This course provides a fresh introduction to Australian history from the late 18^th to the late 20^th centuries. We will cast aside many traditional assumptions about Australian history, and seek to replace them with new angles of vision on the varied cast of women and men who have shaped this nation from its contested beginnings. The course uses two main approaches: biographical vignettes of men and women, from a range of class and ethnic backgrounds, whose stories tell us about various periods and episodes; and the analytical frame of gender—how changing ideas of femininity and masculinity shaped Australians' lives. 

1. By the end of this course, you should be able to:
2. Reflect on and discuss a wide range of events in and aspects of Australian history.
3. Use a range of individual life stories to analyze important episodes and themes in Australian history.
4. Analyze the ways changing ideas of gender (both masculinities and femininities) have shaped Australian history and vice versa.
5. Think, write and argue about how Australian history is presented in public exhibitions and other media, and how particular myths have evolved.
6. Use specific events to explain central themes in Australian history.

Exhibition review essay 1000 words (20%); Topic essay 2000 words (30%); final exam (40%); tutorial participation (10%)

This course will be delivered through (streamed) lectures and face-to-face tutorials.

No co-requisites

No pre-requisites

Incompatibility: HIST 1203, Australian History

Patricia Grimshaw, Marilyn Lake, Ann McGrath and Marian Quartly, Creating A Nation (revised edition 2007).