Sub sections:

History Units

HIST 111: Medieval Europe
Dr Eric Acheson

This unit focuses on the development of Europe between the end of the so-called dark ages in the eleventh century and the Renaissance of the fifteenth. It deals with the violent and bitter struggles between the Church and secular rulers, crusades, problems facing the medieval Empire, the development of feudalism, the consolidation of some kingdoms and the collapse of others and, finally, the steps taken by Europeans in the fifteenth century into a wider world beyond the seas.

Prescribed Book:
M. Keen, The Penguin History of Medieval Europe, Penguin.
R. H. C. Davis, D. Waley and P. Denley, The High Middle Ages and Later Medieval Europe, Pearson Custom Publishing.

HIST 112: Early Modern Europe 1450-1650
Professor David Kent

This unit adopts a thematic approach concentrating on some of the mightiest forces that shaped Europe in the sixteenth century, namely the Renaissance, the turmoil of the Reformation and the processes of state-building. Within these broader themes, topics will include humanism, the print revolution, witchcraft and politico-religious developments in Tudor England, Valois France and Habsburg Spain.

Prescribed Book:
Koenigsberger, H.F., Mosse, G.L. and Bowler, G.Q., Europe in the Sixteenth Century, Longman.

HIST 141: Traditional China and Japan
Dr Denis Wright

This unit explores the traditions and cultural history of East Asia before the modern era. The treatment is thematic rather than chronological, covering, in historical context, the cultural impact of the main religious traditions of China and Japan - Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and Shinto, the unification of China, the imperial system, the influence of class on imperial history, the emergent literary and artistic traditions, the position of women and the role of foreign influence on Chinese and Japanese history. The unit integrates where possible online and traditional learning techniques and is assessed through assignments rather than by formal examination. It may be done as a fully online unit.

Prescribed Books:
Smith, Huston, 1991, The World's Religions, Penguin.
Schirokauer, Conrad et al, 2005, A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilisations. (3rd ed.), Thomsom Wadsworth.
[NOTE: Earlier editions of Schirokauer and Huston Smith are acceptable.]

HIST 142: Traditional South and Southeast Asia [*** NOT 2007 ***]
To be advised

This unit explores the traditions and cultural history of South and South-east Asia before the modern era. The treatment is thematic rather than chronological, covering, in historical context, the cultural impact of the main religious traditions on the subcontinent and South-east Asia - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam, the unification of India, the great empires, the influence of class and caste in Indian history, the literary and artistic traditions, the position of women and the Indo-Islamic synthesis. The unit integrates where possible online and traditional learning techniques and is assessed through assignments rather than by formal examination. It may be done as a fully online unit.

Prescribed Books:
Smith, Huston, 1991, The World's Religions, Penguin.
Thapar, R. A History of India, Vol 1, Penguin.

HIST 150: Colonial Australians
Dr David Roberts

This unit introduces sources and methods used to study Australian colonial history. It also introduces a variety of events and issues which influenced the lives of colonial Australians, and the continuing debates which surround them. Topics covered include the origins of European settlement, race relations, the convict experience, protest and punishment, the city and the bush, the position of women, writers and painters and federation.

Prescribed Book:
Macintyre, S. A Concise History of Australia, CUP.
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 151: Australians Since Federation
Erin Ihde/Andrew Piper

This unit examines the lives of Australians since federation paying particular attention to topics and issues which relate to current debates. The unit also introduces the variety of sources and methods available to historians concerned to understand and communicate aspects of twentieth century Australian history. Topics covered include white Australia, Australians at war, domestic and suburban life, pubs and booze, sport, the cold war, babyboomers, and the sixties.

Prescribed Book:
Macintyre, S. A Concise History of Australia, CUP.
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 304: The Age of the Vikings
Dr Eric Acheson

The Age of the Vikings deals with the 'golden age' of Scandinavian history, a period of great adventure and of monumental achievements between about 800AD and 1050. While most histories of the Vikings tend to focus upon their acts of destruction (and History 304 is no exception in this regard), the unit will also consider them as builders of distinct communities in England, Ireland and France as well as across the Atlantic in Iceland, Greenland and America. We shall also consider the reasons behind Norwegian and Danish expansion and the effects that this expansion had, not only upon society and political institutions in the west but also in Scandinavia itself.

Prescribed Books:
Jones, G. A History of the Vikings, O.U.P.
The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America. Trans. M. Magnusson and H. Palsson. Penguin Classics.

HIST 305: Byzantine History AD 330-1025 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Lynda Garland

A study of Byzantine political, social and military history from the foundation of Constantinople to the reign of Basil II the 'Bulgar-slayer'. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature of imperial government, the importance of heresies and religious developments within the empire, life at the Byzantine Court and relationships with Byzantium's neighbours, such as the barbarians, Persians, Arabs, and western Europe.

Prescribed Books:
Procopius, The Secret History, trans. GA Williamson, Penguin.
Psellus, M., Fourteen Byzantine Rulers trans. ERA Sewter, Penguin.

HIST 307: An Age of Uncertainty: Later Plantagenet England [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Eric Acheson

'A period of disaster' when 'a general feeling of impending calamity hangs over all' and 'perpetual danger prevails everywhere'. Whereas we may be forgiven for thinking that these words were written about our own times, they in fact express the conventional wisdom about late-medieval Europe. In England, where historians emphasize the economic depression, the growth in social tensions, the decline of kingship and increasing lawlessness, the picture appears to be equally gloomy. In this unit we examine the reasons for these negative images: the Black Death, economic decline, peasant uprisings, religious dissent, the long and disastrous war in France (the so-called Hundred Years War) and civil war at home (the Wars of the Roses). We also look closely at the fortunes of one family, the Pastons, to discover how it was possible to thrive and prosper in an age of uncertainty.

Prescribed Books:
Davis, N. (ed.), The Paston Letters. A Selection in Modern Spelling. World's Classics, OUP.
Keen, M.H., England in the Later Middle Ages. A Political History, Routledge.
Keen, M., English Society in the Later Middle Ages 1348-1500. Penguin.

HIST 308: The Crusades
A/Professor Lynda Garland

A study of the crusades and their impact on Byzantium and the Near East, including the origins of the crusading movement, the political, economic and military motives which inspired the crusades, the foundation and collapse of the crusader kingdoms, and relations between the west, Byzantium and the Turks between AD 1000 and 1453. Assessment will be by written assignments and an examination.

Prescribed Books:
Comnena, A., 1969, The Alexiad of Anna Comnena, tr. E.R.A. Sewter, Penguin.
Joinville and Villehardouin, 1969, Chronicles of the Crusades, tr. M.R. B. Shaw, Penguin.
Richard, J., The Crusades (or the Riley-Smith book), Cambridge.
Riley-Smith, J., A Short History of the Crusades (or the Richard book), Oxford.

HIST 318: Victims of Whiggery: the Tolpuddle Martyrs' England [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Professor David Kent

In 1834 six agricultural labourers from Tolpuddle in Dorset were tried on trumped-up charges and transported. They had attempted to form a trade union. This famous incident is the focus for an examination of the social, economic and political environment which prompted both the labourers' action and the government's response. The major themes studied will include: rural poverty, the progress of 'combination', the 'Swing' riots, the legacy of Dissent, the impact of Parliamentary reform, and the significance of the Tolpuddle case for popular radicalism. Assessment will be by coursework assignments.

Prescribed Books:
Selected Readings available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 319: Custom and Community: Popular Culture in Britain c.1650-c.1850
Professor David Kent

This unit will examine how ordinary people in pre-industrial Britain confronted and dealt with the world around them. It will explore the attitudes and beliefs which shaped the way the majority of men and women lived and worked. It will concentrate on the norms and values which sustained a community's social existence and pay particular attention to the ritual and symbolic means by which they were expressed. Topics covered are likely to include: The village community; getting a living; avoiding distress; forms of recreation; censure and protest; personal relations; women and work; alternative belief; popular Protestantism; literacy and popular culture.

Prescribed Books:
Selected Readings available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 324: Ashes to ashes: Germany 1918-1945 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Rob Knowles

This unit focuses on the political and social history of Germany between 1918 and 1945. Significant historiographical issues will be explored. The first part concentrates on the nature of the Weimar Republic and its demise; the second part focuses on the rise of the Nazi Party and the nature of, and eventual collapse of, the Third Reich. Topic areas include the politics of the ruling elite and the people, the economy and social differentiation, Weimar culture, regional differences, the experience of ethnic minorities, the racial ideologies of the Nazi dictatorship, and the German conduct of the war, including the Holocaust.

Prescribed Books:
A.J. Nicholls, Weimar and the rise of Hitler, 4th edn., Palgrave Macmillan, 2000 - or an earlier edition.
Ian Kershaw, The Nazi Dictatorship: problems and perspectives of interpretation, 4th edn., Arnold, 2000.

HIST 328: Europe in War and Peace, 1914 to the present
Dr Rob Knowles

This unit identifies and examines circumstances leading up to, and consequences of, major instances of turmoil and transition in twentieth century Europe. The period begins with the Russian revolution in 1917 and the aftermath of World War one. Later issues include the interwar period, fascism in Italy and Germany, the Spanish Civil War, origins and outcomes of World War Two, European integration, the Cold War in Europe, the collapse of Soviet and European communism, and post-communist conditions since 1990. Throughout the unit, attention is given to both eastern and western Europe.

Prescribed Books:
Mazower, M., Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century. Vintage Books.Laqueur, W., Europe in our time: A history 1945-1992, Penguin.
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 329: Australia and the World: an International History
Dr Frank Bongiorno

This unit explores the history of Australia's place in the world in the twentieth century, with an emphasis on changing relations with Great Britain, the United States of America and Asia. Particular attention is paid to foreign and defence policies, but these are placed in appropriate social, political, economic and cultural contexts, and related to larger shifts in Australian national identity. Assessment is by assignment work.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 330: Australian Local History
Dr Frank Bongiorno

This unit provides a grounding in the concepts and methodology of local history, and their practice in Australia. Students will analyse several varieties of local history, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. They will be introduced to a wide range of primary sources, and asked to reflect on the relationship of local history both to the broader 'history world', and to the social, cultural and political contexts in which it is produced. Assessment will be by assignment work.

Prescribed Books:
Davison, G., The Use and Abuse of Australian History. Allen & Unwin.
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 333: History Through Monuments
Dr Andrew Piper

Monuments and cemeteries are a particularly valuable source of historical evidence. They both commemorate and perpetuate memory, and fix meaning on the landscape - meaning that changes over time. This changing meaning and the changing treatment of death and public memory will be explored using Australian and international examples. Of particular interest to local and family historians will be study of the theory and method for research and interpretation of cemeteries. Students enrolling in this unit must have access to a general cemetery and/or a public monument/memorial. Field work is necessary.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 335: Heritage Conservation [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Andrew Piper

The general philosophy, practice and current state of Heritage Conservation in Australia should be appreciated by the local historian, not only to be more enlightened, but also to be in the position to change and improve prevailing policy if the need is seen.

This unit encourages greater awareness of heritage issues and controversies and provides students with new research skills to analyse and evaluate the worth of heritage items in their local communities. Fundamental concepts in heritage are critically examined.

Prescribed Books:
Semple, Kerr, J., Conservation Plan. 5th ed. National Trust of Australia (NSW).
Marquis-Kyle, P. and Walker, M. The Illustrated Burra Charter: Good Practice for Heritage Places, Burwood, Icomos, 2004

HIST 337: History and Museums
A-Professor Janis Wilton

This unit looks at the role of museums in collecting and presenting history. Emphasis is placed upon the ideologies which underscore collecting policies and display presentations. Issues of collection management and practices of conservation are examined. Students also have the opportunity to do practical work in a museum.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 338: Australian Frontiers: Rural and Regional Histories
Dr. David Roberts

This unit explores the history of individuals, families and communities on the fringes of settler society in Australia during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In particular, it looks at the relationships between settlers and the land they inhabited, including conflicting views over the use and ownership of that land, and the evolution of regional and community identities. It also considers the idea of the frontier and the bush as the supposed founding ground of Australian identity and character.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 339: The Family in Australian History
Dr Andrew Piper

This unit studies the history of the family as a social institution in Australian society. Students examine the structure of households and the formation of families, and particular emphasis placed on the changing roles within the family, and changing ideologies of the family, during the nineteenth and twentieth century. Students have the opportunity to do a practical assignment on the history of their ancestors' family.

Prescribed Books:
Nil.

HIST 341: Life and Society in Kipling's British India [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Professor Howard Brasted

This unit studies the British occupation of India, from the time of conquest to the height of 'Victorian' power at the end of the nineteenth century.

Attention will focus on the following themes:

(a) the development of imperial attitudes to India and Indians: racism takes shape;

(b) the changing goals and methods of British rule: educating or exploiting India;

Prescribed Books:
Hutchins, F.G., The Illusion of Permanence: British Imperialism in India, Princeton.
Wolpert, S., A New History of India, OUP.

HIST 342: Gandhi and Non-violent Action in the 20th Century [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Professor Howard Brasted

This unit studies India's unique liberation from British rule, its traumatic partition with Muslim Pakistan, and its emerging identity as a Hindu fundamentalist, nuclear armed, state.

Particular focus will be placed on Gandhi's contribution to these processes:

(a) his philosophy of non-violent action: satyagraha (soul force);

(b) his fusing of religion and politics; and

Prescribed Books:
Bondurant, J., Conquest of Violence: The Gandhian Philosophy of Conflict, California.
Gandhi, M.K., An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth, Navajivan Trust Penguin.
Wolpert, S., A New History of India, OUP.

HIST 343: Islam in the Modern World
Professor Howard Brasted/Dr Denis Wright

This unit attempts to explain the dramatic resurgence and re-assertion of Islamic culture in recent times, focusing on West Asia and the Middle East. Emphasis will be placed on the emergence of Islam as a major world religion, and on a number of, especially, twentieth century developments:

(i) the creation of new Muslim states;

(ii) the challenge of Islamic fundamentalism;

(iii) the causes of anti-westernism.

Prescribed Books:
Esposito, J., Islam: The Straight Path, Oxford, 1991.
Roy, O., The Failure of Political Islam, Harvard UP, 1994.

HIST 348: Russia: from Kievan Rus to Lenin [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Rob Knowles

This unit traces the history of Russia, from Kievan Rus to the 10th century, through invasion by the Mongol hordes, to the establishment of the first Tsarist dynasty. The influence of various important Tsars is then examined in succession, before finally emphasising the social and political conditions of Tsarist Russia in the decades before the communist Revolution in 1917. The multi-ethnic character of the Russian empire is emphasised throughout the unit in order to be able to identify the heritage of the new states which have become visible in the region since the collapse of Soviet communism.

Prescribed Books:
Kappeler, A., The Russian Empire: A Multiethnic History, OUP.
Riasanovsky, N., A History of Russia, OUP.
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 351: Convict Australia
Dr David Roberts

This unit studies one of the central issues of white settlement in Australia. It places transportation and convict life within the context of settlement and British policy as a whole, while at the same time examining the moral issues surrounding nineteenth-century crime and punishment. We seek to understand the way the system was managed and the way convict men and women sought to make the most of their situation in this country.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 354: Aboriginal History since the Late Eighteenth Century [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr David Roberts

The unit looks at the experiences of Aboriginal people from Cook to the Reconciliation Movement. It will emphasise first contacts, dispossession and disempowerment; policies of dispersal, segregation and forced assimilation; Aboriginal resistance; the development of Aboriginal political activism; and the Aboriginal struggle for land rights and political and cultural recognition.

Prescribed Book:
Broome, R., Aboriginal Australians. (2nd ed.) Allen & Unwin, 1995.

HIST 357: Themes in Modern European History, 1815-1914 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Rob Knowles

This unit comprises a survey of themes in the history of modern Europe, between 1815 and 1914. Those themes may include changes in the balance of political and economic power; influences of the 'old regime', revolts against the state and state reaction; the growth of population, transport, and industrialisation; socialism, nationalism, imperialism; warfare and war. Historical approaches will be both political and social.

Prescribed Book:
Gildea, R., Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914, OUP.

HIST 359: War and Society in Twentieth-Century Australia
Dr Frank Bongiorno

This unit examines the experience of war in twentieth-century Australia, with an emphasis on culture, society and politics. It will consider the themes of power, class, gender, race, ethnicity, nationalism, religion and region in relation to the various conflicts in which Australians have been involved during the century.

Prescribed Books:
Inglis, K.S., Sacred Places, MUP (paperback).
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 361: The Cold War and Popular Culture [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Erin Ihde

This unit explores the history of the Cold War from a cultural perspective, with especial emphasis on the Australian experience. It seeks to provide an understanding of the 'climate of fear' that pervaded the world for over forty years. This will be achieved through the study of literature, film, television, music and other cultural forms from the era.

Prescribed Books:
TBA.

HIST 365: Nation Building: History of the United States from Settlement to Civil War
Dr Jennifer Clark

This unit covers the growth of American society from colonial settlement through revolution to civil war. Of particular importance will be those events and developments that encouraged national unity and those which forced the nation to divide. Major areas of study will be colonial life, the Revolution and its aftermath, the African-American experience and patterns of nineteenth century change. This unit can form part of the American Studies program.

Prescribed Books:
Norton, M.B., et. al., A People and a Nation, Vol. I: to 1877, 6th edn., Houghton & Mifflin.
Cobbs Hoffman, E., and Gjerde, J., Major Problems in American History, Vol. I: to 1877. Houghton & Mifflin.

HIST 366: Modern America: The United States after the Civil War [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Jennifer Clark

This unit maps the growth and development of modern America. Emphasis is given to major political, social and cultural trends such as immigration, industrialisation, urbanisation, reform, the experience of war and its aftermath, depression, civil rights, the impact of the new sensibility of the 1960s and the rise of America as a world power. This unit can be taken as part of the American Studies program.

Prescribed Books:
Norton, M.B., et. al., A People and a Nation, Vol. II: to 1877, 6th edn., Houghton & Mifflin.
Cobbs Hoffman, E., and Gjerde, J., Major Problems in American History, Vol. II: to 1877. Houghton & Mifflin.

HIST 367: Issues in Church History: Australia and America
Dr Jennifer Clark

This reading unit explores selected issues in church history affecting Australia and the United States. Topics to be covered include sectarianism, secularisation, the ecumenical movement, the impact of the women's movement, the challenge of the 1960s, evangelical revival and modernisation. Assessment is by research project or two essays. This unit can be taken as part of the American Studies program.

Prescribed Books:
Nil.

HIST 368: The Swinging Sixties: The 1960s in America, Britain and Australia
Dr Jennifer Clark

This unit examines the 'swinging sixties' in the United States, Britain and Australia. Major topics of study will include Vietnam and the anti-war movement, the women's movement, the civil rights campaigns and popular culture. This unit can form part of the American Studies program.

Prescribed Books:
Nil.

HIST 373: Australian Architecture, Buildings and Lifestyles, 1788-1980 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Andrew Piper

This unit examines the history of the built environment with emphasis on the ideologies, fantasies and various constraints expressed through the design and style of public and domestic buildings. There will be modules on changing architectural styles; the Australian house; and specialist buildings such as churches, pubs, cinemas, monuments and other categories. Changing technologies, changing notions of the family; and changing attitutde towards community and corporate space are also covered.

Prescribed Books:
Apperly, R., Irving, R., & Reynolds, P., Identifying Australian Architecture: Styles and Terms from 1788 to the Present, Angus and Robertson, 1989.

HIST 376: Oral History [*** NOT 2007 ***]
A/Professor Janis Wilton

This unit introduces the theory and method behind the recording and use of oral histories in documenting, reconstructing and analysing aspects of Australian history. Students will then apply the knowledge and skills acquired to record, analyse and present the memories of an individual of their choice.

Prescribed Books:
Perks, R. & Thomson, A., The Oral History Reader, Routledge.
Robertson, B., Oral history Handbook. 3rd edition, Oral History Association of Australia.

HIST 378: Sexuality in Australian History [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Frank Bongiorno

This unit will explore some key themes in the history of sexuality in Australia since 1788, with an emphasis on changing ideas, attitudes, practices and identities, and the relationship between antipodean and international developments. Topics to be studied may vary from year to year, but will include convicts and sexuality; sexual relations on the frontier; prostitution, sexual violence; the changing attitudes of the feminist movement towards sexuality; sex reform and sexology; the regulation of sexuality by the state; and the transformation of sexual cultures, ideas and practices in Australia. Assessment will be by written assignments.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE

HIST 391: Special Option A

HIST 392: Special Option B
Special Options can be used by students enrolled:

(a) in either the Advanced or Graduate Diplomas in Local, Family and Applied History who are completing their award and who, due to the changes in the availability of their Group II units, cannot enrol in the unit of their choice. If you fall into this category you are advised first to contact A-Professor Janis Wilton (ph: 02 6773 2107).

(b) to pursue a specialised course of study in a particular area. This can only be done by first consulting the appropriate member of staff. This may be part of an existing unit, or a unit taught at a different level or a reading unit devised in consultation with the supervising member of staff.

Topics in American Popular Culture
(Dr Jennifer Clark)

This reading unit can be taken in first semester either as History 381 or in second semester as History 382. It is available to both internal and external students and has no residential school.
This unit permits students to explore up to three topics in American popular culture. Topics cover a variety of subject areas (slavery, the wild west, myths and heroism etc) through a variety of modes (film, television, music, literature, performance etc).
Assessment is by essay/essays totalling 6000 words. There is no examination.
Students wishing to take this reading course should consult Dr Jennifer Clark before enrolling.

HIST 397: Individual Research Project
By arrangement

A unit intended for, but not confined to, those students proceeding to honours. It will consist of a 6000-word essay in a subject determined by the student in consultation with a supervisor. It will normally be preceded by a bibliographic exercise relevant to the research. Permission of a supervisor and the Head of School is essential before enrolment.

This unit is especially recommended to students in the Advanced and Graduate Diplomas in Local and Applied History where the same 6000 word essay and bibliographic exercise, as mentioned above, will be required, but with a specific local history theme. The unit will require local history students to undertake an approved research project on a local history theme, and to construct an interpretative and analytical essay which weds their primary research to the secondary literature in the topic area. Local Family and Applied History students should contact Dr Janis Wilton, Dr Frank Bongiorno or Dr David Roberts to discuss their project.

HIST 405: Byzantine History AD 330-1025 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Lynda Garland

Prescribed Books:
Procopius, The Secret History, trans. GA Williamson, Penguin.
Psellus, M., Fourteen Byzantine Rulers trans. ERA Sewter, Penguin.

HIST 408: The Crusades
A/Professor Lynda Garland

HIST 429: Australia and the World: an International History
Dr Frank Bongiorno

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 438: Australian Frontiers: Rural and Regional Histories [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr. David Roberts

HIST 448: Russia: from Kievan Rus to Lenin [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Rob Knowles

Prescribed Books:
Kappeler, A., The Russian Empire: A Multiethnic History, OUP.
Riasanovsky, N., A History of Russia, OUP.
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 452: Regional Security and Intelligence Since 1945 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
A/Professor Iain Spence

This unit examines the major issues in the history of regional defence and military intelligence from 1945. Issues discussed include: ANZUS; the Cold War; Korea; Suez; Confrontation; Vietnam; the Fiji coup; the Gulf War; and peacekeeping operations (eg Somalia and Bougainville). The emphasis is on the part played by intelligence in the planning and conduct of Australian and New Zealand defence policy, peace-keeping and military operations in a regional context. Assessment is by two essays and a pre-circulated two-hour examination.

Prescribed Books:
Resource Booklet available from the United Campus Bookshop, UNE.

HIST 453: The History of Military Intelligence
A/Professor Iain Spence

This unit covers the development of intelligence services and intelligence practices from the ancient world to the present and the influence that intelligence has had on the planning and conduct of military operations. Particular attention is paid to the changing nature of, and major developments in, military intelligence from the genesis of the modern nation state and the increasing influence of information and associated technologies. Students will analyse particular operations in a variety of historical periods to determine the key features of successful military intelligence. Assessment is based on two essays, each worth 50% of the total marks for the unit.

Prescribed Books:
Nil.

HIST 454: Imagining Australia: Empire, Nation, Sovereignty
Dr Erin Ihde

Understanding the emergence of national consciousness has long been a central preoccupation of Australian historical writing. This unit considers concepts of imperialism, nationalism and sovereignty in Australian history and historiography, with an emphasis on their treatment in recent historical writing. Topics to be studied include national identity; popular sovereignty; republicanism; the transition from a White Australia to multiculturalism; gender; Federation; war; Britishness, Aboriginality; and ideas of place. Assessment will be by assignment work.

Prescribed Book :
Nil.

HIST 456: Australian Public History
A/Professor Janis Wilton

This unit examines the presentation of history to Australian communities through the visual expressions of buildings, precincts, monuments and museums. It looks at both the messages conveyed and the manner in which they have been received. It challenges students to think about heritage and the meanings we convey when history is presented publicly. The unit offers a number of modules which allows students to specialise in particular areas, and requires students to combine field observation with primary and secondary source readings.

Prescribed Books:
Nil.

HIST 457: Themes in Modern European History, 1815-1914 [*** NOT 2007 ***]
Dr Rob Knowles

Prescribed Books:
Gildea, R., Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914, OUP.

HIST 495: Understanding History
To Be Announced

This unit explores some methodological, philosophical and theoretical issues involved in the research and presentation of histories, and introduces postgraduate students to independent historical research. What is it that historians do? What is the nature of historical knowledge? What is the relationship between 'fact' and 'interpretation'? What role do values play in the research and writing of history? The unit is designed as a preparation unit for students contemplating independent research projects, particularly HIST 498, but it examines issues and questions relevant to all students studying history at the postgraduate level.

Prescribed Books:
To Be Announced

HIST 496: Individual Research Project A

Normally, to undertake this unit students must have passed 24 credit points and gained the permission of the Head of the School of Classics, History and Religion. The head of the school may also give permission in some circumstances to students from other discipline areas.

Prescribed Book:
By Arrangement.

HIST 497: Individual Research Project B

A unit intended for, but not confined to, those students proceeding to honours. It will consist of a 6,000-word essay in a subject determined by the student in consultation with a supervisor. It will normally be preceded by a bibliographic exercise relevant to the research. Permission of a supervisor and the Head of School is essential before enrolment.

HIST 498: Individual Research Project

A unit for students enrolled in MA candidature. It will consist of one or more essays amounting to 12,000 words on a subject or subjects determined by the supervisor in consultation with the student.

Global UNE Links:

School of Classics, History and Religion

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History Units