Volume 9

 
We started off with a statement, how do you know about and what you don’t. One point of view is that what you know must come from some type of experience but Kant’s Copernican Revolution suggests that the world as we perceive is not identical with the world as it is. Our brain interprets what we feel, see and touch and makes sense of it according to what we already know; the mind uses sense data to generate ideas. Furthermore, we considered the difference between knowing something in a classical epistemological sense and having strong beliefs. Julie Arliss suggests that the predictions we make based on empirically developed knowledge strays into the world of beliefs rather than knowledge. Whilst empiricism supports the idea that all learning only comes from experience and observations. This is the opposite of the rationalist idea that we must have some prior knowledge to begin building our understanding of world. Knowledge developed from rationalism include things such as mathematical knowledge. For mythical concepts such as fairies, unicorns, centaurs and dreams, human imagination combines two real ideas to make a fake idea, which is not real but seems like it possibly could be. As things like the mathematical ideas that supported the prediction of black holes and gravitational waves seem to be true, Modern Epistemology rejects foundationalism as an absolute, saying there is no foundation for knowledge. However, Fallible Foundationalism argues that there are foundations for knowledge, that our minds work hard to piece everything together into a consistently, reliable theory of how everything works that we accept and work with until it is proven otherwise. In conclusion, what you know is based on your experiences, sense data, beliefs and innate knowledge all combined to form our understanding of the world. 

Joon Kim 
Year 9 

Session 2: The Oxbridge Interview Question 

The second talk we engaged was about the interview questions asked when applying to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The interviews contain questions that are designed to be unexpected, conceptual in nature and have multiple valid ways in which to answer, It is expected that it will engage the interviewees in conversation, rather than have them simply regurgitate information. These questions include things like “How many animals did Noah take on the ark?” “Why does religion exist?” “What are you currently reading?” and “How do you know you are in Oxford?” 

Challenging the premise of the question is also an option. They use these questions to get a better understanding of how the candidates think and the different ways their brains work. They want people who approach the questions from interesting angles, people who would benefit from the Oxbridge learning system, including their one to one tutoring model. By forcing the candidates onto the back foot, the interviewers are able to examine their eligibility far better than if they’d simply tested how much knowledge they can recite.  

Damian Tangye 
Year 10 

Session 3: The Science of Happiness 

During our time at Ascham College, we had the privilege of listening to Dr Christopher O’Neill talk about the ‘Science of Happiness’. This talk included the four main pillars of happiness, how to improve happiness and how happiness can lead to living a longer and more fulfilling life.  
Dr O'Neill demonstrated these pillars of happiness within a quartered hot cross bun, each section holding a different pillar. These were, having positive emotions, thoughts, behaviours and motivation, as well as the addition of strong friendships.  
The research shows that we tend to choose friends with similar genes, and that there are a number of physical things that improve the strength and quality of friendship. These replace or strengthen the grooming behaviours that we see in apes and are touch, singing and laughing together, rhythmic movement such as dancing and emotional storytelling. 
This talk was based on a myriad of research papers which also supported some interesting and unique ways to improve happiness. Exercise was included as a way to improve overall happiness - good health leads to feeling good, which along with happiness can lead to living a longer life. Tango dancing, meditation and running are just some of the more specific ways to make yourself happier. He also mentioned the importance of physical touch and the amount of time spent with friends to improve your happiness.   
The research indicates that the positive emotions invoked by happiness buffer people against stress and trauma. The happier we are the less likely we are to be racist, biased or jump to negative conclusions. Dr O’Neill also mentioned the role of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. The science says the greater and more frequent the external reward the worse the performance. I guess that means no more Freddos in class! 
Dr O’Neill provided an insightful and funny look into the science behind happiness and how small but consistent gestures can result in living longer. 

Matilda Ryan and Arabella Bentick 
Year 9 

Session 4: Social Physics 

The 4th Topic was a lecture on Social Physics, something we were all curious to know about. It is all about the concept of Big Data, how it reflects society but also how it can be used to manipulate individuals and groups thus also shaping society. This talk also mentioned the concept of stolen information and digital privacy. Julie Arliss demonstrated the ease with which large packets of de-identified data can be combined and in three or four clicks, specific and very private data about an individual such as medical records, can be obtained.  We looked at statistics and how certain completely unrelated topics followed similar trends leading us to reflect on the difference between the ideas of correlation and causation. Social physics also introduces the job of a data analyst, someone who identifies trends in large, overwhelming datasets. Overall, this talk allowed us to deeply understand the patterns and connections which all people follow and how we can turn this into useful information and how it can be used to cause harm to individuals, groups and societies as a whole. 

Kiera McCutcheon 
Year 9 

Session 5: Debate: The house believes that love is not a commodity to be traded 

The last section of our seminar was the debate in which the two main speakers made their points for and against a statement, then opened the discussion to the audience. The topic was “This house believes that love (and sex) is not a commodity to be traded.” The first speaker: Dr O’Neill was on the affirmative and argued that sex is a commodity but should not be traded as sex work is often immoral, as well as exploitative. He used online porn as an example, stating that porn addictions can lead to depression. He then said that love (as in romantic love etc.) is a “disposition, not a commodity” and said that love cannot be bought. The second speaker, Julie Arliss, believed that both sex and love can be bought, and that to believe otherwise is prudish. She referenced the movie Indecent Proposal and used it to demonstrate how anyone would sell themselves for the right price. She said that selling sex is similar to any other service when autonomously chosen and that it should be regulated to ensure that it is a free and fair exchange, just as other services are. Arliss also explained how love is often used as a marketing strategy, and that processes such as plastic surgery and gym memberships involve marketing yourself for better romantic relationships. After she made her points, a line of volunteers formed, each of them stating their take on the argument. One of these volunteers was our own Joon Kim (Year 9 O’Connor). He presented his unique take and ended the seminar with a flourish. The debate ended with the floor voting strongly for the affirmative. 

Sophia Maniaci 
Year 9 

Ethics Olympiad

On Tuesday 30 May, I and 4 other students participated in the Senior Ethics Olympiad. However, preparations for the day began a term before. Each year, we are given a range of interesting scenarios that raise a number of moral concerns, spanning topics such as neurotechnology, cultural practices, politics and more. Over the course of a term, our team met and discussed the various “cases” and the ethical issues around them. We were given plenty of time to unpack the cases and enjoy the engaging discussions that followed, which were guided by some specific questions given by the organisers of the competition. The nature of the competition invites everyone to explore different perspectives on each case, which is my favourite aspect of the Ethics Olympiad. The discussions had both in training and during the competition, were insightful and quite relevant to our current world. On the day, teams from multiple schools come together and discuss each case, guided by the same questions given before. The competition was extremely captivating and enlightened us about many different ideas and perspectives. If you have any interest in ethics, interesting discussions, or current world events I highly recommend the Ethics Olympiad. 

Jack Batchelor 
Year 11

Sign up now for Term 3 opportunities, these include: 

The Solar Car Challenge 

Cars are designed and built during PACE in Term 3 for an interschool competition late in Term 3. If you’re interested in participating, talk to Mr Stivaktis or Ms McArthur today. Names must be registered by the end of Week 8.

InnovatED 

Students who would like the opportunity to participate in the InnovatED Showcase in Term 4 should sign up now to register their project with Ms McArthur, via the email below. An InnovatED Project should be a deep dive into an area of passionate interest for the participating student. Guidance for planning, researching and completing an academically rigorous project occurs during PACE time in Term 3. Those who also want to participate in other PACE activities can complete their project in their own time but will have to commit to regular meetings during breaks with Ms McArthur. The student organising committee is already deeply engaged in creating the marketing and managing the preparations for the showcase which will occur on 10 November.

Chess 

Our professional coaches will continue at the College next term during PACE. Any students wanting to learn how to play chess or learn how to play chess better, are invited to contact Ms McArthur to add their name to the roll for Term 3. This should be done before the end of Week 8. 

cmcarthur@rosebank.nsw.edu.au

 
 

Year 10 Pathways and Partnerships Industry Awareness Expo 

A very sincere thank you to the wonderful volunteers; alumni, parents, staff and representatives from various industries and institutions who shared their career stories with Year 10 students on Tuesday 6th June. The presentations helped to expand students' understanding of career possibilities and where their studies can take them in the world of work. Thank you also to the students for their engagement and the staff who made this event possible.

• Startup/Entrepreneurship and Business 
  Zac Jabour 
  Leanne McIntosh 
  Gilbert Lorquet
• Building and Construction 
  Bob Bowden 
  Paul Micallef  
  /David Bell  
  /Stephen Bishenden
• Childcare Industry (Preschool/School-age Care) 
  Roisin Hart  
  /Annelise Sara 
  /Amie Andrews 
  Alessandro Trimboli
• Engineering 
  Pr John Kavanagh 
  Stewart Gray
• Fashion Industry 
  Adriane Al Khoury 
  Pina Pirrello- Sillaro
• Health/Medical (Genetics/Physiotherapy) 
  Rachel Williams 
  Julienne Locke
• Health (Psychology/Alcohol and Other Drugs) 
  Joanna Murphy 
  Suzi Petrozzi 
• Information Technology 
  Bill Efthimiou 
  Simon Fajou
• Food Industry (Food Science/Research and Development, Events Catering) 
  Sarah Marshall 
  Antonio Sabia
• Legal: Policing and Law 
  Denise Bozikis/William Kim 
  Charlie Monti
• Marketing and Communications 
  Alexis Kenny  
  Jessica Edge 
  Chris Kenny 
  Grant Jones
• Psychology 
  Vanessa Sleeman 
  Imogen Abba
• Town Planning and Property Services (Real Estate) 
  Monica Cologna 
  Melissa Strazzeri
• Automotive Industry 
  Isabella Guarascio 
   

Mrs Angela Pavicic    
Pathways and Partnerships Coordinator