Students

PBHS2203 – Research in Public History and Heritage

2026 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Alison Holland
alison.holland@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
How do historians and heritage professionals uncover the stories behind everyday places? In Research in Public History and Heritage, you’ll learn how to investigate the past using a wide range of primary historical datasets used by many cultural heritage sector organisations and heritage consultancies — developing the skills to research the history of a house, a street, or a neighbourhood. You’ll explore tools like Trove, the Sands Directory, NSW Land and Property Records, Heritage Registers, State Records, Archives in State and National Libraries, as well as local council archives. You’ll learn how to interpret and cross-reference sources to build rich, evidence-based narratives. Whether you're tracing ownership through land titles or uncovering forgotten lives through electoral rolls and newspaper ads, this unit equips you with the practical skills and critical thinking needed to bring the past to life in public contexts, revealing the relationship between past and present. This hands-on unit introduces you to the core research methods of public history and cultural heritage, from archival digging to digital source management.

 

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: Develop skills in archival research, digital source management and source cross-referencing to construct evidence-based historical narratives.
  • ULO2: Investigate local histories using primary historical datasets and other heritage research tools.
  • ULO3: Critically reflect on the process of historical inquiry in public history and cultural heritage contexts.  
  • ULO4: Communicate findings that connect individual or site-based histories to broader public history themes, demonstrating the ability to tell nuanced historical stories through accessible formats.

General Assessment Information

 

Late 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 to late submissions, up until the 7th calendar 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 to note:

  • Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.
  • Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor (or equivalent).
  • Where an application for Special Consideration is approved and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Qualitative Analysis Task (Zotero Folder) 20% No 2026-03-31 Individual No Open
Skills Logbook 40% No 2026-05-15 Individual No Open
Research Paper 40% No 05/06/2026 Individual No Open

Qualitative Analysis Task (Zotero Folder)

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2026-03-31
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Set up and curate a Zotero folder to manage your primary and secondary sources. Annotate, tag, and reflect on your sources as you develop your research questions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop skills in archival research, digital source management and source cross-referencing to construct evidence-based historical narratives.
  • Investigate local histories using primary historical datasets and other heritage research tools.
  • Communicate findings that connect individual or site-based histories to broader public history themes, demonstrating the ability to tell nuanced historical stories through accessible formats.

Skills Logbook

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2026-05-15
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Keep a detailed log of your growing research skills, documenting your engagement with key datasets and reflecting on your process as a public historian in written, audio and video forms.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop skills in archival research, digital source management and source cross-referencing to construct evidence-based historical narratives.
  • Investigate local histories using primary historical datasets and other heritage research tools.

Research Paper

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 05/06/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Write a research paper based on the history of a house, using a range of primary sources such as land records, directories, maps, and photographs to construct a compelling historical narrative.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop skills in archival research, digital source management and source cross-referencing to construct evidence-based historical narratives.
  • Investigate local histories using primary historical datasets and other heritage research tools.
  • Critically reflect on the process of historical inquiry in public history and cultural heritage contexts.  
  • Communicate findings that connect individual or site-based histories to broader public history themes, demonstrating the ability to tell nuanced historical stories through accessible formats.

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

This unit comprises 12 x 1.5 hr lectures and a 2 hour tutorial (for day students) and an online discussion forum for external students.

Time: Wednesdays 9-11; 11-1 (first week of semester)

Location: 212, 10 Hadenfeld Avenue.

Unit Schedule

Lecture/Tutorial Schedule

Week

Lecture

Tutorial

1 - 23 February

Introduction – Public history and Heritage.

Introductory

2 – 2 March

What is research in public history and heritage?

Setting up and Using Zotero

(With Anne Cleary from library)

3 – 9 March

Working in Museums of History NSW

Guest Lecture: Michael Lech, MH NSW

Approaching a House History

4 – 16 March

History in the work of Heritage, Environment and Planning

 

Guest Lecture: Catherine Colville, Environment and Heritage Planning, NSW Department of Communities and Justice

 

 

History Work in Heritage

5 – 23 March

Working with State Records

Guest Lecture: Bonnie Wildie, State Records NSW

Using State Records

6 – 30 March

Local Council/Community Records and Archives

Guest Lecture: Holly Millward, Community History Officer, Inner West Council – (and History grad from MQ!!)

Council Records and Trove

BREAK

BREAK

BREAK

7 – 20 April

Digital Public History

The practice and methods of digital Public History

8 – 27 April

Oral History

Guest Lecture: Dr Geraldine Fela (winner of the Prime Minister’s History Prize!)

The practice and methods of Oral History in and for Public History

9 – 4 May

Indigenous Heritage

Navigating and researching in the Indigenous Heritage space

10 – 11 May

Material Pasts: what can objects tell us about the past?

(Tutorial room/Gale History Museum)

 

Gale History Museum/3D digital objects (for online)

11 – 18 May

Whose History? Whose Heritage?

Navigating the Politics of Public History and Heritage

12 – 25 May

Representing Diasporic Public History and Heritage

Researching Community Histories and Migrant Heritage

13 – 1 June

Being a Public Historian

Guest lecture: Dr Naomi Parry Duncan (President of the Professional Historian’s Association, NSW)

Unit Reflection

 

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 2026.04 of the Handbook