Overview

This unit introduces students to key historical events that have shaped Australian society since 1788. Through an examination of the major political, economic, and social fault lines that emerged since European colonisation, students explore the influence of global trends and local conditions in fostering these divisions. In doing so, the unit provides a framework for considering both the shared and unique elements that have shaped Australian society within the global context.

Requisites

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Explain the origins of Australia’s political democracy
  • Locate, interrogate, and integrate primary and secondary source documents in the development of an argument
  • Analyse and interpret key historiographical debates in Australia’s history
  • Critically engage with discussions of change and continuity in Australian history
  • Discuss historical trends in Australian development that have shaped contemporary society

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Lecture		1.00 12 weeks 12
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Tutorial		2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Readings		5.83 12 weeks 70
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Individual Study		3.67 12 weeks 44
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
EssayIndividual 40% 1,2,3 
Literature ReviewIndividual 20% 1,2,3,4 
Research ProjectIndividual 40% 2,3,4,5 

Content

  • 1788 and all that
  • A Convict Nation
  • Resistance and Dispossession
  • Origins of Democracy
  • The First World War
  • A Nation Divided
  • The 20s & the Great Depression
  • The “Just War”
  • Menzies and the Cold War
  • New social movements
  • The changing city
  • Conclusions: An Australian Identity

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.