Students

MHIS204 – The Origins of Modern Australia

2015 – S2 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Senior Lecturer
Alison Holland
Contact via alison.holland@mq.edu.au
W6A 417
TBA
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
12cp or (3cp in HIST or MHIS or POL units)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Why are Australians troubled by refugees? Why do women still struggle for equal pay? Why were indigenous people denied citizenship, and have their children removed? Why does the mining industry exert so much influence in Australian public life? How have economic forces shaped the Australian environment? What is Australia's place in the world? Modern Australian society was formed in the nineteenth century. The values, tensions, debates and economic forces of contemporary Australia can only be fully understood with reference to their 19th century context. In providing that context this unit explains why the past continues to influence the Australian experience.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.
  • Actively participate in class discussions on key themes of nineteenth century Australian history.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Source Analysis 20% 11th September, 2015
Research Essay 40% 19th October 2015
Reflective Essay 20% Week 13
Tutorial Presentation 10% 1 week in 13 weeks
Tutorial Participation 10% Ongoing Weeks 2 - 13

Source Analysis

Due: 11th September, 2015
Weighting: 20%

This task is a primary source analysis. On a form provided you will answer a set of pre-formulated questions, using one of the primary sources provided in the first six weeks of semester.

Word Length: 1500 words.

Due: Friday, 11 September, 5 pm.  


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Research Essay

Due: 19th October 2015
Weighting: 40%

You will be required to write a long research essay on a set question (which you will find under 'Assessment' on the iLearn homepage for this unit). You will choose one from a list of twelve questions provided which have bibliographies attached. You will be required to find two primary sources to include in your essay.

Word Length: 2500 words.

Due: Monday 19th October, 2015.

Further information about this assessment task will be found on the iLearn homepage for this unit.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Reflective Essay

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 20%

You will be required to write an essay which reflects on how nineteenth century Australian history is relevant to contemporary Australia using three examples from this unit.

Word Length: 1,000 words

Due: Friday, 21st November, 2014.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Tutorial Presentation

Due: 1 week in 13 weeks
Weighting: 10%

Students are required to make a presentation to class on a chosen theme. Working individually, or with a partner, you will select one topic from across the twelve themes covered (excluding the first introductory week) and make a presentation to your peers on that topic. You will need to do three key things:

  1. Provide a brief overview of the readings. This does not mean providing a mini lecture. Rather it will be a qualitative assessment of the core arguments, issues, themes, etc the readings raise, or approach taken by authors.
  2. You will provide a set of questions for the class - 3 or 4.
  3. You will provide a primary source for discussion.

This will be peer reviewed. On a form I provide, you will be assessed on the quality of your presentation based on organisation, structure, communication and engagement. In assessing a peer you will be required to justify the mark you enter.

External Students

The same will apply for external students. In the first week, I will get you to nominate a week on which to lead the online discussion and I will select peer reviewers.

In weeks where there is no-one to lead, as convenor I will lead.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Tutorial Participation

Due: Ongoing Weeks 2 - 13
Weighting: 10%

Day Students:

Attendance at tutorials is compulsory. You will be required to contribute to class discussions on weekly topics. This might involve working as part of a group or making individual contributions. Attendance, alone, is not enough. As you will see when you visit the iLearn site, each week has two set secondary readings as well as a primary source. You need to have read these before coming to class each week and contribute to a range of in-class tasks and discussions. In some cases you will be required to locate primary sources yourself and bring to class.

Your participation is measured according to the quality of your contributions, your preparation and your overall engagement with the unit and the weekly topics.

External Students:

The same applies for external students except your 'attendance' is measured via the quality of your participation in the online discussion forums. You will be required to login to discussions every week and contribute to the online forum by adding notes and information, asking questions, uploading relevant and interesting source materials for the class, providing focus questions or responding to the same.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.
  • Actively participate in class discussions on key themes of nineteenth century Australian history.

Delivery and Resources

 Dr Holland is the convenor of this unit. However, lectures are shared with two other members of the Department of Modern History - Dr Mark Hearn and Dr Tanya Evans, identified on the Unit Schedule with their initials. These lectures will be pre-recorded and you will be required to listen to them every week as you normally would in conjunction with weekly topics covered in class.

This unit has an online presence in iLearn. You will need access to a reliable computer and broadband internet.

All lectures are recorded.

There is no textbook. However, there is a unit reader, containing all the weekly readings, which you will be required to purchase in the first week of classes.

Unit Schedule

Week Lecture Tutorial
1. 27 - 31 July

a. Introduction

b. Foundations: 1788 (AH)

Introductions
2. 3 - 7 August

a. Enlightenment Discovery (MH)

b. Macquarie (MH)

The Macquarie Archive
3. 10 - 14 August

a. Dispossession (AH)

b. Settling the Land (AH)

NSW Supreme Court - Colonial Case Law
4. 17 - 21 August

a. Domesticity (TE)

b. Rise of Democracy (MH)

The Dress Register
5. 24 - 28 August

a.Gold (TE)

b. Bushrangers (MH)

Place for a Friendless Female

6. 31 August -

  4 September

a. Economy (MH)

b. Indigenous Labour (AH)

Eureka
7. 7 - 11 September

a. Urban Beginnings (AH)

b. Religion (MH)

Environmental Transformations
      BREAK                     BREAK                BREAK

8. 28 September -

2 October

a. Charity (AH)

b. Non-Europeans in Australia (AH)

Aboriginal Protection?
9. 5 -9 October

a. LABOR DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

b. Work (MH)

South Pacific Islanders
10. 12 - 16 October

a. Youth (TE)

b. Sport (TE)

The Beach
11. 19 - 23 October

a. Women and Work (AH)

b. The 'Woman Question' (AH)

Larrikins
12. 26 - 30 October - 

a. Doomed Race (AH)

b. Birth of White Australia (AH)

Sex War

13.2 - 6 November

a. 1890s (MH)

b. Summary (AH)

1890s Depression

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Assessment tasks

  • Source Analysis
  • Research Essay
  • Reflective Essay
  • Tutorial Presentation

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.
  • Actively participate in class discussions on key themes of nineteenth century Australian history.

Assessment tasks

  • Source Analysis
  • Reflective Essay
  • Tutorial Presentation
  • Tutorial Participation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.

Assessment tasks

  • Source Analysis
  • Research Essay
  • Reflective Essay
  • Tutorial Presentation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Assessment tasks

  • Source Analysis
  • Research Essay
  • Reflective Essay
  • Tutorial Presentation
  • Tutorial Participation

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Interpret different kinds of historical evidence, including visual, textual and material.
  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.

Assessment tasks

  • Source Analysis
  • Research Essay
  • Reflective Essay
  • Tutorial Presentation
  • Tutorial Participation

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Locate and analyse historical information.

Assessment task

  • Research Essay

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify the historical forces of the nineteenth century which shape Australia today.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.
  • Actively participate in class discussions on key themes of nineteenth century Australian history.

Assessment tasks

  • Research Essay
  • Reflective Essay
  • Tutorial Presentation
  • Tutorial Participation

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Locate and analyse historical information.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms.
  • Actively participate in class discussions on key themes of nineteenth century Australian history.

Assessment task

  • Tutorial Participation

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Actively participate in class discussions on key themes of nineteenth century Australian history.

Assessment task

  • Tutorial Participation