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HIST511 Crime, Incarceration, Servitude: Historical Views

Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 2 Off Campus
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions None
Notes None
Combined Units None
Coordinator(s) Andrew Piper (andrew.piper@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

Enslavement, incarceration and servitude are part of the historical social fabric of many cultures. Such practices allowed societies to order their world while they simultaneously served as a means to punish and enforce social control. Incarceration has been used as a form of punishment for criminal activities, as a means to detain those perceived of holding undesirable ideologies or illnesses, and as a means to maximise profit through the use of unfree labour. This unit will take a historical and theoretical approach to the study of the interrelationships between crime (in its broadest definition), incarceration and servitude, through specific case studies across a diverse selection of historical periods, cultures and political contexts. Through these case studies students will explore a range of thematic issues through subjects as diverse as slavery, the rise of the prison, and a range of other institutional settings.
Materials Textbook information will be displayed approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. critically discuss concepts of incarceration and servitude as appropriate to the context of their chosen area of study;
  2. critically discuss historical issues and problems that specifically relate to the context of selected topic areas;
  3. select and synthesise ideas from primary and other sources;
  4. present an argument addressing effective communication strategies to present a properly documented argument addressing an historical problem or issue; and
  5. discuss the relevance of historical problems and issues to contemporary societies.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Students will be introduced to the sources and methods used by historians and, through online discussions will be required to discuss and apply their learning. They will be assessed on aspects of disciplinary practise in each of their essays. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
Students will be assessed on the style of writing, clarity of writing, expression and development of ideas, and referencing. Students will practise their communication skills through completing the essays. 		True True
3 Global Perspectives
The study of history is geared towards the development of global perspectives and cross-cultural literacy. The content of each module within the unit will address international events and developments, requiring students to think about global issues and perspectives, as well as the universality of the central course themes. 		True True True
4 Information Literacy
Students will required to find, access and interpret source material (in a variety of media including, for example, printed, pictorial, oral and built structures) from archives and libraries, as well as work with online sources in order to undertake research. 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
Students will be taught how to engage in independent research and to structure their own learning programs. The unit will emphasise the progressive development of knowledge, and the diverse ways in which it is moulded by continuing research, scholarly conversation and often vigorous debate. As such, the unit does not focus on a finite body of knowledge. Rather it encourages open enquiry, ongoing debate and a desire to seek out more and question further. These are independent learning skills which can be applied to other learning situations throughout life. 		True True
6 Problem Solving
A central part of this unit requires students to research and solve the problems posed by their assessment tasks. They will be required to identify critical elements in the problem before formulating a method of solving it and proceeding to collect, collate and analyse the relevant information. They will also encounter questions and other problem solving activities that will prepare students for their assessment tasks. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
Students will be taught about their professional responsibilities as a researcher to provide balanced and accurate research. In addition, students will be taught that they have a social responsiility to question and challenge some 'facts'. This will be taught and assessed through their responses to the essays and discussions in online postings. 		True True True
8 Team Work
History is essentially a social endeavour and cooperation between interested and committed scholars is integral to work in the field. Students will be encouraged to work in teams. In particular this will occur through the online discussions where students will be encouraged to share their resources and issues they encounter in the course of their study. 		True
   

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