Faculty of Arts

 History

Table of Contents

Subject Lists
    Subject descriptions
        First Year
        Second and Third Year
        Fourth Year Honours

 1. Prerequisites

A first-year History subject/s (25 points) is the normal prerequisite for all subjects offered at second year. However, several exceptions to this rule can be approved; 25 points of first-year in Classical Studies, Archaeology, Economic History, Politics, History and Philosophy of Science, and Anthropology are acceptable. Students are advised to contact the department for other exemptions.

 2. Attendance requirement

A threshold requirement for the acceptance of work for evaluation is satisfactory attendance at tutorials. This is a minimum of 50% attendance.

 3. Requirements for a major

In order to obtain a depth of study, a candidate may elect to undertake a major in a specified area of study such as History. In order to complete a major in History, a candidate is required to complete a minimum of five 16.7 point subjects at second or third-year level in History, totalling 83.3 points. Students may take a maximum of 10 x 16.7 point subjects in History.

Candidates who elect not to take a major will not be permitted to proceed to fourth-year honours.

 4. Entry to Honours

Admission to History Honours requires the completion of all the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, the completion of a major in History which must include 131-302 Historical Theory and Research, and normally the achievement of at least an H2B average or above in the subjects that comprise the major.

 5. Honours requirements

 5.1. Pure Honours

Students undertaking Pure Honours in History must complete:

• Advanced Seminars (two or three single semester units) (16.7 points each), and;
• Theory and Method seminar (one or two single semester units) (16.7 points), and;
• 131-405 History Honours Thesis (33.3 points).

 5.2. Applied History Honours

Students may elect to take a fourth-year program in Applied History. The elements of the program will be:

• At least one Theory and Method Seminar (one or two single semester units) (16.7 points), including:
  • 131-464 Applications in Public History, and;
• Advanced Seminars (two or three single semester units) (16.7 points each) (Chosen from the subjects listed below):
  • 131-401 History 4A
  • 131-414 Australian Sport: Makers and Readers
  • 131-427 Processes of Migration and Settlement
  • 131-438 Writing History for Publication
  • 131-439 The History of Teaching and the Teaching of History
  • 131-456 Memory and Memories
  • 131-462 Archives Workshop; and
• 131-405 History Honours Thesis (33.3 points).

Note: not all subjects will be available each year.

It is recommended that students wishing to proceed to Applied History Honours take at second or third-year one of the following subjects:

• 131-203 The Oral Tradition in Australia
• 131-214 Making Melbourne Marvellous (A) - Glittering Prizes: the Central City Through 150 Years or 131-215 Making Melbourne Marvellous (B) - A Zone in Transition: the Inner Suburbs
• 131-290 Exhibiting Histories and Cultures: Museums, Objects, Spectacles

Note: not all subjects will be available each year.

 5.3. Combined Honours

Students undertaking Combined Honours in History complete:

• either:
  • if completing a thesis in History, one Theory and Method seminar (16.7 points), and one Advanced seminar (16.7 points)
  • if completing a thesis in the combining department, 33.3 points of fourth-year History subjects, and;
• 131-405 History Honours Thesis, or a thesis in the combining department (33.3 points), and;
• subjects from the combining department according to the requirements of that department.

 5.4. Part-time students

Students undertaking Fourth-year Honours part-time would normally undertake the coursework subjects in the first year and the thesis in the second year.

 6. Where does history lead?

History graduates use their disciplinary skills in a variety of activities. They teach at all levels; they work in archives, libraries, museums, and as professional consultants in the expanding field of public history. They are also to be found in a growing range of occupations that require information skills. Here their ability to conduct research, to locate and evaluate different forms of evidence, and to express their findings clearly and effectively is at a premium. Virtually all jobs stress the need to study, assess and analyse, to communicate, to write reports and to make presentations,; the study of history provides the opportunity to acquire such skills. Thus our graduates find employment in the communications industry (journalism, publishing, public relations, advertising), in administration (public service and corporate agencies, especially planning and policy units) and, more generally, in finance and service industries.

In the modern work force, education does not end at graduation. It continues with specialist training and the development of skills throughout one's working life. The special value of history is that it lays a foundation for such further study that is broader and more durable than a more narrowly vocational first degree. As historians we are always learning, always enriching our comparative perspective on our own society.

 7. Opportunities for further atudy

In addition to the research-based MA and PhD by thesis, the Department of History also offers coursework MAs in History and in Women's Studies as well as Graduate and Post-Graduate Diplomas in History, Applied History and Women's Studies. These involve a shorter thesis and seminars. They are ideal for those who wish to pursue study on a broader basis and with the support offered by weekly seminars. Brochures are available from the Department.

 8. For more information

Please contact:

Subject descriptions

First Year

Second and Third Year

Fourth Year Honours

Status:                   Official 1998
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