Students

MHIX302 – Australian History Since 1901

2017 – S1 OUA

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Chelsea Barnett
Lorna Barrow
OUA Co-Ordinator
Matthew Bailey
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Australia changed dramatically through the course of the twentieth century. A group of bickering colonies federated, introduced radical social legislation that was the envy of the progressive world, were plunged into war in defence of the empire, suffered through the hardships of the great 1930s Depression, marched off to war again and, at its end, faced an uncertain future. Few suspected that a golden age of unheralded prosperity would soon blossom; even then, though, the dark clouds of the Cold War sent shivers through the burgeoning consumer’s paradise, and fundamentally influenced the political frameworks of the period. Australian History Since 1901 explores that great sweep of Australian history from Federation to the close of the twentieth century, considering the key social, cultural, economic and political changes that occurred. It is invaluable for students and teachers of Australian history and provides a sound foundation for understanding our national identity and the formation of modern Australia. All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Minor Essay 30% No Friday Week 5
Major Essay 50% No Friday Week 10
Unit Summary Task 10% No Thursday Week 13
Online Participation 10% No Assessed Weekly

Minor Essay

Due: Friday Week 5
Weighting: 30%

This task assesses your ability to construct a short written response (1200 words) to a supplied question. You need to demonstrate a clear and coherent understanding of the topic area, and should consult a variety of sources to produce a paper of quality. Your essay must be fully referenced, including footnotes and a bibliography - see the referencing guidelines on the unit's website for instructions. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Major Essay

Due: Friday Week 10
Weighting: 50%

The aim of this task is to assess your ability to produce an extended discussion in written form (3000 words) in response to a specific question. The questions are listed in the assessment section of the course website. We expect you to write your essay using the sources supplied with the questions, but we also expect you to do your own primary and secondary research. Your essay should be fully referenced in line with the unit's referencing guidelines. Marks will be deducted in the major essay for inadequate or incorrect referencing. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Unit Summary Task

Due: Thursday Week 13
Weighting: 10%

The non-invigilated take-home exam requires you to respond to questions that relate to broad aspects of the course content. The main purpose of this assessment task is to test your ability to produce a brief but clear and logical argument that is supported by evidence. The total word length for the exam is 1500 words. For this task, you need not consult any readings beyond those listed as required or recommended. Your responses must, however, be fully documented in the appropriate forms, with footnotes and a bibliography. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Online Participation

Due: Assessed Weekly
Weighting: 10%

The online discussion task, undertaken through the MHIX302 iLearn site, tests your ability to communicate ideas, your appreciation and comprehension of the themes and concepts discussed in the course, your ability to critically assess and evaluate the arguments of others, and your ability to clearly articulate your thoughts. It is also a task that monitors your progress across the unit topics. You are expected to do the weekly readings, participate in weekly discussions, and make postings within the time frame of each discussion topic. These begin on Monday of the discussion and run through to the following Sunday. You should look to answer all the set questions each week, as well as engaging with the posts of other students. Each individual post should be at least 100 words. While you might find that some questions require longer responses, please keep them to a reasonable length. A professional and courteous approach towards staff and fellow students is expected at all times. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Delivery and Resources

Lectures and weekly readings are available through the MHIX302 iLearn site. Weekly discussions will take place in the discussion forums on iLearn. 

Unit Schedule

Week 1

Introduction

 

Week 2

Federation and White Australia

 

Week 3

Preparing for War and Going to War

 

Week 4

Governing the Great Depression

 

Week 5

World War II and the Turn to America

Minor Essay due Friday of this week

Week 6

1950s – Cold War/Golden Age

 

Week 7

The Stolen Generation

 

Week 8

Vietnam

 

Week 9

Whitlam and the Dismissal

 

Week 10

The Women’s Liberation Movement

Major Essay due Friday of this week

Week 11

Australia and Multiculturalism

 

Week 12

The Age of Mabo? Native Title and Reconciliation

Questions for Unit Summary Task released Thursday of this week

Week 13

Teaching Australian History

Unit Summary Task due Thursday of this week

Policies and Procedures

Late Submission - applies unless otherwise stated elsewhere in the unit guide

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Extension Request

Special Consideration Policy and Procedure (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration)

The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.

You need to show that the circumstances:

  1. were serious, unexpected and unavoidable
  2. were beyond your control
  3. caused substantial disruption to your academic work
  4. substantially interfered with your otherwise satisfactory fulfilment of the unit requirements
  5. lasted at least three consecutive days or a total of 5 days within the teaching period and prevented completion of an assessment task scheduled for a specific date.

If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:

  1. Visit Ask MQ and use your OneID to log in
  2. Fill in your relevant details
  3. Attach supporting documents by clicking 'Add a reply', click 'Browse' and navigating to the files you want to attach, then click 'Submit Form' to send your notification and supporting documents
  4. Please keep copies of your original documents, as they may be requested in the future as part of the assessment process

Outcome

Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.

OUA Specific Policies and Procedures

Withdrawal from a unit after the census date

You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.

If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.

If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.

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_2016.html

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

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

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://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.

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 outcome

  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online Participation

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

  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online 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

  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online Participation

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

  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online 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

  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online 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 outcomes

  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online Participation

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

  • Read and analyse different kinds of historical evidence, including visual and textual sources
  • Find, analyse, and apply historical information (especially self-located research materials)
  • Communicate effectively in oral forms, and in a range of written forms
  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Discuss the emergence of new political and social forms
  • Identify socially complex problems, and work out paths of investigation/creative resolution in your written work

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online 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

  • Participate actively in group discussions
  • Describe the main changes and continuities in Australian society since 1901
  • Understand Australia's basic political, administrative, and economic structures
  • Outline the dominant understandings and ideologies since 1901
  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online 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 outcomes

  • Explain how Australia interacted with the rest of the world in the twentieth century
  • Understand the interactions between Australians of different backgrounds and persuasions

Assessment tasks

  • Minor Essay
  • Major Essay
  • Unit Summary Task
  • Online Participation