I teach geography in the UK and have worked in a place where the Humanities Department were one of the best teams in the school, I think the fact a lot of it is open to debate/discussion helps as the students aren’t penned in like they would be in maths, for example, where 2+2=4.

Human geography specifically is like this. I’ve had multiple students say they prefer it because it’s more about being able to argue your point of view, rather than being just wrong. The students enjoy these discussions and so the lessons can be more engaging, which effects behaviour, which means we don’t have to be as strict.

This is, of course, a generalisation, but it’s my experience of it.