This course will help you to become a better historian and a better analyst of historical research, narratives and representations. It examines the principles, strategies and assumptions underlying different forms of history. It also explores current debates about the discipline and its future development. The course focuses on the development of historical practices over the past 250 years, and the character of the 'modern' discipline, but this process will be explored in the context of longer-term practices across time and between cultures. The course will encourage you to consider the social functions of historical writing as well as to explore the methods and models employed by historians within different traditions and schools of historical thought. It will provide useful tools for professionals who engage with historical thinking in their work, including new or inexperienced teachers, or those who work in kindred fields to history within the public or private sector.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. comprehend and constructively debate key philosophical and methodological issues in the study of history;
2. identify and analyse critically the methods employed by different historians in the past and today;
3. identify and analyse the assumptions and premises embedded in written, visual or audio representations of the past;
4. construct and sustain arguments in oral and written form about the strengths and weakness of particular approaches to history;
5. explain in oral and written form how the history and theory of histories might inform their own research and communication practices; and
6. develop and conduct an independent research and analysis project with support from the course convenor.

Additional Course Costs

Students will be expected to submit work in electronic form using MS Word or RTF format. They will need access to a computer.

Required Resources

Reading materials for tutorials will be made available through Wattle free of charge. Students are expected to have this material available to them in tutorials – either in electronic or paper format. Other materials necessary to complete assignments for this course are available through the ANU library, and can be supplemented via the Australian National Library and a range of online sources.

Recommended Resources

Students seeking some introduction to the topic prior to commencement, might wish to consult some of the following:

Burrows, J. A History of Histories: Epics, Chronicles, Romances and Inquiries from Herodotus and Thucydides to the Twentieth Century (London: Allen Lane, 2007).

Iggers, G. et al. (eds.) A Global History of Modern Historiography (London: Routledge, 2008 and new edition 2017).

Tosh, J. The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern History (London: Longman, 2015)

Woolf, D. A Concise History of History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019)

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• summative feedback on all assignments, including a marked rubric, a comment and a mark out of 100
•  group feedback on assignments, indicating common areas of achievement or difficulty
• verbal formative feedback from their tutor at any stage during the course by making an appointment or attending office hours to discuss broad course questions or techniques for approaching assignments.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Referencing in essays

All essays must be annotated in a coherent, logical and consistent way. Failure to do so may incur a penalty. Students are advised to examine the School of History’s Guide to the Writing, Preparation and Presentation of Essays (available on the Wattle site for this course) for guidance on the preparation of essays and the preferred referencing system within the School. 

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction: What is history? And other big questions
2	The origins of ‘modern history’ in the West
3	Karl Marx and Marxist historical thought
4	Structuralism, the Annales School and the Scales of Time
5	Power, Knowledge and the Subject: Foucault
6	Symbols, Practices and Culture: The uses of Anthropology	First Essay due end of term 1 (date to be confirmed)
7	Feminist History and the Concept of Gender
8	De-centring Europe: Postcolonialism and rethinking the past
9	Oral History and Memory
10	Public and Popular History: Memory, Identity, Politcs
11	The Scale and Scope of History in the 21st Century
12	History Today and the Future of the Past	Final essay due early in exam period (date to be confirmed)

Tutorial Registration

Students undertaking this course in person will register for tutorials on Wattle. Tutorial registration will open at 9am on Monday of the week before the course commences.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
First Essay	35 %	05/04/2019	29/04/2019	1, 2, 3, 5
Major Essay	55 %	07/06/2019	04/07/2019	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Participation (oral and or written contribution)	10 %	25/02/2019	31/05/2019	1,2,3,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

In order to achieve the best possible results in this course students are strongly encouraged to keep up with lectures and readings via the Wattle site, and to follow up with the course convenor if they have any questions or concerns (or if they are simply curious about an issue or topic).

Examination(s)

There is no exam for this course.

Assessment Task 1

First Essay

Length: 2000 words

Value: 35%

Due date: End of Term 1, date to be confirmed.

Expected return date: Week 9

Students will receive grades for their written work, based on their demonstration of research effort, analytical skill, critical thinking, editorial polish and academic honesty.

They will receive an assessment sheet, when essays are returned, which will include comments, a mark out of 100, and a rubric set out as follows:

Content/Coverage: your essay must address the question or fulfil the requirements of the set task. It should demonstrate awareness of the broad contours of scholarly debate regarding your topic (i.e. what is the current consensus? if there isn’t one, why not? what are the different, competing views? etc.). The essay should demonstrate appropriate research, relevant to the question, that extends beyond textbooks, general surveys, course readings and lecture notes.

Analysis/Interpretation: how comprehensive and how convincing is the essay’s argument? Your essay should identify and engage with the main issues raised by the question and the relevant historiography on the topic (assuming it exists). You should assess debate on the topic (its logic, its methodology) and construct arguments to support particular positions, or to develop a new position. You should support that position with evidence drawn from your research. How well you make an argument is more important than what you choose to argue (though some arguments may be easier to make effectively than others).

Structure: Your essay should have a clear introduction which explains the scope of the essay, outlines its approach and/or summarizes its argument. This paragraph should map out how the essay addresses the question and how the rest of the essay will unfold. The body of the essay should have a clear logic to its order. Each paragraph should develop a single idea or address a particular issue. The first sentence or two of a paragraph should indicate clearly what the paragraph will be about. Your essay’s concluding paragraph might offer a final recap of the argument, it might summarize the key points, and/or it might hint at some broader issues raised by the argument.

Presentation: Good expression, good referencing practice and effective editing can make a huge difference to the impression created by your work. Similar arguments can appear more convincing when they are well expressed and supported with material drawn effectively from appropriate sources. We look for active language, unhindered by awkward or unnecessary phrases; use of paragraphs with clear topic sentences; and consistent, informative footnotes accompanied by a clear bibliography. Allow yourself time to edit. 

Please note: The various components of assessment listed in the rubric do not have equal weight. Calculating your grade is not a matter of adding up the ticks, or supplying 10 marks for presentation and 20 marks for analysis etc. Students may be able to compensate for defects in one area of the table by high performance in another. The rubric is designed to help you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your work, not to give you a mechanical breakdown of your grade. 

Rubric

	Excellent	Very Good	Good	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
Content/Coverage
Analysis/Argument
Structure
Presentation

Assessment Task 2

Major Essay

Length: 4000 words

Value: 55%

Due date: Early in the exam period, date to be confirmed.

Expected return date: Final essay results and comments will be released after final course results have been released.

Assessment Criteria – Written Work

Students will receive grades for their written work, based on their demonstration of research effort, analytical skill, critical thinking, editorial polish and academic honesty.

They will receive an assessment sheet, when essays are returned, which will include comments, a mark out of 100, and a rubric set out as follows:

Content/Coverage: your essay must address the question or fulfill the requirements of the set task. It should demonstrate awareness of the broad contours of scholarly debate regarding your topic (i.e. what is the current consensus? if there isn’t one, why not? what are the different, competing views? etc.). The essay should demonstrate appropriate research, relevant to the question, that extends beyond textbooks, general surveys, course readings and lecture notes.

Analysis/Interpretation: how comprehensive and how convincing is the essay’s argument? Your essay should identify and engage with the main issues raised by the question and the relevant historiography on the topic (assuming it exists). You should assess debate on the topic (its logic, its methodology) and construct arguments to support particular positions, or to develop a new position. You should support that position with evidence drawn from your research. How well you make an argument is more important than what you choose to argue (though some arguments may be easier to make effectively than others).

Structure: Your essay should have a clear introduction which explains the scope of the essay, outlines its approach and/or summarizes its argument. This paragraph should map out how the essay addresses the question and how the rest of the essay will unfold. The body of the essay should have a clear logic to its order. Each paragraph should develop a single idea or address a particular issue. The first sentence or two of a paragraph should indicate clearly what the paragraph will be about. Your essay’s concluding paragraph might offer a final recap of the argument, it might summarize the key points, and/or it might hint at some broader issues raised by the argument.

Presentation: Good expression, good referencing practice and effective editing can make a huge difference to the impression created by your work. Similar arguments can appear more convincing when they are well expressed and supported with material drawn effectively from appropriate sources. We look for active language, unhindered by awkward or unnecessary phrases; use of paragraphs with clear topic sentences; and consistent, informative footnotes accompanied by a clear bibliography. Allow yourself time to edit. 

Please note: The various components of assessment listed in the rubric do not have equal weight. Calculating your grade is not a matter of adding up the ticks, or supplying 10 marks for presentation and 20 marks for analysis etc. Students may be able to compensate for defects in one area of the table by high performance in another. The rubric is designed to help you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your work, not to give you a mechanical breakdown of your grade. 

More information about the grading criteria can be accessed through the internet at: http://arts.anu.edu.au/sss/Assessment_Criteria.pdf

This document explains the distinguishing features of, and differences between, work graded at High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, Pass and Fail levels.

Rubric

	Excellent	Very Good	Good	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
Content/coverage
Analysis/interpretation
Structure
Presentation

Assessment Task 3

Participation (oral and or written contribution)

The quality of any course you undertake at University depends upon a collaborative effort between staff and all the students taking the course. By contributing to the course, in the form of doing the readings, participating in tutorial discussion in person or online, and contributing to online online forums, you are helping yourself and other students to get the most from the course. We assess students’ contribution to the course via participation in group activities in order to encourage all to help to make this course the best it can be. Such assessment also allows for recognition of certain forms of non-written contribution to the course, reflecting the range of skills students bring with them.

Your ‘contribution’ mark for this course will be determined by the quality and regularity of your contribution and participation. You will be expected to have read the required readings for each week and to participate in an informed way in discussions and activities, as well as via periodic discussions with the lecturer and/or other students.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

All written assessment must be submitted by the due date electronically via the Turnitin portal on the Wattle course site.

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) as submission must be through Turnitin.

The electronic copy does not require a cover sheet, however, in submitting the essay in electronic form you will be deemed to have acknowledged the criteria for submission stated in the written cover sheet and stated your obedience to the rules of assessment as set out in the written sheet and in university policy.

Hardcopy Submission

Students taking this course in online form do not have to submit assignments in Hard Copy.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Students will receive results for their first essay, together with individual and group feedback, in Week 9. Final essay results, together with more feedback, will be released once student course results have been released at the end of semester.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Re-submission of assignments is not normally available within this course.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students