Melbourne - Short history of a great city
David Dunstan
8 points * 2 lectures and 1 tutorial per week * Second semester * Clayton
The subject explores Melbourne's history from foundation in the 1830s to the present day, examining social, political, cultural and economic aspects of the city's development. Specific themes will include the origins of Melbourne's urban environment, the formation of suburbs, industry and infrastructure. Special topics will include issues of gender, housing, poverty, crime and the perception of social deviance, the 1880s boom and the depression of the 1890s. Twentieth-century concerns will focus on Melbourne's role as the former national capital, tensions in two world wars, the impact of new technologies, urban planning, suburbia and social class, and the rise of post-1945 consumer society. Special themes will include the changing image of the city, the contribution of successive waves of migrants from Europe and Asia, the end of the long boom, redevelopment and the heritage movement. The subject aims to encourage a deeper understanding of issues in Australian history by way of an examination of the urban context and to encourage students to gain familiarity with the methods and analysis and source materials of the urban historian.
Assessment
Field exercise: 20% * Essay (3000 words): 40% * Review paper on a central theme (1000 words): 20% * Short answer examination (1 hour): 20%
Prescribed texts
Davison G The rise and fall of marvellous Melbourne MUP, 1978
Davison G and others (eds) The outcasts of Melbourne Allen and Unwin, 1985
Dingle T and Rasmussen C Vital connections: Melbourne and its Board of Works 1891-1991 McPhee Gribble, 1991
Lewis M and others Melbourne - the city's history and development City of Melbourne, 1994
McCalman J Journeyings: The biography of a middle class generation 1920-1990 MUP, 1994
McCarty J and Schedvin B (eds) Australian capital cities 1978