History

The study of history is not bound to the distant past, disconnected from the twenty-first century. Instead it is inextricably tied to the present. It informs us about where we are and who we are, and it excites our imagination about what types of societies we could yet aspire to achieve. In this sense, historians get to see the world in which we live in three dimensions; through the past, present and future. We also get to analyse the cultural, political, and religious complexities that inform historical change and shape our societies, helping to sharpen our skills as critical thinkers.

History units at Campion explore the key personalities, events and writings of Western history, beginning with the political and religious settings of ancient Athens and Republican Rome, proceeding to the birth of Christianity and the formation of the Church within the Roman Empire and early Middle Ages, and continuing with the rise of the late medieval institutions in Europe that are foundational to the modern world. Those institutions, including our universities, banks, law courts, scientific societies, and governmental structures, are analysed in studies of the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, and Enlightenment, providing students with the knowledge, ability and tools to examine and evaluate the modern world and Australia’s place within it.