This course examines Australian politics from a historical perspective. It explores the foundation and working of democracy, the formation and transformation of the party system, and the relationship of politics to broader changes in society. The first part follows a chronological structure, beginning with traditional Indigenous government and extending through the colonial era to the present day, while the second examines a range of themes such as federation, nationalism and republicanism, women, gender and politics, rural politics, Indigenous politics and the media. The aim is to provide students with a historical grounding in the main political trends, institutions, personalities, ideas and ideologies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- analyse the relationship between political stability and change, and broader patterns of Australian society, identity and culture;
- explain the origins and development of institutions, practices and ideologies in Australian politics and their relationship to global trends;
- evaluate the potential of history and biography to offer insights in political culture;
- locate and interpret primary sources and other relevant data and use them in presenting historical narrative and interpretation; and
- understand the main historiographical approaches and trends in the writing and presentation of Australian political history.
Indicative Assessment
- Political Lives presentation (1500 words) (20) [LO 1,3,4,5]
- Research essay (3000 words) (50) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Political Ideas paper (2000 words) (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
In person: 130 hours including a recorded lecture per week of 1 hour; a live and interactive 'lectorial' of 1 hour; and a tutorial of 1 hour (Total: 36 hours). 94 hours of reading, research, writing and site visits (libraries, archives, museums).
Online: 130 hours including a recorded lecture per week of 1 hour and a Zoom session of 1 hour (Total: 24 hours). 106 hours of Wattle discussion, reading, research, writing and site visits (libraries, archives, museums)
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
None. Readings to be provided via Wattle.
Preliminary Reading
There is no single-volume political history of Australia. There are, however, a few texts that cover many of the themes of this course over a long time-frame. These include:
Cook, Ian, Liberalism in Australia, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, 1999.
Dyrenfurth, Nick and Bongiorno, Frank, A Little History of the Australian Labor Party, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 2011.
Faulkner, John and Macintyre, Stuart (eds), True Believers: The Story of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2001.
Kelly, Paul, 100 Years: The Australian Story, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 2001.
McAllister, Ian, The Australian Voter: 50 Years of Change, University of New South Wales Press, 2011.
McMullin, Ross, The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891-1991, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1991.
Manne, Robert (ed.), The Australian Century: Political Struggle in the Building of a Nation, Text, Melbourne, 1999.
Nethercote, J.R. (ed.), Liberalism and the Australian Federation, Federation Press, Annandale, 2001.
Sawer, Marian, The Ethical State?: Social Liberalism in Australia, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, 2003.
Souter, Gavin, Acts of Parliament: A Narrative History of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Commonwealth of Australia, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1988.
Walter, James with Moore, Todd, What Were They Thinking?: The Politics of Ideas in Australia, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 2010.
There are two long-running series of edited books that should be of interest:
The Australian Commonwealth Administration series (since 1983)
The Australian Elections series (Since 1987)
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $3630 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $5580 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4636 | 22 Feb 2021 | 01 Mar 2021 | 31 Mar 2021 | 28 May 2021 | In Person | View |