GED3619

History of education through biography and family history

Dr M G Sullivan

8 points - 2 hours per week - Peninsula

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should understand some of the theory underlying the writing of biographies and appreciate the practice of biography by various writers. Students should have submitted some biographical writing to indicate their understanding of the genre. Through their study of the various biographies and from their own writing, students should have developed an awareness of issues affecting Australian education that would not necessarily arise in other historical study.

Synopsis This subject will try to illuminate some perennial issues in Australian education by a series of biographical studies. These will cover, for example, teachers (male and female, successful and unsuccessful, elementary and secondary, from government and private schools), teachers' college principals, school principals, inspectors, senior administrators and school architects. The biographical studies will follow a roughly chronological order and considerable attention will be paid to the understanding of biographical methods and family history.

Assessment Written (4000 words): 100%

Preliminary reading

Selleck R J W and Sullivan M G Not so eminent Victorians MUP, 1984

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