HIST2650

War and Australian Society

10 Units 2000 Level Course

Not available in 2014

Previously offered in 2013

This course will survey and evaluate the courses and impact of war, from actual battlefield campaigns to the influence of war on people's day-to-day lives on the Australian homefront, over the course of the twentieth century. It will also challenge many traditional views and myths concerning ANZAC, the Australian homefront, and the role of atomic weapons in Australian defence thinking. Major topics to be addressed within this overview include Gallipoli and World War One, World War Two, and the search for postwar security. Within this range of conflicts, aspects of the Australian experience of war to be addressed include political strategy, military fortunes, homefront divisions, the experience of soldiering, and memories and legends.

Objectives Upon completion of this course students will be expected to: display understanding of the history of war and society in Australia in the twentieth century; display an ability to critically analyse primary and secondary documents in the war history field; be able to critically discuss aspects of war in Australia; and be able to bring historical knowledge to bear upon the understanding of present-day issues associated with war, its memory, its experience and its aftermath as these have affected, and continue to affect, Australia.
Content This course will survey and evaluate the courses and impact of war, from actual battlefield campaigns to the influence of war on people's day-to-day lives on the Australian homefront, over the course of the twentieth century. It will also challenge many traditional views and myths concerning ANZAC, the Australian homefront, and the role of atomic weapons in Australian defence thinking. Major topics to be addressed within this overview include Gallipoli and World War One, World War Two, and the search for postwar security. Within this range of conflicts, aspects of the Australian experience of war to be addressed include political strategy, military fortunes, homefront divisions, the experience of soldiering, and memories and legends.
Replacing Course(s) HIST3650 War and Australian Society.
Transition Students who have successfully completed HIST3650 are not permitted to enrol in HIST2650.
Industrial Experience 0
Assumed Knowledge 10 units of History at 1000 level or equivalent
Modes of Delivery Flexible Delivery / Student Centred Learning
Internal Mode
Teaching Methods Lecture
Tutorial
Assessment Items
Examination: Class (20%)
Essays / Written Assignments Major (45%)
Minor (25%)
Presentations - Tutorial (10%)
Contact Hours Lecture: for 1 hour(s) per Week for Full Term
Tutorial: for 1 hour(s) per Week for Full Term