Outline

Overview

In this unit you will frame, research and produce an original project based on an engagement with communities and organisations outside the University. You will explore history in action in a variety of contexts and think about different ways of creating and disseminating history that will interest and inform a public audience. Lectures and field trips will help you to frame relevant community-based questions, adopt appropriate methodologies, and explore new ways of presenting your arguments or narratives.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	HSTY3902
Academic unit	History
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in History
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Michael McDonnell, michael.mcdonnell@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Tutorial participation n/a	15%	-	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Bibliography n/a	5%	-	250 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project Proposal n/a	10%	-	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project Diary n/a	15%	-	1250 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Project n/a	55%	-	4000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Project proposal and Bibliography: The first assignment is designed to show that you have selected a viable community organization with whom to work and have a plan in place with them to do some work for their benefit. The second part of this assignment is designed to show that you have a viable project and to pick up any potential problems. It should demonstrate: the main aims and argument of the project, the kinds of sources you will use, what format the final project will take, and who will benefit from it. You must attach a list of primary and secondary sources to this assignment. This does not form part of the word count.
Reflective Diary: Throughout the semester, you need to keep a reflective diary. Part of the diary will include responses to the formal readings, which you will submit prior to a reading class, as explained in the chart above which we will discuss in class the following day. You should also keep a record of your contact and interaction with your chosen community or organization and the growth of your ideas for the project.
Major Project: The major project is the largest assessment of the semester, and is the culmination of all the previous work assessments. It should be a substantial original public history project based on appropriate sources and engaging extensively with relevant secondary literature. It will not take the form of a traditional essay, but the same elements of an essay ought to be made clear. We will discuss alternative formats for presentation of work in class.
Participation: Participation is assessed on the value of your contributions to class discussion and your completion of any relevant class exercises, including the blog entries. We look to see that you have completed the readings, made an effort to respond to classmates’ contributions, asked thoughtful questions or added pertinent observations or arguments based on a close reading of the assigned texts or exercises. Because this is a community-engaged public history unit, your participation mark will also be dependent on at least two blog entries to our collaborative class blogsite.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in the Canvas site for this unit

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	What is History?	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	What is Public History?	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Becoming a Public Historian	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Public History in Practice	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Approaches to 'Local' History	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Decolonising Public History & Australian Museum Field Trip	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Project Management - Individual	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Doing Oral History	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	Historical Memory & Sydney Jewish Museum Field Trip	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Presenting Public History	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Historical Narrative & Major Project Workshop	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Major Project Workshop	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold. This is all subject to change given the possibility of new isolation requirements due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

Required reading: Anna Clark, Private Lives, Public History (MUP, 2016)
Recommended reading: Thomas Cauvin, Public History: A Textbook of Practice (Routledge, 2016)

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate independent learning
LO2. demonstrate a firm grasp of the principles, practices and boundaries of the discipline of history
LO3. demonstrate awareness of the historian's ethical responsibilities towards colleagues, research subjects, and the wider community
LO4. use appropriate media, tools, and methodologies to locate, access, and use information
LO5. demonstrate oral and written skills of communication
LO6. demonstrate an understanding of a period, place, or culture of the past
LO7. demonstrate an understanding of different approaches to interpreting the past
LO8. identify and interpret written, visual and material primary sources and secondary materials such as monographs, scholarly articles, websites and documentaries
LO9. examine historical issues by undertaking research that begins with a problem, establishes its historical context, and uses methodologies chosen from a range of disciplines to solve that problem
LO10. analyse historical evidence, scholarship and changing representations of the past, using the skills of sifting through information to weigh its significance and close reading of various texts
LO11. construct an evidence-based argument or narrative and present it in one of a variety of forms
LO12. work collaboratively with an external organisation and/or community.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

HSTY3902: History Beyond the Classroom

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect