Pacific Studies 3 (S1)
XPAC Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Tevita Petersen-Banuve.
PrerequisitesOpen entry
NB: You must select an even number of Semester Courses.
This course will focus on Pacific culture, aspects of Pacific society, Pacific indigenous practices and Pacific arts. Students will undertake written assessment in terms of researching various aspects of Pacific island culture.
At the Year 13 level, students are required to work towards a hypothesis with each individual standard. In order for students to have the best amount of information available, they are encouraged to look deeply into their topic. This can be done through online search engines, in and around Pacific island articles and literature but also through one or more recorded interviews with individuals that have experience with the topic.
Aspects of transport are a popular topic to investigate, as students look at the practicality of transport in the Pacific and some of the issues that arise from this.
Tourism is always a topic under deep discussion as students look at the sustainability of it and how it has coped through times such as the pandemic.
Students may select Semester 1 (PAC3A), Semester 2 (PAC3B), or both.
The unit standards found below under 'Assessment Details' represent a full year of Pacific Studies.
If students opt to just take one semester, they will be able to pick between either US 17164 or US 17170 and US 26540.
Course Overview
Term 1
This term sees the boys exploring a range of different Pacific island cultures. This is done so that they can gauge which ones they best identify with and want to explore further. During Term 1, students will look to explore modern issues such as climate change, corruption and sustainability throughout the Pacific.
Term 2
This term sees students focus in on a particular aspect of culture such as music, dance, art, food and traditions. This will allow students to see the evolution of these aspects over time. This gives students the opportunity to bring forth their own opinions on culture.
Term 3
This term, students will look deep into their own cultural heritage and showcase this through presentation. This allows students to trace their roots through story and research. This tracking of family allows the students to make connections to each other and to also learn about different cultures within the school.
Term 4
In Term 4, there are opportunities for students explore Pacific film, music and art in the modern time. This will also be with the inclusion of Pasifika in social media circles. There will also be Pacific people from the community brought in to speak of their experiences of being a Pasifika person in different jobs.
Humanities, Y13 Semester Courses