Subject Selection Dilemma!

[Glasses]

Hey guys, I need some advice in regards to my subject selection for next year (I'm entering year 11).

At the moment I intend on completing:
- 3/4 Psych (I'm doing 1/2 this year)
- 3/4 Religion and Society (Have to complete either school-compulsory or VCE RE at my school)
- 1/2 Literature
- 1/2 History (20th Cent.)
- 1/2 Legal Studies (By correspondence)
- 1/2 English OR Health and Human Development

I was originally going to complete English as well as Lit, however recently looked at Language Analysis in my year 10 Lit class and hated it. I enjoy expository essay writing, but hate language analysis and understand that it is a bit component of English. So I was thinking about doing HHD instead, as it seemed pretty interesting, but am really unsure about whether to do English or HHD. - I also figured doing HHD would widen up the subjects I'm doing so less of which are essay-focused.

Any and all suggestions are welcome!!
Thanks guys.

[chocolatechipcookies]

I would say do Health so you can get the feel of what Health is like.
I believe that you would have been doing English all throughout High School, so VCE English is basically the same as what you've been doing but at a harder level.
And if you don't like Health, do English 3/4

[keltingmeith]

I was originally going to complete English as well as Lit, however recently looked at Language Analysis in my year 10 Lit class and hated it. I enjoy expository essay writing, but hate language analysis and understand that it is a bit component of English.

It's a big component of the current study design - but by the time you get to English, the study design will have changed. I don't know too much about it (literallylauren knows a bit, though), but it may change for your favour.

Also, year 12 English is basically just a giant batch of analysis - if you enjoy analysis, you'll enjoy year 12 English. On this, none of the different sections are very different - you can approach all three in the same way and still do quite well, if you know what you're doing. At the end of the day, analysis is analysis, so if you enjoy expository essay writing, I can't see why you wouldn't like language analysis if you simply approached it from another angle.

[Joseph41]

You sound a little apprehensive about choosing Health. Perhaps this thread would put your mind at ease.

On the other hand, you don't need HHD 1/2 at all for 3/4. In this thread, it has been mentioned that you could try Health 1/2, and then pick up English 3/4 if you didn't like it, but the opposite is also true. In fact, I would probably contend that English 1/2 into HHD 3/4 would be an easier transition than HHD 1/2 into English 3/4. And something else that you should perhaps consider is that doing both Lit and English when you are in Year 12 could be beneficial; as you need at least one English in your top 4, it gives you a bit of a buffer.

So in summary, this post has not been at all helpful. 

[~V]

Choosing english can be your safety net, in case you do terrible in Lit. I suggest you'd go with english 1/2 right now, just to see if you like it over lit or vice versa, so if you don't like one of the english subjects you can drop one. As everyone said, english study design is changing so most of us don't know much about it at all. Feel free to pick up health 3/4 you don't need 1/2 at all.

[YellowTongue]

Trying English 1/2 wouldn't hurt, seeing as you can pick up Health 3/4 without 1/2. And, as mentioned previously, it doesn't hurt to do both English and Literature 3/4, just in case you stuff up in one. It could potentially get you a higher ATAR.

But if English really isn't your thing, don't pick it. If you go into it thinking, "I hate this subject", you will have absolutely no motivation to study, therefore you will get terrible grades.

[brenden]

If you don't like language analysis you're gonna have a bad time in Lit. (Just kidding... you'll probably like it more in Lit, and you'll see greater value in the LA within English). I'd always advocate people take English as well as Lit... It's just easier to score well in. Lol.

[Glasses]

Thanks for your replies guys, I've gone through the English and Lit study designs and am still a bit confused as to what is actually studied, is this correct:

English:
1. Reading and responding - Reading a text and discussing how the text explores different ideas and values? For example - a novel about indigenous Australia would result in an essay about Australia's history and how aboriginals are seen in modern-day society.
2. Creating and presenting - I'm really confused about what this entails..?
3. Language to persuade - Looks at different persuasive techniques in a text and the influence they have on the reader? For example - the persuasive techniques used in an opinion piece.

Literature:
1. Adaptations and transformations - I'm a bit confused about this one?
2. Views, values and contexts - How an author's perspective and view on something is seen through a particular text? For example - a novel that discusses gender roles in the 19th century expressing the author's view on gender equality.
3. Considering alternative viewpoints - How different points of views can be evident in different audience members. For example - one reader may perceive a poem to be about racial equality being a good thing, while another reader may interpret the poem in a way that votes against racial equality.

I hope this makes sense and please tell me if what I said is incorrect or right!!
Further opinions would also be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks guys!

[~V]

Thanks for your replies guys, I've gone through the English and Lit study designs and am still a bit confused as to what is actually studied, is this correct:

English:
1. Reading and responding - Reading a text and discussing how the text explores different ideas and values? For example - a novel about indigenous Australia would result in an essay about Australia's history and how aboriginals are seen in modern-day society.
2. Creating and presenting - I'm really confused about what this entails..?
3. Language to persuade - Looks at different persuasive techniques in a text and the influence they have on the reader? For example - the persuasive techniques used in an opinion piece.

Literature:
1. Adaptations and transformations - I'm a bit confused about this one?
2. Views, values and contexts - How an author's perspective and view on something is seen through a particular text? For example - a novel that discusses gender roles in the 19th century expressing the author's view on gender equality.
3. Considering alternative viewpoints - How different points of views can be evident in different audience members. For example - one reader may perceive a poem to be about racial equality being a good thing, while another reader may interpret the poem in a way that votes against racial equality.

I hope this makes sense and please tell me if what I said is incorrect or right!!
Further opinions would also be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks guys!

I can only speak for english. For reading and responding, basically that, but sometimes it depends entirely on the text you're studying. Creating and presenting is when you're given 2 texts to study, your school chooses one context, either, "encountering conflict" "whose reality?" "imaginative landscape" "identity and belonging", in the exam you are given one prompt. You respond to that prompt with a piece of writing that can fall under 3 categories: imaginative, persuasive, expository and hybrid pieces. You draw on some of the IDEAS from your selected texts AS WELL AS external evidence and examples. Then language analysis is basically how author positions readers using their content and VISUALS. But there will be a new study design for english in 2016...