Availabilities:
| Location | Domestic | International |
|---|---|---|
| Online |
Unit description
Examines major changes in politics, economy and society beginning with reconstruction in 1865. The unit takes a critical approach to the subject of American history. Students question, connect, source and argue to consider a range of perspectives on the history of modern America. This class involves weekly discussions that rely on a combination of secondary historical analyses and primary sources.
Unit content
- Reconstruction 1865–1877
- America's Gilded Age, 1870–1890
- Progressive Era, 1900–1916
- US and World War I, 1916–1920
- Roaring Twenties to Great Depression, Business to Bust 1920–1932
- The New Deal, 1932–1940
- World War II 1941–1945
- Cold War and American Culture, 1945–1960
- Sixties 1960–1968
- Nixon to Reagan: Conservatism 1969–1988
- Globalisation, 1989–
- America After September 11, 2001
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | articulate what they know of American history, explain how they came to know it and on what basis it can be claimed | Intellectual rigour | ||||||
| 2 | formulate a question for historical inquiry | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | Lifelong learning | ||||
| 3 | identify the arguments made in American history sources | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | Lifelong learning | ||||
| 4 | consider arguments that are different to their own | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||||
| 5 | connect disparate sources of information | Intellectual rigour | ||||||
| 6 | organise and evaluate evidence to support claims about US history | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | |||||
| 7 | narrate an episode in modern American history. | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | Lifelong learning | ||||
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- articulate what they know of American history, explain how they came to know it and on what basis it can be claimed
- GA1: Intellectual rigour
- formulate a question for historical inquiry
- GA1: Intellectual rigour
- GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
- GA5: Lifelong learning
- identify the arguments made in American history sources
- GA1: Intellectual rigour
- GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
- GA5: Lifelong learning
- consider arguments that are different to their own
- GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
- connect disparate sources of information
- GA1: Intellectual rigour
- organise and evaluate evidence to support claims about US history
- GA1: Intellectual rigour
- GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
- narrate an episode in modern American history.
- GA1: Intellectual rigour
- GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
- GA5: Lifelong learning
Prescribed texts
- Foner, E, 2017, Give Me Liberty: An American History Volume II, 5th edn, WW Norton and Company, New York. ISBN: 978-0-393-61414-5.
Teaching and assessment
| Teaching method |
| Workshop online 1 hour (12 weeks) |
| Structured online learning 2 hours (12 weeks) |
| Assessment | |
| Essay | 20% |
| Participation | 30% |
| Essay | 50% |
Fee information
Domestic
Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.
Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees
International
Please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.