Associate Professor Paul Sendziuk
Napier 512
Email: paul.sendziuk@adelaide.edu.au
Ph: 8313 7562

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. recognise the value of a wide range of methodologies, conceptual approaches and the impact of competing narratives;

2. locate, identify and analyse relevant primary and secondary sources in order to construct evidence-based arguments;

3. think independently and critically, using appropriate methodologies and technologies, to engage with historical problems;

4. communicate effectively, in a range of spoken and written formats, within the conventions of the discipline of history;

5. contribute productively to group-based activities;

6. demonstrate the skills of an historian which are appropriate for performing a range of professional roles, undertaking leadership positions, and sustaining lifelong learning, including: information technology skills to manage data and to communicate, skills in collaborative and self-directed problem-solving, a habit of academic rigour, and sensitivity to intercultural and ethical issues;

7. show a sensitivity to the diversity of historical cultures and the ethical implications of historical enquiry within a global context;

8. demonstrate a critical, self-reflective approach to the study of history, based on respect and mutual responsibility.

A reading pack will be available for purchase at the start of the course. It contains all of the essential texts (articles and chapters) that are required to be read in order to prepare for tutorial discussions. It will be available to purchase from the University online shop (see link in 'Unified') and picked up from the Image & Copy Centre.

You might consider purchasing one of the books below (they constitute essential or recommended reading for some tutorials, and constitute excellent 'background' reading). Due to copyright restrictions, only small sections of these books can be included in the reading pack.

Klaus Neumann, Refuge Australia: Australia’s Humanitarian Record, Sydney: UNSW Press, 2004.

Eric Richards, Destination Australia: Migration to Australia since 1901, Sydney: UNSW Press, 2008.

James Jupp, From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

This course has a website, accessible through MyUni. You should check this site regularly for updates, lecture recordings and slides, and additional readings/resources. The Barr Smith Library also has an extensive range of electronic academic journals that can be accessed via its computer catalogue.

Lectures will be recorded and uploaded to the course's MyUni website. They will be accessible for approximately one week after the lecture is delivered. These recordings do not replace the experience of attending the lecture and engaging with the lecturer, so please make every effort to attend the lectures. Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended because they provide the context for the tutorial discussions and introduce themes and personalities that you will encounter in the more sophisticated tutorial readings.

Two one-hour lectures per week have been scheduled. Attendance at these lectures is strongly recommended as they provide the context for the tutorial discussions and introduce themes and personalities that you will encounter in the more sophisticated tutorial readings (i.e. they are closely entwined with the tutorial program). The final quiz will also be based on information provided in the lectures.

Brief lecture notes and lecture recordings will be available online via the course's MyUni website, but these are a poor substitute for the real thing.

Participation in tutorials (one per week) is a compulsory component of the course. You must attend at least 80% of tutorials to qualify to pass the course (unless a medical certificate is provided). Please inform your tutor prior to the tutorial if you are unable to attend. It will generally be possible to attend a ‘make-up’ tutorial in another time-slot.

Please note:
Lectures AND tutorials begin in Week 1 of semester.

WORKLOAD                                        TOTAL HOURS
2 x 1-hour lectures per week              24 hours per semester
1 x 1-hour tutorial per week               12 hours per semester
4 hours of reading per week (approx.) 48 hours per semester
3 hours of research per week (averaged over 12 weeks) - 36 hours per semester
3 hours of assignment preparation per week (averaged over 12 weeks) - 36 hours per semester

Week     Lecture and Tutorial Topics

1            a. Migrants, Refugees and the Making of Modern Australia
              b. 19thC Race Relations and the White Australia Policy
              Tutorial: Introduction and delegation of tasks

2            a. Child Migration to Australia
              b. Film - The Leaving of Liverpool
              Tutorial: The Origins of White Australia

3            a. 'Empire Settlement': British Australia in the 1920s
              b. 'Citizens and Aliens' and 1930s Jewish Emigration to Australia: A Comparative Perspective
              Tutorial: Child Migrants

4            a. 'Alien' Internment in WW2
              b. Migrant History through National Archives Documents
              Tutorial: Wartime Attitudes to Non-British Refugees and Migrants

5            a. Effects of WW2 and Australia's Displaced Persons Scheme
              b. Experiences of Displacement
              Tutorial: Unwilling Migrants?: The Displaced Persons Scheme

6            a. Assisted Migration to Australia and Assimilation
              b. 'Ten Pound Poms'
              Tutorial: Individual student consultations

7            a. African Arrivals: The Somalis and Sudanese (guest lecture by a recent African migrant)
              b. Understanding the 'Cronulla ‘Riots'
              Tutorial: African Arrivals: Somalis and Sudanese

8            a. Migrant Settlement Patterns in Australian Cities
              b. Multiculturalism and its Discontents
              Tutorial: Migrant Settlement: Ethnic Ghettoes or Multicultural Suburban Villages?

9            a. Public Holiday - no lecture
              b. How many is too many?: The 'Sustainable Population' Debate
              Tutorial: Multiculturalism and the Decline of 'White Australia'

10          a. Indochinese Refugees
              b. The Asianisation of Australia?
              Tutorial: The Indochinese in Australia

11          a. Migrant Selection Criteria from Fraser to Abbott
              b. Tampa-ing with Asylum: The Evolution of Refugee Settlement Policy
              Tutorial: Jumping the Queue: From Hawke to Abbott

12          a. Alternatives to Detention - Azadi
              b. Making and Telling Migrant History and Quiz
              Tutorial: Asylum-Seekers and Detention

In essence, tutorial discussions in the Humanities epitomise small-group discoveries: students come together to share and contest what they have learned from the assigned readings, and to jointly respond to historical questions and problems that have been set by the tutor. During most tutorials, therefore, students will be examining questions and texts in small groups of 3 or 4 people.

In this course, students will also have the opportunity to participate in a small group (3 persons) research project. The outcome of this research will be an organised debate between teams of students.

ASSESSMENT TASK                  TASK TYPE    WEIGHTING COURSE    LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1. 2,500-word Research Essay     Summative     50%                               1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
2. Choice: Group Debate
    or
    2,000-word Critical Review       Summative     30%                               1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
3. Final Quiz                                Summative     20%                               1, 3, 4

Discussion of the lecture material and tutorial readings constitute the core learning activities in this course. Due to the importance placed on tutorial discussions – where students will have the opportunity to problem-solve and test what they understand - students must attend 80% of tutorials in order to qualify to pass the course. Make-up tutorials will be available for students who cannot attend the odd tutorials (i.e. due to a family emergency or illness).

There are three assessment tasks for this course. The first offers students a choice: to join a group and participate in an organised in-class debate or to write a critical review of two books. The group project will give students an opportunity to make some new friends, test their creativity and enhance their skills in oral and visual communication. The second task is the research essay, which will develop students’ skills in critical analysis, evaluation of evidence and written communication. The final quiz will then test knowledge gained throughout the course, with questions derived mainly from the lectures.

1. Research Essay
Students are required to write one 2,500-word research essay, based on both primary and secondary sources. You may choose from a list of topics (to be provided), or devise your own with the approval of your tutor. You will need to critically engage with the historiography related to the topic, and vigorously construct an argument with reference to primary and secondary source evidence. As much as possible, try to draw substantially on primary sources of evidence.

2. Choice, either:
In-Class Group Debate
Students will form teams of 3 members and have 2-3 weeks to prepare an argument 'for' or 'against' a statement relating to a historical issue. Teams will then present their argument in the form of an Oxford-style debate to take place during tutorial. For example, if the statement is "Australia should not accept more than 10,000 refugees per year", individuals on one team will take turns in making arguments in agreement with this statement and they will be opposed by a team disagreeing with them. Students will be assessed on the basis of the logic and validity of their argument, their use of examples to support their points, their level of organisation and team-work, and their ability to communicate with passion and persuasion. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and peer evaluation.

or: Critical Review of Two Books
Students who choose not to participate in the group project will write a 2,000-word critical review of two books selected from the reading list corresponding to a tutorial topic. Students are required to read the books in their entirety before the applicable tutorial and submit their critical review in the week following the tutorial. Students are advised to discuss their text choices with their tutor and must not choose ‘primary sources’ (such as memoirs) as any of their texts.

In writing your critical review, students should consider the following points:

1. What are the authors aiming to do? Are they successful in fulfilling these aims?
2. What do the authors argue?
3. How do the authors deal with opposing arguments?
4. What types of evidence do the authors use to construct their arguments? Is this evidence convincing? What evidence do the authors ignore?
5. Are the authors influenced by a particular theory or methodological approach? Is this approach warranted?
6. Are the authors’ arguments convincing? (You should assess this by comparing the different arguments and evidence presented by each author. You might also consult 2-3 other texts on the same topic.)
7. What special tricks or strategies do the writers employ to make their points? These strategies may include the organisation of the text and the choice of language and examples.

In order to see how professional historians and critics organise and write book reviews, students might wish to read some. The journals Australian Historical Studies and Journal of Australian Studies contain generally well-written book reviews in every edition.

3. Final Quiz
The final quiz will consist of short-answer questions. They will be based entirely on content delivered in the lectures. Thus those students who attend regularly and review their notes will thus be rewarded. The duration of the quiz will be 1 hour.