AustLit

Introduces students to the study of Australian history at the tertiary level. Topics covered include race and gender relations, convict society, and the growth of self-government. Emphasis is placed on academic skills, such as note taking, research, analysis and essay writing, which are widely applicable to the tertiary study of history and to humanities subjects in general.

ObjectivesBy the end of this course the student will:

1. be introduced to, and familiar with, the study of Australian history at the tertiary level.

2. be aware of a range of key ideas and events in Australian history before Federation.

3. possess a set of conceptual tools with which to analyse and evaluate Australian history.

4. have practised note taking and effective listening skills in lectures.

5. be acquainted with the basic components and skills involved in the production and presentation of academic essays.

6. be familiar with and have practised the skills required for effective examination performance.

Content* An introduction, outlining the nature of history as a discipline, providing a course overview and some conceptual frameworks.

* Race relations in Australia, in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, beginning with a consideration of pre-contact Aboriginal Australia.

* Convict society.

* Selected aspects of the history of gender relations in colonial Australia.

* The development of self-government in Australia until Federation.