English

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Items 2469 and 2470 explore the symbolism, themes, and narrative style of Patrick Suskinds' postmodern novel Perfume.

Business Studies

Young Australian businesswomen

The barriers experienced by young and successful Australian businesswomen are the focus of item 2457. Young women from a variety of industries talk about the obstacles and discrimination they have faced.

Biology

Nanotechnology, Allergies and CT scans

This term we have added a number of articles related to current scientific and medical research. Items 2458 and 2459 discuss the history, science and impact of nanotechnology. Item 2460 investigates the causes for the rise in allergy rates in the western world. Item 2461 examines the validity and safety of CT (computer tomography screening) as a diagnostic tool for the worried well.

Society and Culture

Mothers and Working Life

Items 2464, 2465 and 2467 look at a variety of issues related to motherhood and working life. These articles discuss working mothers concerns about childcare, financial security and the difficulty of combining work and family life. Item 2467 stresses the need for policy makers to consider the emotional bonds between mothers and their children when devising policy for the family and workplace.

History Extension

Item 2435 discusses how the Christian Crusaders were viewed by the Islamic world. Insight is given into how poetry, verse and storytelling were used to strengthen the Muslim military effort.

Modern History

Item 2478 "Living with loss dealing with shame" looks at how German citizens and returning soldiers confronted their experiences of violence, loss and genocide following the Second World War.

The use of 'mutual deterrence' by the United States and Russia during the Cold War is discussed in item 2477.

Ancient History

We have included a number of fascinating items for Ancient History students. Items 2471 and 2473 recount the lives of Near East and Egyptian personalities Hannibal and Akhenaten. Item 2474, 'Why the pharaohs never smiled' is a vivid account of dental care in Ancient Egypt and the graffiti of ancient Pompeii is the focus of item 2475.

Some valuable HSC Programs offered by other cultural organisations:

Australian Maritime Museum: Schools and Education Program Physical Journeys Teacher-guided tour
This tour through the galleries examines a variety of journeys and how they are represented in the maritime museum. Students also examine how objects and the way in which they are displayed tell stories and can be interpreted as a form of text.
http://www.anmm.gov.au/sch-ed.htm#secondary

Sydney Jewish Museum
The Sydney Jewish Museum offers a diverse range of educational programs and opportunities for Year 11 and 12 students. Workshops cover Modern History, Legal Studies, Society and Culture and all areas of the English syllabus including the Inner and Physical Journeys.
http://www.sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au/education/schools.asp

News From the State Library of NSW

Against international competition, the State Library of NSW's exciting new website atmitchell.com has been awarded a "Standard of Excellence" in the premier global competition for website design and function, the 2005 Web Awards.

atmitchell.com is a state-of-the-art website that will give free online access to the State Library of NSW's $1.9 billion collections of largely unseen treasures relating to Australia's heritage and culture:
http://www.atmitchell.com

HSC English Navigator Goes LIVE

Another resource you can access though atmitchell is the HSC English Navigator. This is an interactive research tool from the State Library of NSW.

The Navigator provides information about HSC English texts, including fiction and non-fiction, film and television and Shakespeare. It also includes information regarding other texts with a specific theme or genre, and writing skills. To start using the Navigator go to:
http://www.atmitchell.com/navigator

Upcoming events at the State Library of NSW

Many State Library events are relevant to HSC topics and texts. You will find a sample listed below. For a complete list of events see:
http://www.atmitchell.com/Events/events.cfm

Bookings are recommended for all events. Phone (02) 9273 1770 or email bookings@sl.nsw.gov.au (Full time students are eligible for the concession price, but must show ID on entry).

Contacting Infocus:

Please note that Infocus has two phone numbers:

For inquiries related to orders and invoices please call (02) 9273 1769

For topic suggestions or general Infocus inquiries please call (02) 9273 1519

Or you can email us: infocus@sl.nsw.gov.au

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