The Making of Modern Australia

Undergraduate | 2026

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area/catalogue icon
Area/Catalogue
HIST 2002
Course ID icon
Course ID
200968
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course level icon
Course level
2
Study abroad and student exchange icon
Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
Yes
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
Yes
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
Yes
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Note:
Course data is interim and subject to change

Course overview

The aim of this course is to examine the key social, economic and political events and turning points of the 20th and early 21st centuries that shaped who we are as Australians and how we interact with our global neighbours. The course places these events and turning points in context and chronological order beginning in the 1890s and proceeding to the present.

  • Introduction
  • Australia – Social Laboratory Of The World?
  • The War At Home: The Conscription Debate
  • Legacies Of Wwi And The Great Depression
  • World War Ii A Turning Point?
  • Better Dead Than Red: The Cold War
  • The Whitlam 'Revolution'
  • From Assimilation To Multiculturalism
  • The 'Stolen Generations'
  • Economic Rationalism And National Reinvention

Course learning outcomes

  • Identify and explain key moments of economic, social and political change in Australia since the 1890s
  • Critically analyse the way in which ideas and assumptions about race, ethnicity, class and gender have shaped public policy in Australia
  • Produce effective written and/or oral arguments appropriate to the discipline of History and participate respectfully in team-based critical analysis and problem-solving
  • Demonstrate communication skills appropriate to career readiness, including use of online learning technologies, skills of collaborative and self-directed critical thinking, and sensitivity to the intercultural and ethical contexts of a diverse learning environment

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

N/A