Students

MHIS3040 – Who the Bloody Hell Are We?: Story and Citizenship in Australian History

2025 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Leigh Boucher
leigh.boucher@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Taylah Evans
taylah.evans@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above OR (20cp in HIST or MHIS or MHIX units at 2000 level)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Ideas about Australian identity have always been expressed and contested in popular culture. These stories of ‘us’ have also meant that some people are seen to belong, and others are excluded from the full exercise of citizenship. This unit will examine Australian history through an examination of 10 key moments when the nation and its citizens were re-imagined in films, songs, novels, poetry, advertisements, sporting contests and plays. Each week we will examine a key turning point in Australian history and the popular culture that was produced to grapple with its consequences. When and why did the bushman become a central figure in the Australian imagination? How did ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ reimagine mateship in the wake of feminist protest? In what ways did advertisements featuring Rhonda and Ketut envisage the relationship between Australia and Asia? Students who complete this unit will develop a critical understanding of the relationship between storytelling and citizenship, master a chronology of the struggles over citizenship that shaped twentieth century Australian political history, and engage widely with the cultural institutions and archives in which our national memory is stored. They will also engage in a wide variety of historical research, classroom debate, and develop an original research topic to investigate. If you have already studied some Australian history, the unit offers a fresh perspective. It will be particularly useful for students who are intending to teach Australian history in schools.

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:

  • ULO1: Understand the ways that Australian culture articulates ideas about Australian citizenship, and explain how these ideas have changed over time.
  • ULO2: Analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources. 
  • ULO3: Conceptualise and create an original research project by presenting a coherent historical argument that is situated in the relevant historiography
  • ULO4: Communicate effectively in a range of written forms.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty:   Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.   

IMPORTANT NOTE ON MARKS: Grading decisions for each assessment task will be moderated against the set criteria and standards before task results are released.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Weekly Quiz 30% No 22 Aug, 8 Sep, 31 Oct (submitted in 3 batches)
Research Proposal 20% No 19/09/2025
Research Essay 50% No 07/11/2025

Weekly Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: 22 Aug, 8 Sep, 31 Oct (submitted in 3 batches)
Weighting: 30%

 

A set of two short answer quiz questions that will be embedded in the online lecture and should be completed before the weekly discussion activities.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the ways that Australian culture articulates ideas about Australian citizenship, and explain how these ideas have changed over time.
  • Analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources. 
  • Communicate effectively in a range of written forms.

Research Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 19/09/2025
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will submit a research proposal for the major essay that includes an annotated bibliography and also sketches out an approach to the question.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the ways that Australian culture articulates ideas about Australian citizenship, and explain how these ideas have changed over time.
  • Analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources. 
  • Conceptualise and create an original research project by presenting a coherent historical argument that is situated in the relevant historiography
  • Communicate effectively in a range of written forms.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 07/11/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

The research essay forms the major assessment task of the course and requires a high degree of thought, effort and preparation.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the ways that Australian culture articulates ideas about Australian citizenship, and explain how these ideas have changed over time.
  • Analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources. 
  • Conceptualise and create an original research project by presenting a coherent historical argument that is situated in the relevant historiography
  • Communicate effectively in a range of written forms.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

This unit consists of 1 online lecture per week, reading, a selection of other audio and visual material + a 120 min tutorial. Online and OUA students are expected to contirbute to the weekly discussion forum, and these commence in the first week of semester.

The unit is supported by an iLearn site. Please login and familiarise yourself with this site which contains comprehensive information about all aspects of the unit, including assessments and weekly topics. There is also a FAQ page.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

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

Unit information based on version 2025.02 of the Handbook