This course examines Australian politics from a historical perspective, starting at the beginnings of colonisation and extending to the present day. It asks, how does history make sense of our political challenges of today? It explores the foundation and working of democracy, the party system, and the relationship of politics to broader transformations in society. The first part follows a chronological structure, while the second examines a range of themes including Indigenous politics, gender and sexuality, the environment, and the media. The aim is to provide students with a historical grounding in the main political trends, personalities, and ideologies since 1788.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- explain the origins and development of institutions, practices and ideologies in Australian politics;
- identify change and continuity in Australian politics across more than two centuries;
- analyse the relationship between political stability and change, and broader transformations in Australian society and culture;
- appreciate the capacity of historical approaches to generate insights into the political past and present;
- locate and interpret primary sources, and use them in constructing coherent and persuasive historical questions and answers; and,
- locate and evaluate secondary authorities, and use them to construct coherent and persuasive historical questions and answers.
Indicative Assessment
- 1st in class test (20) [LO 1,3,4,5,6]
- 2nd in class test (20) [LO 1,3,4,5,6]
- Major project, 2500 words (50) [LO 1,2,3,4,6]
- Tutorial participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
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
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 tutorial and tutorial-like activities; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Tutorial readings will be made available to students via Canvas
Minors
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4500 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $5820 |
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.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8507 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |