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:

1. demonstrate a knowledge of the remembrance, historicisation and memorialisation of the nation;
2. identify and analyse the key concepts in the study of historical memory;
3. critically analyse the representation of the past in a variety of different media; and
4. undertake a research project evaluating the efficacy of a particular representation of the nation and its past

Research-Led Teaching

This course draws on the convenor's expertise in memory studies and public history to introduce students to the politics of memory in a diverse range of contexts. Examples and case studies have been selected to reflect different forms of memorialisation, and different modes of remembering and forgetting. The assessment program is built around preparing students for a research-led enquiry of their own guided by the convenor. It builds skills in how to work with and interpret a diverse range of memory sources.

Field Trips

A self-guided tour of the National Museum of Australia will be encouraged, and a non-compulsory walking tour of the Anzac Parade-Parkes Way ceremonial area led by the convenor will be offered to students. The course will also draw on commemorative sites on the ANU campus, and so some outdoor activities might optionally be included, either as a group led by convenor or self-guided. Alternative options will be available for online students, either drawing on their own location or virtual tours (such as those provided on the National Museum of Australia's website).

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

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

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

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). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to course and its themes: exploring keywords and debating definitions
2	The making of nations; the uses of memory: introducing historical remembrance and commemoration
3	Scales of memory: individual, family, community, region, national, transnational, global, multidirectional
4	National Museums as sites of history, memory, identity, and contestations about the past
5	Sites of memory/Lieux de memoire/"trauma-scapes" - exploring history in place	Historiographical Review
6	Witnesses to the past: the uses of personal testimony for national reckoning and reconciliation
7	Devising a research project on nation and memory - a workshop
8	Individual student consultations with course convenor	Essay Proposal
9	Using memory sources: interpreting sites, photographs, autobiography, diaries, letters, exhibitions, objects, television, monuments, posters - a workshop
10	Student presentations: Work-in-progress
11	Student presentations: Work-in-progress
12	Conclusion: What have we remembered, what have we forgotten?	Research essay due during exam period

Tutorial Registration

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.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Historiographical Review	30 %	27/03/2026	1,2,3
Essay Proposal	10 %	01/05/2026	4
Research Essay/Project	50 %	12/06/2026	1,2,3,4
Participation	10 %	*	1,2,3

* 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 Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

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 Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Canvas’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

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.

Assessment Task 1

Historiographical Review

Due 27 March 2026, 16:00

Word limit: 1500 words

Write a historiographical review of either a single book or a selection of three scholarly articles/chapters that explores one of the kinds of "memory-work" covered in the first four weeks of the course. Your selection of what texts you will discuss should be approved by the course convenor beforehand.

 

A historiographical review is intended to be a critical evaluation of the secondary/scholarly literature on a particular topic or concept or approach/methodology. It should canvass the author/s' approach to a topic, identify the questions or problems they are engaging with; and evaluate the analysis, arguments, and interpretations provided. A historiographical review should make an argument about the selected works: strengths and weaknesses, unanswered questions, or significance and contribution to understanding.

 

The reviews will be evaluated on evidence of critical engagement with the topic; ability to present the scholarly texts reviewed clearly and concisely; quality of the evaluation of the historiography/scholarship, structure of the essay, quality of the writing, and correct citation and presentation.

-      Please submit your assignment via the assignment portal on the CANVAS course site. No hard copy is required

-      Late essays will be penalised at the rate of 5% per working day or part thereof.

-      If you require an extension, you must apply to the Convenor before the date the assignment is due.

-      Over-length assignments will be penalised according to CASS policy, which states that a 10% penalty will be applied to essays that exceed the specified word limit over a +/- 10% buffer. Footnotes and bibliographies are not included in the word limit.

• Use of AI for this assignment is prohibited.

- No assignment will be assessed after the return of assignments to other students.

- All references should be footnoted in Chicago format (notes and bibliography). See the quick guide here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.htm

Assessment Task 2

Essay Proposal

Due 1 May 2026, 16:00

Word Limit: 500 words.

 

Identify a topic of research relating to the themes of nation and memory and develop in consultation with the course convenor a project/question that you intend to explore. Include a brief outline of the historiography on which you will draw, and the wider debates within which your essay will be situated. Explain how your project/question will fit into these debates. Indicate what original sources you will be using to answer your question. 

Include a bibliography of at least 10 items.

The proposal will be evaluated on:

-      How effectively it develops a research project/question

-      How well the project/question is integrated into the relevant historiography and broader theoretical and methodological issues.

-      The sources identified to develop the research.

Assessment Task 3

Research Essay/Project

Due 12 June 2026, 16:00

Word limit: 4000 words

Building on your essay proposal, write a research paper on the project/question related to the course themes of nation and memory that you have developed. You should identify a particular aspect of the course themes (e.g. uses of the past, public history, historical contestations and controversies, national reckonings, traumatic pasts etc) and a specific practice (e.g. museums and exhibitions, monuments, books, films, television and other media, trials or tribunals, memoirs, letters and diaries, objects and material culture, oral histories etc). The task requires you to contextualise and critically analyse the issues involved in how the past you have chosen is represented, circulated, consumed and/or contested. The essay will be assessed on 1) the quality of the argument 2) the analysis of "memory" and other primary sources used 3) the integration of the analysis into the themes raised in the course; and 4) writing and presentation.

Assessment Task 4

Participation

Participation in the course is assessed on a weekly basis and is worth 10% of the final grade. Opportunities for participation include small group work, work in progress presentations, and whole class discussions of assigned readings.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

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) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. 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

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted 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.

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 Accessibility 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 supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students