HSY1040

Australia today: an historical perspective

Mark Peel

6 points - Two lectures and one tutorial per week - First semester - Clayton

Objectives In this subject, students will be expected to develop an understanding of key issues in Australian history; the representation of national identity and 'national issues' in film, literature and other genres; and the ways in which protagonists in contemporary debates interpret and 'use' history. Students will also develop their skills in the critical analysis of different kinds of sources (including historical documents and visual evidence), while tutorial exercises will focus on writing skills and communication skills..

Synopsis This subject examines the making of the Australian nation, and the changing interpretation of 'national issues', including: the changing understandings of the natural environment;; population control, demography and reproduction; and.education, delinquency and youth; and war and foreign relations. The subject also examines changing conceptions of 'national identity' and citizenship since 1901, including Australia's relationship to Britain and its place in the postwar world.

Assessment Tutorial exercises (total 1500 words): 30% - Essay (2000 words): 40% - Short answer examination (1 hour): 30%

Recommended texts

Grimshaw P, Lake M, McGrath, A and Quartly M Creating a nation, 1788-1990 McPhee Gribble, 1994
Macintyre S The Oxford history of Australia vol. 4, 1901-1942, OUP, 1986
Peel M A little history of Australia MUP, 1997
Rickard J Australia: A cultural history Longman, 1997
Reiger K The disenchantment of the home: Modernizing the Australian family, 1900-1940 OUP, 1986
White R Inventing Australia Allen and Unwin, 1981

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