ENQUIRY
The preface to the syllabus identifies the underlying principle of the syllabus: `that the study of history is anexploration of what historians believe to have happenedbased on an enquiry into the available evidence.' The emphasis on `enquiry' is fundamental. The word `history' derives from the Greek `historia' meaning `what has been learned from enquiry'. The past does not yield up its secrets of its own volition: the sources on which our knowledge of the past depends must be interrogated by historians before they can provide evidence of past events and past societies. If students are to `do history' in any meaningful sense, they must learn to ask questions about the past and to seek to answer these questions through an interpretation of the evidence available to them. Some of these students may develop into practising historians but, for the vast majority, the objective is that they develop a historical perspective on the world they inhabit and a historical consciousness that makes them less susceptible to the wiles of propaganda.
EVIDENCE
The emphasis on `available evidence' is also of key importance. Evidence is the grist to the historian's mill: without evidence, there is no basis for historical judgements and the historian's questions must hang in the air until sources of evidence are unearthed. Current interpretations of available evidence may have to be revised if and when new evidence comes to light: in that sense, historical knowledge is always provisional.
EXPLORATION
The emphasis on `exploration' completes what may be described as the `three Es' of historical study. The student of history should not learn an account of the past that purports to be the one true version. That evidence may be open to more than one interpretation is a fundamental tenet of modern historiography. While there are many historical questions on which there is widespread consensus, there are others which generate controversy and conflicting interpretations. Students should encounter a range of historical interpretations encompassing areas of consensus as well as areas of controversy.
In brief, the syllabus is based on the principles that
- learning about the past involves a process of enquiry
- the results of our enquiry will depend upon the available evidence
- historical study needs to consider different interpretations of the evidence in an openminded spirit of exploration.