AustLit

This course provides an introduction to Australian history and to the study of history at the tertiary level. It treats the development of Australian society from the arrival of Aboriginal peoples on the continent to the present, including the development of democratic institutions and the influence of geography; and introduces the skills and approaches employed in the study of the Australian past.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be expected to "think historically", including an ability to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of major aspects of the history of Australia.

2. Read primary and secondary texts critically and show an awareness of the contested nature of historical representation and the ability to engage in historical debates in tutorial discussions and in written assignments.

3. Reflect on Australia's history, especially with regard to the ways in which Australians have reacted to their natural and social environments and the relationship of the past to the present in tutorial discussions and written assignments.

4. Conduct basic research and express clear and informed arguments, orally in the tutorials and in writing the assessments.

Content:

This course will focus on histories of Australia from the arrival of Aboriginal peoples to the present. Specific periods studied may vary from year to year. It will also treat the skills used by historians in the practice of their craft. Topics will include some or all of the following:

1. Origins of Indigenous Australians

2. Traditional Aboriginal society

3. Background to the British colonisation of Australia

4. Convictism

5. Relations between Indigenous and Non Indigenous Australians

6. The Development of European Australian land use, economy and political system and cultures of food, clothing and the arts

7. Australia's Involvement in War in the Twentieth Century

8. Cultural Changes of the Twentieth Century including Americanisation and new Australian nationalism

9. Land Rights, the Stolen Generation and Reconciliation

10. The Impact of Australian Geography on its residents

11. The Development of Democratic Institutions