| Semester 2, 2023 Online | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: One unit of History
Overview
This course examines the role of history and historical research in the public sphere, and explores the various ways in which the past is made present in contemporary societies. It is relevant to anyone with an interest in how narratives around the historical past are communicated publicly, including life writing, family and community histories, oral history, digital history, and sites of cultural heritage.
This course explores the various ways in which the past is made present in contemporary societies. It introduces public history debates and methods; draws on comparative examples; and encourages engagement with specific public history projects. Students will critically evaluate several varieties of public history and consider the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Students will be required to advance their knowledge about the social, cultural and political contexts in which public history is produced.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- explain and discuss different approaches to interpreting the past;
- analyse and discuss the concept of, and debates surrounding, public history;
- analyse primary and secondary sources in constructing historiographical arguments;
- critically analyse printed and electronic sources to complete a critical secondary source analysis;
- critically respond to group discussion of subject readings and preparation of written assessment.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Paradigms of public history | 20.00 |
| 2. | Private lives: family & oral Histories | 20.00 |
| 3. | Public history and heritage | 20.00 |
| 4. | Museums and public history | 20.00 |
| 5. | Digital History and the Future | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online forums | No | 20 | 1,2,5 |
| Quiz A1 of 2 | No | 10 | 1,2 |
| Annotated bibliography | No | 20 | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Quiz A2 of 2 | No | 10 | 1,2 |
| Essay | No | 40 | 1,2,3,5 |