Intensive Subjects
- Intensive subjects offered in The School of Historical and Philosophical Studies
HIST20020 Asia, the Pacific & the West in History
From Burma to Japan, Manchuria to Thailand, the Cook Islands to Cambodia and Tibet, this subject will explore histories of Asia, the Pacific and the West's involvement in these areas from the 16th century to the present, with an emphasis on 20th century history. The subject will be divided into three thematic groups: early contact between Asia, the Pacific and the West; colonisation, resistance and the struggles for independence; and the decolonisation process and recent crises in Asia and the Pacific. Questions explored over the course of the subject include: What was the nature of early contact between the West and Asia and between the West and the Pacific? How did contact with the West transform states and societies in Asia and the Pacific? What policies did colonial powers (including Japan) implement? What forms did resistance to these policies take? How did colonisation and eventual decolonisation exacerbate racial, ethnic and national tensions, and how have these factors influence states and societies in Asia and the Pacific today? Finally, we will look at the role (if any), human rights, sanctions, and economic trade have had on the West's relations with countries in Asia and the Pacific today, particularly China (Tibet), Myanmar, Fiji, and Cambodia.
- For further information on this subject, please refer to the HIST20020 Asia, the Pacific & the West in History Handbook entry
- For information on how to enroll in the above subject, please refer to The Faculty of Arts Subject Selection web page.
HIST20019 The Graeco-Roman City in Antiquity
This intensive subject examines ancient Greek and Roman societies and cities in Greece, Turkey* and Italy. We will be based in: Athens, with day trips to Delphi and the Sounion peninsular; Hellenistic sites on the west coast of Turkey; and Rome, with day trips to Ostia and Pompeii. Visits to sites and museums will be based around issues that contribute to a concept of the physical, economic, political and cultural evolution of ancient cities, and social life in these cities. Students should develop a familiarity with themes such as the origins of cities; the city as a physical site; the city as seat of rank, authority and power; the economy and the marketplace; religion and myth; the individual in society; citizenship, the family, the individual and the state; work, sport, leisure and entertainment; and gender and sexuality.
*Subject to approval by Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, and the University of Melbourne
- For further information on this subject, please refer to the HIST20019 The Graeco-Roman City in Antiquity Handbook entry.
- For information on how to enroll in the above subject, please refer to The Faculty of Arts Subject Selection web page.
HIST20052 Venice and the Cultures of Consumption
This intensive four week study abroad subject is taught in Venice together with 116 228 The Story of Italian: Study Abroad as a co-requisite. The Renaissance in Italy is regarded by many as the locus of the first consumer society in the western world. Venice was at the centre of the new commercial revolution and the trade and production of the luxury goods that were its staple. This subject examines Venice's position as a trading empire, and the goods traded, produced and consumed from luxurious textiles, printed books, art works, dyes and spices, to slaves and prostitutes. Venetian authorities were actively involved in regulating consumption with the passage of extensive sumptuary laws, the development of copyright, the application of duties and taxes, and a complex system of surveillance. Students will complete this subject with a deeper understanding of Venetian society and its contribution to one of the key markers of the west and of modernity.
- For further information on this subject, please refer to the HIST20052 Venice and the Cultures of Consumption Handbook entry.
- For regular updates on this subject, as well as dates for information sessions and a link to register interest in the subject, students can check out the Venice and Cultures of Consumption Wiki.
- For information on how to enroll in the above subject, please refer to The Faculty of Arts Subject Selection web page.
HIST20001 Searching for the American Dream
In this subject we trace the American Dream from its origins in Puritan Boston, to the present day. We spend time in Boston, New York, and Washington, with day trips to Salem and Lowell. In each city we visit museums, historic sites, and a range of current day organisations. For example, in Boston we speak with the Public Defender about the American legal system, and we explore the role sport plays in American culture by seeing a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. In New York we take walking tours of Harlem and the Lower East Side, and we visit a range of community organisations. In Washington, we meet with several political players as well as touring the monuments and visiting Arlington Cemetery. On return to Australia, students are required to write an essay based on one of the visits.
- For further information on this subject, please refer to the HIST20001 Searching for the American Dream Handbook entry.
- For information on how to enroll in the above subject, please refer to The Faculty of Arts Subject Selection web page.