2002 School Magazine

faculties social and environmental

Social and Environment Studies Faculty In 1989, Francis Fukyama wrote a seminal article in the Notional Interest where he claimed, amongst other things, that history had ended due to the apparent triumph of Western liberal thought over the Marxist ideal. To Fukyama. the demolition of the Berlin Wall provided the allegorical evidence to support such a hypothesis Fukyama's claim that history had ended seemed to echo one poet's famous observation surrounding the inevitability that "earth's proud empires pass and fade. " Much has happened since Fukyama coined his oft quoted phrase and it has become more than evident that history has far from ended. Whilst Western liberalism has the ascendance around the world, a new historical hybrid has emerged based on religious fear and revenge reflected in the aftermath of September 11 and the continued intolerance of difference in the Middle East. in the Australian context, corporate greed and a lack of integrity in our sources of media is but one reflection of a world fixated with information in an era in which the givens of yesteryear are often discarded in today's "anything goes" environment All of this 15 of crucial significance to those who teach in the Social Sciences as it is through such study and reflection that a critical lense of analysis can be introduced. encouraged and refined in order to inculcate a life long love of learning and inquiry in our students. A brief review of a number of issues that have confronted Australia during 2002 reveal a political system that has had to grapple with the very difficult issues associated with illegal immigration. the media's extraordinary hounding of a Governor General, the moral credibility of our churches rocked by scandal, the reality that some of our corporate leaders have been exposed as greedy opportunists with little regard for their shareholders or corporate governance and the ongoing politicisation of the salination debate All of these issues fall into the domain of one of our Faculty's area of expertise and in many instances are interdisciplinary in nature. Earlier this Year a revised Faculty Mission statement was drafted that emphasised the inter-connected ness underlying the various subject disciplines offered in the Social Sciences at BGGS. This very brief overview of what has been newsworthy in Australia over the course of 2002 only emphasises this inter-connected ness and the relevance of a study of the Social Sciences in a contemporary context. The mission of the Social and Environmental Studies Faculty 15 founded on a belief that, "an understanding of the Humanities and the Social Sciences is essential for the maintenance and development of a civil society in which individual freedom is nurtured and maintained. in endeavouring to achieve these ends the staff of the Social and Environmental Studies Faculty will strive to critical Iy reflect upon the past in order to respond to the needs associated with creating a sustainable future In the context of exploring the way in which society's scarce resources are used and distributed whilst appreciating that society's spiritual needs should not necessarily be subservient to society's temporal needs. " Some may argue that never before in our human experience has such an insightful perspective of the present been needed to address the uncertain challenges of the future and the unknown pathways that tomorrow's history will create for tomorrow's leaders

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