Process
Olivia |
I choose Australia, because it was the least studied region through my years at school. Sometimes at the end of the year the teacher may briefly talk about it, but never enough to satisfy my curiosity. My first real dive into Australia was when I watched, Rabbit-proof Fence, which discuss about the Europeans taking the Aboriginal children from their parents to be Westernized in European camps. Recently, I watched the movie, Australia, which discuss similarly about Europeans taking the half-caste children from their Aboriginal mothers to camps for their Aboriginal ways to be 'bred out'. Along with the movies, the book, Gun, Germs, and Steel, discuss about why the Aboriginals fell behind the rest of the world in developing and how they stayed the same for thousands of years. Australia lacked domesticated plants and animals which caused them to be at a stand-still.
Overall, Australia is an interesting region, which unfortunately does not get discussed enough in class. This project really filled in the wholes that the movies and book could not get to about the history of the "Land Down Under." |
Claire |
I chose Australia for my final topic in AP World because when I was a freshman in World History we did not talk about the continent at all and I wanted to learn more about its history. That is why I am glad to have the chance to research it this year. When I was little, I was really interested in Australia because I watched Finding Nemo. I know this is a stretch but as I look back, I loved how all of the characters lived in the Great Barrier Reef and how Pixar had the message to not disrupt the environment. That was the first time I learned about the aquatic life of Australia and it made me want to learn even more about the "Land Down Under." One thing that really spurred my interest in Australia was when my cousin, Julia, visited the continent while she was in college. She told us all of her experiences and how she loved every part of the country. She said that even though the flora and fauna is exotic, she liked meeting the people there. Her experiences caused me to become really eager to go there and learn about their history and their people. We split up different sections so one person was not responsible for all of it. It was really hard to make a thesis but as time we found our groove. Working with a partner has increased my work ethic and I am glad we did this assignment. This project helped me understand its unique background and it has given me a better perspective on Australia as a country.
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