HSC Society and Culture past exams 2015–2025, by year and topic

Social and Cultural Continuity and Change · 16 mapped questions

Popular Culture · 4 mapped questions

Belief Systems and Ideologies · 4 mapped questions

Social Inclusion and Exclusion · 4 mapped questions

Social Conformity and Nonconformity · 4 mapped questions

The rest of the syllabus

Question-level mapping for these areas is still being verified. Every official paper covering them is in the year table above.

• Social and Cultural Continuity and Change (Core, Section I of HSC exam) — Nature of research methods (primary/secondary, quantitative/qualitative; case study, focus group, observation, personal reflection, secondary research, content analysis, interview, participant observation, questionnaire, statistical analysis) · Nature of continuity and change (evolutionary, transformative, resistance to change) · Change at micro, meso and macro levels · Modernisation and westernisation · Social change theories: conflict, evolutionary, functionalist, interactionist · Focus country study: tradition, power and authority, one aspect in depth (beliefs/values/lifestyles, education, family/population, gender roles, legal/political systems), near future trends
• Popular Culture (Depth Study option) — Creation and development (origins, local-to-global, commodification, mythology) · Consumption (consumers, heroes/mythology/media, globalisation and technology, access by demographic) · Control (ownership, stakeholders, censorship, power) · Perceptions (acceptance/rejection, gender construction/deconstruction) · Social contribution (values expressed, positive/negative impacts, contribution to social change) · Near future trends and continuities
• Belief Systems and Ideologies (Depth Study option) — Similarities and differences between belief systems and ideologies · Shared values, meaning and identity · Expression at micro, meso, macro levels; hierarchy and power structures; secularisation in Australia · Focus study: philosophy and historical development; traditions and culture (places, texts, language, symbols, rituals, myths, gender); internal structure and leadership; relationship with wider society; technology and globalisation impacts · Near future trends and continuities
• Social Inclusion and Exclusion (Depth Study option) — Pluralist society; similarities and differences between individuals/groups · Socially valued resources concept · Focus study: one group's access to education, housing, employment, health care, technologies, justice system and implications for life chances · Perception by other groups: stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination · Government and community initiatives; historical, economic, political, legal forces · Near future trends, prejudice-reduction, social cohesion
• Social Conformity and Nonconformity (Depth Study option) — Conformity and obedience factors; acquiescence, internalisation, identification · Deindividuation and anonymity; role of nonconformity in defining social boundaries · Social costs and benefits of nonconformity; media agenda-setting; subcultures and social change · Focus study: one group's historical/social development, status/authority/power, cohesion, member influence (values, norms, peer pressure, sanctions), relationship with wider society · Near future trends and predictions
• Personal Interest Project (PIP) (Core, HSC major work) — Research proposal, topic/question/problem definition · Concept selection aligned to course (persons, society, culture, environment, time; power, authority, identity, gender, technologies, globalisation) · Method selection and application; information gathering and evaluation · Formal structure: introduction/log, central material, conclusion, annotated reference list · Ethical research practice
• The Social and Cultural World (Preliminary course foundation) — Multicultural and hybrid societies · Persons and interactions at micro, meso, macro levels · Society as a construct developing through time; key institutions (family, school, peers, work, government, media, legal system) · Social and cultural research methods (quantitative/qualitative) · Focus study: Looking in/Looking out — exploring a different cultural group (gender, identity, roles/status, conflict/cooperation, power and authority)
• Personal and Social Identity (Preliminary course foundation) — Personality, self-awareness, self-concept development · Socialisation and agents of socialisation (family, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, beliefs, class, peers, school, media) · Nature versus nurture; adolescence as social construct · Theoretical perspectives (e.g. Elkind, Erikson, Gilligan, Havighurst, Piaget) and generational theory (Mannheim/Strauss-Howe) · Life course transitions and changing rights/responsibilities
• Intercultural Communication (Preliminary course foundation) — Culture's role in message encoding/decoding; verbal and non-verbal communication · Communication's role in relationships and social control · Rights, responsibilities and impact of communication technologies · Theories of intercultural communication (Communication Accommodation Theory, Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory) · Focus study: Looking in/Looking out — exploring intercultural communication and misunderstandings