Module manager: Dr Alexia Moncrieff
Email: A.Moncrieff@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is approved as a discovery module
The home of the world’s oldest continuing civilisation, colonised by Britain, supposedly 'born on the beaches of Gallipoli' and located on the edge of Asia, Australian society has many influences. With half of its citizens having at least one parent born somewhere else, it is a nation of migrants. Purportedly a classless society and proudly the land of the ‘fair go', inequalities persist across Australian society. This module examines the factors and events that have shaped Australian society and culture since Federation in 1901, including the enacting and eventual dismantling of the White Australia Policy, the treatment of Aboriginal people and campaigns for Indigenous land rights, the changing role of women in society, and the domestic legacies of wars. Over the course of the module, students will explore the social, cultural, political and economic changes that have shaped Australia and the effects of those changes on its people, questioning ideas of identity, nation, race and gender.
The objectives of this module are:
- To assess the nature of social, political and cultural change in Australia after 1901
- To examine the responses to and effects of these changes.
- To analyse the ways in which individuals and groups construct Australian identity to advocate for or against change.
- To understand the diversity of the Australian experience
- To critically analyse written and visual primary sources relating to the themes of the module
- To evaluate historiographical developments in the history of modern Australia
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Critically assess significant events, people, places and themes in modern Australian history
2. Identify and explain the shifts and transformations in Australian politics and society since 1901
3. Use physical and digital archives to locate relevant primary sources
4. Critically evalaute the sources, methods and arguments used by historians of Australia and scholars in cognate disciplines
5. Evaluate and synthesise information from a range of sources
6. Adapt the style of written communication to suit academic and non-academic audiences
Topics may include:
Federation
Indigenous rights
Wartime in Australia and its domestic legacies
Protest and change
Migration and multiculturalism
Everyday life
Australian identity
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Practical Demonstration | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Reading and preparation for seminars
Further self-directed reading
Research for and preparation of assessments
Office hours and individual tutorials
Students will submit a plan (with bibliography) for their biography in Week 5 and will receive feedback prior to submission of the summative assessment in week 8. Students will also receive feedback on their biography and have the opportunity for an individual consultation prior to the submission of the essay.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | 1500-word biography (40%) | 60 |
| Assignment | 2500-word essay (60%) | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
For the biography, students will be given the name of an Australian soldier who served in the First World War whose papers are held in Special Collections. They will then find their soldier’s digitised service record held by the National Archives of Australia. They will need to use material from both archives (and others if relevant) to write a biography of the individual, and contextualise the soldier’s experience by engaging with the secondary literature. They need to synthesise that information and present a compelling biography written for a non-academic audience. During the practicals (one in Special Collections, one online) the tutor will demonstrate how to use both archives and how to search other relevant digital sources. The materials from Special Collections have all been pre-screened to ensure that they are suitable for use (readable handwriting etc.) and that they have enough material in them for students to work with.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 02/05/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team