avenues of inquiry to explore, study wise it can be a challenge. Feeling overwhelmed by content, while at the same time, feeling like you have not learned anything at all is very common. As you progress with your Major Work it can get easier, however to be completely honest, even by the HSC exam I felt underprepared for History Extension. It’s natural.

Passion – not hard to come by, but (maybe) hard to sustain.

You will be exposed to a range of historiographical issues, concepts and concerns. Many of these will leave you utterly mind blown. History Extension is exciting – there isn’t a subject out there that has had more of an impact on my worldview (I still cringe whenever I hear someone uses the term “unbiased”.) It doesn’t take much to find a passion for the course. History Extension thrives on debate and discussion, and as you progress, you will develop you voice and analytical skills further than within any other subject.

The Major Work component to the course gives you the opportunity to further explore what you find most interesting. However, one teeny-tiny thing – Major Works are a major challenge! They require a lot of time and energy, and the drafting process can become very arduous. The likelihood that you drastically alter your question throughout the course is high – I wrote three complete essays, on three completely different questions, before finally settling on a question, about four months into the process.

History Extension also requires A LOT of reading. So, if you’re not a big reader from the get go, this can make studying this unit even harder. History Extension is not a subject that facilitates instant gratification. You have to be goal orientated, and resilient – willing to push through the hard times. Like when your teacher questions your thesis. Or when you can’t find any historians who deal with your topic. Or you realise (like I did many times) that hey, what I just wrote really makes no sense at all. Oops.

What I loved about studying History Extension

History Extension was one of my favourite subjects. I loved the fluid and independent nature of the course. I could choose what I wanted to focus on, digest the content at my own pace and work towards my own goals.

It was a lot of fun creating my Major Work. I’m happy to say the finished product is something that I am immensely proud of. At the beginning of Year 12, I never would have imagined that I could have written (let alone understood) an essay on any of the crazy concepts we explored. The skills and knowledge that you will come away with are unparalleled. Being able to annoy your friends by dissecting their opinions according to Hegelian-Maoist dialectical theory or linguistic structuralism is something that NEVER gets old (well for you – maybe not for your friends).

It was a lot of work – but it was manageable. I studied 12 units for my HSC, one of which was Drama, which involves another major work. However, I never felt like History Extension was a burden. Yes, the concepts are hard to understand. However, with good time management and strategy, you can easily fit History Extension into your study timetable.
Overall, if you are a passionate and dedicated history student, I highly recommend picking up History Extension. It was not a decision that I regret for a second. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat!

We have a thriving History Extension community on the forums. Check out some of these:

Debate all things historiography right here!

Get more survival tips from Susie here!

Ask all of your questions here!

Want to know more about the course? 2017 HSC graduate, Katie, breaks it down for you here!