Published on: 28 May 2020


This week our Year 10 Extension English students welcomed Philosophy Teacher Mr Matt Smith who delivered a presentation on the fundamental principles of utilitarianism and other foundational philosophies.

The extension students have been exploring the Dystopian Fiction genre through reading, analysing and composing a range of seminal dystopian texts, both in class and at home. They now are undertaking a research essay which deals with contextual concerns of the authors and will soon embark on a 7500-word dissertation essay on a topic of their choosing.

“These talks aim to link how topical philosophical movements of the authors’ period are magnified and extrapolated in order to speculate on the moral or political decline of society,” says English Teacher, Mr Warwick Yeates.

“Spanning across three terms, the dissertation essay requires a deep understanding of chosen texts and concepts in order to produce a submission of high academic quality.”

Year 10 student Harry Della-Vedova said the session was a tremendous example of the School’s holistic approach to learning and allowed the students to gain new perspectives with which to view dystopian fiction and its moral and ethical concerns.

During the session the class also discussed how utilitarianism and foundational philosophies are relevant to the contextual concerns of dystopian fiction.

The English Extension course is a highly rigorous program designed to challenge and inspire students who demonstrate both excellence and passion for English.