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Elective Course Focus Areas

The Elective Geography course comprises five focus areas from which at least two must be selected for study:

  • E1 - Environments at Risk
  • E2 - Australia’s Neighbours
  • E3 - World Political Geography
  • E4 - Communities, Work and Settlement
  • E5 - Development Geography.


E4 Communities, Work and Settlement

Time allocation - Varies depending on the number of focus areas chosen


Principal focus

To understand the complex interrelationships between communities, work and settlement.


Outcomes

When students undertake studies in this focus area in Stage 4 they will work towards the following Stage 4 outcomes:


E 4.1
identifies and gathers geographical information
E 4.2
observes and interprets geographical information
E 4.3
uses a range of written, oral and graphic forms to communicate geographical information
E 4.4
demonstrates a sense of place about environments outside Australia
E 4.8
identifies and describes the interrelationships between communities, work and settlement.

When students undertake studies in this focus area in Stage 5 they will work towards the following Stage 5 outcomes:


E 5.1
identifies, gathers and evaluates geographical information
E 5.2
analyses, organises and synthesises geographical information
E 5.3
selects and uses appropriate written, oral and graphic forms to communicate geographical information
E 5.4
demonstrates a sense of place about environments
E 5.8
analyses the interrelationships between communities, work and settlement.


Content

In working towards Stage 4 or Stage 5 outcomes, students will learn about:


Settlements:

  • functions of settlements
  • types of settlements, eg rural, urban
  • the relationship between settlements and their hinterland
  • urbanisation
  • spatial distribution of settlements at a variety of scales


Work:

  • the nature of work — paid and unpaid
  • the changing nature of work in the majority and minority worlds
  • access to work by various groups within the labour force


Sample studies that illustrate the interrelationships between communities and types of production.

These sample studies should consider:

  • the nature of work organisation
  • the influence of gender, age and ethnicity
  • the resource base
  • human occupancy, including that of Indigenous peoples


A major study of the impacts of changes to settlement and work organisation on communities and groups.
Factors causing change may include:

  • population movements
  • culture contact
  • the changing physical environment
  • technological change
  • the nature and role of government
  • changing workplace cultures
  • changing national identity
  • national and global economic change.
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