This course examines the intersections between concepts of nation and practices of memory in a series of case studies spanning from the legacies of imperialism and colonisation through to impact of social movements and digital media in interrogating national identities and public memorialisation. Working across diverse case studies, including Nazism, settler colonialism, and military commemoration, we will work with a diverse range of historical evidence to assess the ways in which understandings of nation have been shaped and contested through collective memory and memorialisation. Through an examination of public ceremony and commemoration, educational intervention and institutional design, trials, museum exhibitions, individual memory, literature, popular culture and historiography, we will examine how the memory and representation of national identities have been debated and transformed. At a time of heightened political engagement with questions of recognition in public culture, and the power of testimony in challenging collective representation, this course will encourage reflection on the particular and contestable power of 'the nation' in framing what is remembered and what is forgotten.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate a knowledge of the remembrance, historicisation and memorialisation of the nation;
- identify and analyse the key concepts in the study of historical memory;
- critically analyse the representation of the past in a variety of different media; and
- undertake a research project evaluating the efficacy of a particular representation of the nation and its past
Indicative Assessment
- Historiographical Review (2,000 words) (30) [LO 1,2,3]
- Research Proposal (500 words) (10) [LO 4]
- Research Essay (4,000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Tutorial or online Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Research Presentation (10 minutes) (10) [LO 1,2,3]
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
The mode of delivery for this course may be either in person or online:
In person: 130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of seminars and 12 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities.
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
Online: 130 hours of total student learning time made up from
a) 36 hours of contact in workshop format or through online activities.
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Prescribed Texts
Not required
Preliminary Reading
Katharine Hodgkin and Susannah Radstone, eds. Memory, History, Nation: Contested Pasts (Transaction Publishers, 2005)
Edward Linenthal, Preserving Memory: The Struggle to Create America's Holocaust Museum (Columbia University Press, 2001)
John R. Gillis, ed. Commemorations: The Politics of National Identity (Princeton University Press, 1994).
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 |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3061 | 17 Feb 2025 | 24 Feb 2025 | 31 Mar 2025 | 23 May 2025 | In Person | N/A |
