Level 2 History
12HIS Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Mrs M. Barbour, Mr M. Benham.
Recommended Prior LearningA wide general knowledge is always a good starting point for studying History. This allows students to place their learning in a wider context and a gives them a greater appreciation of events time and place.
The Year 12 History course at Bayfield High School in 2025 explores major 20th-century conflicts including World War I (with a focus on Gallipoli), Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and the Cold War (with emphasis on Vietnam). Students will develop research and critical thinking skills through three internal assessments, including independent inquiry and interpretation of historical perspectives. Two external exams will assess students' ability to analyse sources and evaluate causes and consequences of significant events. The course encourages independent learning, creativity in presenting research, and a deeper understanding of global and New Zealand history. It’s ideal for students who enjoy investigating the past and making sense of how it shapes the present.
Course Overview
Term 1
Topic 1: The Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis
This was the age when the powers of the West and the Communist Block fought a battle for geopolitical supremacy that led to the very brink of nuclear Armageddon. We will be examining what the sources of this conflict were and how a nuclear holocaust was only just avoided.
Term 2
Topic 2: The War in Vietnam and the conflict in Indo-China.
This topic examines the origins and course of the war in Vietnam and how this conflict became part of a regional conflict. It examines how and why successive western countries became involved in a war that logic told them they could not win from the outset and what lessons this should have taught later administrations. The study also examines the Vietnam War in the wider context of the Cold War and Superpower relations up to the present.
Term 3
Topic: The War in Vietnam and the conflict in Indochina.(Continued)
Term 4
Revision
Assessment Policy & Procedures Pathway
History develops the essential skills for a wide range of tertiary study courses. A wider range of jobs opens up with a History qualification. Law, tourism archivist, sociologist, policy advisor, public servant political studies, archaeologist finance, social work etc.
Career PathwaysMarket Research Analyst, Office Manager, Policy Analyst, Private Teacher/Tutor, Secondary School Teacher, Intelligence Officer, Management Consultant, Test Analyst, Career Consultant, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Elected Government Representative, Emergency Management Officer, Communications Professional, Solicitor, Sales Representative, Curator, Office Administrator, Advertising Specialist, Copywriter, Foreign Policy Officer, Radio Presenter, Personal Assistant, Economist, Electrical Engineering Technician, Lift Technician, Human Resources Adviser, Exhibition and Collections Technician, Archivist, Police Officer, Historian, Barrister, Author, Bank Worker
Equipment/StationeryStudents require a 2B5 hardcover book and a 40 leaf clear file.