Historical Themes in Australian Politics

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

85 hours

Admission into 101AA Ph.D.- Arts or DR-PHILART Doctor of Philosophy in Arts.

None

None

None

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

These seminars will examine some of the principal features of the Australian political system, their genesis and effects, and the ways that students of Australian political history have engaged with them. The topics include the origins of democracy in Australia, the forms of state activity, the nature and consequences of the federal compact, political parties and political participation, transformative moments in Australian political history and impediments to change, and movements of protest and dissent. The seminars are intended to provide participants with an historical context for research in Australian politics and an understanding of the different schools of interpretation.

On successful completion of this subject, students should have:

• enhanced knowledge of Australian political history;
• an ability to reflect upon their own research work in relation to the content of the module; and
• enhanced engagement with leading-edge research in particular areas of history and political science.

1. One 500-word essay proposal (20%), due in week 4.

2. One 2,000-word negotiated essay (80%), due 2 weeks after teaching.

Hurdle Requirement: Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of classes in order to pass this subject.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

This subject will contribute, through teaching and discussion with academic staff and peers, to developing skills and capacities including those identified in the University-defined Graduate Attributes for the PhD, in particular:

• the capacity to contextualise research within an international corpus of specialist knowledge;
• an advanced ability to engage in critical reflection, synthesis and evaluation of research-based and scholarly literature; and
• an advanced understanding of key disciplinary and multi-disciplinary norms and perspectives relevant to the field.