This course provides a fresh introduction to Australian history since 1788. We will cast aside many traditional assumptions about Australian history, and seek to replace them with new angles of vision on the large and 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 extending from the earliest cultural encounters between British settlers and Indigenous people to recent history; and the analytical frame of gender - so that we can see how different ideas of femininity and masculinity shaped Australians' lives. Using these two approaches, the course interrogates the making and meaning of Australian mythologies across more than two centuries 

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.

- The exhibition review essay (20%) 1,000 words (20%) will assess Learning Outcome 4. It is designed to encourage students to explore the resources of Canberra's museums, galleries, libraries and archives, as well as to think critically about the public presentation of history;

- The topic essay 2,500 words (30%) will assess Learning Outcomes 2, 3 and 4. It is designed to develop reading comprehension, analytical and writing skills;

- The final exam (40%) will assess Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 5. It will test skills of synthesis, comprehension and argument;

- Tutorial participation will assess Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 5. It builds analytical and oral communication skills (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

Stuart Macintyre, A Concise History of Australia (Cambridge)