• Offered by School of History
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject History
  • Areas of interest History

In the 1960s-1970s Australia fought the Vietnam War, enacted civil rights for Aborigines, ended the White Australia policy and curtailed discrimination including against women and homosexuals. Australians overcame 'cultural cringe', took to Australian films, literature and music, reached out to Asia and embraced multiculturalism. They also took to the streets to protest against the Vietnam War, uranium mining and the nuclear threat, and Aboriginal oppression, while demanding legal abortions and gay rights. It was a time of ferment, and radical social and legal reform. Charismatic political leaders galvanised public attention and raised the level of debate. Censorship was challenged, rock music was everywhere, and sex seemed to be too. This course will take a wide view of Australian politics, involvement in and withdrawal from the Vietnam War, and social change. It will consider why these were such decades of change and what we can learn about processes of change and reform, using texts, photographs, music and films from the period. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon Successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify the major political, legal and social changes in Australia in the 1960s and 70s.
  2. Analyse and discuss Australia's participation in and withdrawal from the Vietnam war.
  3. Formulate arguments about the connections between political change and social change, orally and in writing.
  4. Reflect on and explain causes and consequences of legal and political reforms in the 1960s-70s.
  5. Analyse primary sources as historical evidence and use them to discuss secondary sources critically.

Indicative Assessment

Primary source analysis short essay (1,000 words; 10%) -- linked to LOs 1 and 5.
Research essay (2,500 words; 30%) - LOs 1, 3, 4 and 5.
Final exam covering lectures and required readings (2 hours; 50%) - LOs 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Tutorial participation (10%) - LOs 2, 3, 4 and 5.

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Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must have completed 36 units of ANU courses towards a degree, or with permission of the convenor. You are not able to enrol in this course if you have previously completed HIST6238.

Majors

Minors

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and 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). You can find your student contribution amount for each course 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
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $2820
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $4320
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

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The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
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
4575 25 Feb 2019 04 Mar 2019 31 Mar 2019 31 May 2019 In Person View

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