Lecturing

Ken Webb has been delivering lectures to HSC Modern History students for several years. He lectures at the annual HTA Modern History Study Days at Sydney University each June, and throughout the year lectures at various venues both in Sydney and in regional areas.

For many reasons, it is not always possible for students to leave school and attend study days. However, it is possible for Ken Webb to visit schools to deliver lectures.

Ken Webb is not a university academic who has buried himself in the archives. He is a practising teacher with many years of experience working with Year 12 students and he is a very experienced HSC marker; he does not present himself as "the" academic authority. His lectures are aimed at 17-18 year old students with the HSC examination very much in focus. It is because of this that his lectures have been of such value to HSC students over the years.

His lectures are delivered by means of a sensibly-designed powerpoint presentation and are accompanied by a handout that closely follows the lecture. The lectures attempt to present an argument and to advise students how to approach specific HSC examination questions. However, if teachers have a specific request, eg to present a detailed narrative outline, such requests can be accommodated.

The topics on which Ken Webb usually lectures include the following:


A) 2 UNIT MODERN HISTORY
  1. The Core Study: World War I 1914-19 - A Source-based study
    1. How to approach source-based questions in the HSC examination
    2. The war on the Western Front
      1. Stalemate
      2. Trench experiences
      3. Stategies and tactics
      4. Changing attitudes
    3. The British and German Home Fronts
      1. Total War
      2. Recruitment, conscription and propaganda
      3. Impact on British Women
    4. Turning Points
    5. Allied Victory
    6. The Versailles Settlement
    7. (for Year 11 students in Term 3) The lead-up to the outbreak of the war
  2. Germany 1914-39
    1. How to approach essay questions on Germany
    2. The Weimar Republic
      1. The difficult early years
      2. The Stresemann period
      3. The Depression
      4. The Rise of Nazism
      5. Theories for the collapse of the Weimar Republic
    3. The Nazis in power
      1. Hitler's role / issue of totalitarianism / nature of the regime
      2. Social / cultural policies / opposition / racism
    4. Nazi Foreign Policy
  3. Personalities
    1. How to approach the personality questions in the HSC
    2. Leni Riefenstahl
    3. Albert Speer
  4. Conflict in Europe
    1. How to approach questions on Conflict in Europe
    2. Causes of the conflict
    3. Aims and Strategies of the belligerents
    4. Turning Points
    5. Impact on civilians
    6. The Holocaust
    7. Allied victory
  5. Conflict in Indochina
    1. Indochina in the 1950s
      1. Victory over France
      2. South Vietnam and Diem
      3. North Vietnam and Ho
    2. United States involvement
      1. Reasons
      2. Excuses
    3. The Second Indochina War
      1. Nature of the war
      2. Anti-war protests
      3. Defeat of the South
    4. Cambodia
      1. Background to the Khmer Rouge
      2. Khmer Rouge ideology
      3. Impact of the Khmer Rouge

Other topics that can be considered include:

  • Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941
  • USA 1919-1941
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Leon Trotsky
  • Anglo-Irish Relations 1968-98
  • The Cold War 1945-91

B) EXTENSION HISTORY
  1. What is History
    1. How to approach the 'What is History?' question
    2. Consideration of the key historical debates
    3. Comparisons of historians
  2. Case Studies
    1. How to approach the Case Study question
    2. Winston Churchill
    3. Appeasement

How to book a lecture

If teachers are interested in having Ken Webb coming out to lecture students, he can be contacted in any of the following ways:

Ken Webb will provide his own laptop (PC) and handouts for attending students. He will require the use of a school data projector though if the school lacks one, arrangements can be made.

An overhead projector will also be needed - just in case of technological failure.