Admission and Unit Information - Bachelor of Arts (History and Political Thought)

A historical survey of the development of modern European society and politics. A central focus will be the relationship of early modern and contemporary understandings of politics, society, nature and the individual.

This unit provides an introduction to Australian Politics. It outlines the central features of the federal political system with attention to both historical background and current debates. In addition to study of the institutional frameworks (the Constitution, parliament, political parties and so on), the unit examines the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion that have shaped Australian politics. It explores what it has meant in the past, what it means in the future, for Australians to live together as members of a political community.

This unit introduces students to the history of the 18th and 19th century foundations of modern Australia, and to the social, economic, political and cultural events that shaped Australian social and political institutions. Students will be encouraged to consider the process of historical change within an historiographical framework and will use primary sources to explore some of these debates.

Theoretical aspects of international relations and how they apply to the ‘real world’ of world politics involves understanding of key actors in world politics, from states to international organisations and institutions, to non-state actors, how the international system that regulates international order operates today (and how that system has evolved over recent centuries), and they can produce order and disorder.

A history of Buddhism and its spread through Asian and more recently to the West, introducing its principal beliefs and practices, the diversity of its manifestations, its political, cultural, and social impact. This unit is a history of this current global religion in its social, cultural and political context.

The Athens of Pericles is studied from three perspectives: philosophy, art and history. The use of reason and rhetoric is examined through the works of some pre-Socratics, sophists and Socrates. Architectural style and the artistic representation of the human will be studied with particular reference to the Parthenon. This philosophy and art will be placed in the context of the history of the body, the city-state and democratic citizenship.

A historical investigation of the experience of the 19th century European empires from the perspectives of both the colonized and colonizers. It examines the combination of domination and cultural negotiation between colonizers and colonized. It examines both how peoples were managed as imperial subjects and how they responded to this management. It looks both at the effect of imperial rule on the colonized, and of empire upon the colonizers. It draws upon historical literature from a variety of sources and perspectives, and within European and Asian history. The focus is chiefly, though not exclusively, upon the British empire and its subject peoples.

Understanding local history is an integral part of establishing personal and community identities. Local studies are used as the foundation for many socio-economic studies across various disciplines as well as in school curricula. The University of Western Sydney is part of a region rich in history, little of which has been researched or published. Local history techniques involve understanding a variety of physical and documentary sources. Students learn the history of the Sydney region by assembling data from original historical sources, based at the Archives in Kingswood and Villawood and from on-line data repositories. There are opportunities for site visits to historical and archaeological sites and local museums.

This unit surveys the history of European society, politics and culture in the period between the Reformations and the transformation of revolutions of the late eighteenth century. It focuses upon the religious conflicts of the early modern period and their resolution, both at the level of individuals and states. It studies popular experiences of and responses to social, religious and political change over the period. And it surveys the political, scientific and cultural transformations of this tumultuous time.

This unit looks at the role of south Asia in global processes from historical, cultural and economic perspectives. It traces three broad themes: the significance of early south Asian contacts with other cultures; the impact of colonial interactions with Europeans; and the development of postcolonial identities in the Indian diaspora. In particular, we consider how new hybrid formations emerged as products of cross-cultural exchange. The unit contrasts India’s role as an agent of cultural globalisation from the past with its place as a recipient of economic globalisation in the present. We also look at the ways in which issues of caste, religion, social class, gender and unequal access to resources have remained significant factors in thinking through the experience of India’s relationship with the wider world.

Legislation requires the preservation of natural, built and movable heritage, but choices about what to keep often produce controversy and reveal starkly varying opinions. Physical deterioration can mean that some things can not be kept. The historian's investigation of places and objects is an important part of the assessment process and the evaluation of what might be kept and why. Parramatta has a rich selection of heritage places. How does heritage fit in a modern CBD? Site visits around the city will identify archaeological and architectural heritage to promote discussions, visits to nearby museums will put these places in context and historical research will unravel their meanings.

Philosophy and Environment focuses on how we understand and value our interactions with the natural environment, how humans have changed the world and themselves through those interactions and the questions and problems created through that dynamic. Contemporary issues such as climate change, resource depletion, land degradation, conflict over resources, and treatment of animals have become prominent ethical, political and philosophical concerns. This unit looks at these sort of environmental problems through philosophical methods that reveal the traditions of thought, attitude and action underlying them. Students will be introduced to the major apporaches and questions most relevant to explaining contemporary environmental problems.

Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September, 2001, threats of terrorism have been entrenched in both headlines and the collective psyche. Across the globe, terrorism, anti-terrorism and the politics of fear are influential factors in the formulation of domestic and foreign policies. The current wave of terror and counter-terror raises important questions. What do we mean by terror? Is the war on terror really a war like no other? Is the current terrorist threat unprecedented? This unit will examine historical precedents and theories of terrorism.

This unit examines the interaction between politics and business in the contemporary East Asian and Southeast Asian contexts. Particular attention will be paid to the business-government relationship in a number of key countries and comparisons drawn. The unit examines the issue of the so-called "Asian Way" with respect to business, governing and achieving economic development. It also looks at the so-called "Asian economic miracle" and the "Asian economic crisis" and considers contemporary reform programs aimed at the business-politics nexus in Asia.

This unit provides an introduction to the history of Australian foreign policy relations with Asia. It seeks to acquaint students with Australia's historic and contemporary relations with countries in East and Southeast Asia and to identity the factors that have contributed to their development.

This unit introduces students to the contemporary analysis of sex, gender, and sexualities. Students study key concepts and learn to apply these concepts in the analysis of contemporary issues. Concepts covered include the meanings of sex, gender and sexuality; gender as 'doing'; equality and difference; gendered bodies; biology and social constructionism; and intersectionality (how gender intersects with other differences such as ethnicity, sexuality and class). Students develop a research project in one of the following broad areas: gender and work; gender and politics; gender and sport; sexual politics; and young people and the politics of sex and gender.

This unit focuses on current issues in Asian Studies and International Relations, and may include study of international relations among nations in Asia and Europe.

This unit introduces students to time-honoured ethical questions and controversies. The issues to be examined point to questions that students are likely to face at some stage during their lives: Is death always a bad thing? Is abortion immoral? Are we obligated to give to charity? Should we be vegetarian? Should you have sex outside of a committed relationship? Is ethics founded upon religion, reason or community standards? As well as examining specific issues, students will be introduced to the leading secular and theistic ethical theories.

This unit surveys the history of Indonesia, Australia's nearest and most important Asian neighbour. Commencing with the coming of Islam to Indonesia in the twelfth century it concludes with the overthrow of Soeharto in 1998, but the focus is primarily on the C20th. The unit looks briefly at the Islamic and Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, the colonial period, the nationalist struggle, the Japanese occupation and in more detail the first fifty years of independence. Indonesia's rich heritage of trade, culture, religions, and ethnicities are all dealt with. The unit also examines historiographical problems for the study of Indonesian history and seeks to identify historical patterns.

The major social and political philosophy of the West, from the 5th century BC Greece till the 18th century will be examined. The development of ideas of citizenship, subjectivity, freedom, equality and the democratic state will be explored. The influence of Christianity will also be a major theme. Authors will include: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, More, Hobbes, Locke, Vico, Rousseau.

The soldier might almost challenge the prostitute for the title of "world's oldest profession." This course will examine how statespeople have understood the purposes of war throughout history, and in a global perspective. It will evaluate the practices and norms associated with war in different eras as well as the experiences of soldiers/sailors/airmen in different wars. It will assess the role of professional armies and warrior classes throughout history, as well as the role of navies, air forces, nuclear weapons, terrorism, guerrilla warfare, just war theory, and the doctrine of pre-emption over the last century. This unit utilizes history and political science methodologies to address these vital questions.

What has been the effect of war on Australian society? How has war influenced political, social and cultural structures and practices, and how has this changed over time? Beginning with the Boer War and ending with the present 'War on Terror', we will examine the context and consequences of Australia's involvement in the major conflicts of the twentieth century. We will also consider three key themes of the history of modern warfare: the mobilisation of the economy and the role of technology; the role of gender in structuring individual and communal experiences of war; and the politics of commemorating conflicts and mourning the war dead. Finally, we will explore some of the historiographical debates over the meaning of war in Australian society and the problems and challenges of thinking about war historically.

This unit gives students knowledge of research methods relevant to humanities disciplines. Modules provide advanced instruction in developing a research topic, evidence-based research and Human Research Ethics processes and policy.

This unit offers a history of the United States of America from 1898 until 1945. It examines the key events and issues from the Spanish-American War to the New Deal and Isolationism which shaped the course of modern America.

The unit examines the history of Australia’s transformation from a collection of small settler colonies to a modern, industrialising nation. The unit focuses on the creation of a national identity through examination of themes such as race, class, urbanisation, politics, sport gender and culture.

This unit includes a general overview of major developments in Australian political and social history since 1920, and also focuses on particular issues such as the Great Depression, 1949 coal strike, the Petrov Affair and the Whitlam dismissal.

Until 1788, Australia was peopled by those who we now call ‘Aborigines’. Then Europeans arrived and began to spread across the continent, displacing and marginalising the Aborigines. This unit will tell the stories of that transformation, beginning with an account of the ideas and motivations of British authority in the late eighteenth century and concluding at the moment when six British colonies formed a federated nation. Topics to be covered will include: violence, humanitarianism, Christian missions, institutional authority. The course will emphasise and explain regional and temporal differences in the ways that Indigenous and non-Indigenous interacted. Students will study primary sources and learn to understand them in context.

This unit aims to explore the history of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians from Federation (1901) to the present. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Australia became a nation without paying much attention to the first Australians. It was widely assumed that they would die out or at least remain an insignificant welfare problem. Instead, these first Australians survived and grew as a minority population; they also increasingly made themselves heard as a people - so successfully that in 2008 the Parliament of Australia felt obliged formally to apologise for their years of mistreatment. This unit highlights two stories: the non-Indigenous transition from complacency to engagement, and the survival and increasing political effectiveness of the descendants of Australia's first peoples.

There are repeated calls for greater involvement by citizens in public life or the community. Generally such appeals draw upon an image of ancient Western citizenship derived from the Greek city-state or ancient Rome. Yet the history of citizenship and civic identity in the West is long and varied. This unit surveys the historical literature from a number of different periods of Western history, from the ancient city-states to the Roman Empire, from Medieval merchants to Renaissance scholars, through to early modern debates around sovereignty and religious toleration. It also examines modern debates around the greater complexity of modern societies as against ancient, and the perceived greater focuses upon privacy and personal autonomy in the modern world - all of which are claimed to have diminished the civic impulse. The unit should be of interest to history, politics and education students.

Classics of Modern Philosophy introduces students to a selected number of 'great' (highly influential) philosophical texts of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Addressing fundamental issues such as human freedom, the nature of truth and knowledge, technological progress, problems of modern life, this unit guides students through key statements with supporting explanation of the philosophers, their projects and careers, and relevant social contexts.

In little more than half a century Australia was transformed from a convict prison to a parliamentary democracy. The people who made this transformation were the ex-convicts, free settlers and first generation of colonial born children. The survival of data about ordinary people between 1788-1840 makes it possible to investigate families, communities, employment, law and order and the daily experiences of urban and frontier life in these formative years. Using family history resources on the internet and sophisticated digital archives of historical records in Australia and overseas, this unit will challenge assumptions about “who do you think we were?”

This unit is concerned with cultural and intellectual change in twentieth-century China, which saw the end of the imperial system, the establishment of the Chinese Republic, the rise to power of the Chinese Communists, and the launching of the Four-Modernisation Program in the post-Mao era. It will offer insights into the Chinese search for modernity over the last one hundred years, especially the role of the intellectuals and their relations with society and state.

This unit is concerned with the theory and practice of democracy in modern and contemporary history of Asia. It explores a range of issues relating to liberalism, human rights, political reform and democratization. It seeks to explain the differences in the ways in which democracy has been conceived, understood and practiced in different cultures and societies. It also examines the East-West debate on "Asian values" and the suitability of Western-style democracy to Asia. Finally, it discusses the prospects for democracy in Asia.

The unit provides an historical overview of the different types of ethical beliefs and practices that have been used is specific social settings from the classical world to the modern West. It looks at different types of spiritual and secular ethical behaviours, and the doctrines associated with each. It focuses upon the types of ethical argument and judgment-making specific to particular professions, occupations and social statuses over time. It concludes by surveying the different types of ethics taught to professionals today in the West, and on the differences between each, as well as the specific requirements of each. It will be of interest both to students with an interest in the history of ideas, and to students who want to learn more about ethics and moral decision-making.

This unit examines the relationship between social change, ideology and politics in twentieth-century Europe. Three competing ideologies from 1900 are examined, authoritarianism, liberalism and socialism. With a special focus on the period 1914 to 1945, the unit examines the interaction between these ideologies and the polarization of politics through the major social upheavals of the period. Case studies will be drawn from the history of Britain, Germany, Russia, Italy, France and Spain in the twentieth century.

This unit examines a variety of theoretical perspectives that inform feminist thought and practice. We will discuss diverse feminist analyses of gender relations and formations of power, intersections of gender with race, class, and culture, and possibilities for feminist solidarity in a global context.

Are you what you eat? This unit explores the relationship between food, globalisation and human experience in an historical and cross-cultural context. Food is central to the formation of cultural identity, the emergence of social taboo and the expression of religious belief. While food has become associated with national identity, foodstuffs have also become symbols of cross-cultural interaction through the imperial experience or the effect of migration. The relationship between food, culture and identity is an important one, but the current world food price crises; the persistence of famine in the developing world; and the emergence of ‘fast food’ as a marker of globalisation remind us of the critical relationship between nutrition and political economies.

The experiences of globalization are explored from a variety of levels across time and space, from the individual to the local, the national to the international. The focus in this course will be on issues of politics, both domestic and international, but we will keep in mind that globalization is a phenomenon that is explored and assessed by a wide range of disciplines, including history, sociology, politics, law, economics, anthropology, gender studies, human geography, economics, regional and area studies, science and technology, health and epidemiology.

This Asian history unit is concerned with the transformation of China in a social, political and intellectual context since the middle of the nineteenth century. The unit focuses on China's modern transformation in the first half of the twentieth century and its contemporary relevance. The scope is broad, encompassing changes from the last decades of the Qing Dynasty to the Republican era and the rise to power of the Communists in 1949. The approach is issue-oriented, thematic and, where appropriate, chronological.

This unit aims to provide third year humanities students with first-hand knowledge of workplaces or research processes related to their chosen field of study (major), such as art galleries, museums, libraries, local and state government, tourism and administration or in academic contexts. The unit will introduce students to various fields in which the skills developed over two years of study in humanities can be applied. It will augment their study and provide much needed work experience. The internship placement and/or project will be chosen by the student in consultation with the staff member responsible for the major area and the placement will be overseen and the academic work assessed by the member of staff responsible for the major area of study relevant to the internship.

The unit critically reflects on the practices and debates in the writing of Australian history. It examines the approaches of major Australian historians including Manning Clark, Geoffrey Blainey and Humphrey McQueen, as well as themes such as empiricism versus postmodernism, the 'new social history' and Marxism and Australian historiography.

Fascism was the only major new political movement and ideology to emerge in twentieth century Europe. After 1922 it changed the world in profound ways and with disastrous consequences. In this unit we will examine the historiography of fascism and the key events in fascist history in Germany, Italy, Britain and other places in Europe. Questions to be considered include: What factors promoted the growth of fascism? Which factors caused fascism to establish itself and prosper in some places but not in others?

This unit examines the role lay people, or non-professionals, play in justice processes. This includes traditional forms of lay participation such as juries, and newer forms of community participation such as restorative justice and mediation. It encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of the legal institutions and practices of different traditions, improve their research skills and enhance their ability to work as part of a team.

This unit will examine ways in which literature and philosophy interact. It will consider the ways in which literature and philosophy offer important and different ways of thinking. And it will consider the differences between literature and philosophy. Literature will be understood to involve thinking through sensations, while philosophy will be understood to involve thinking through concepts. The unit will examine examples of interaction between literary texts and philosophical texts, considering how literary effects can inhabit philosphical texts and philosophical ideas can permeate literary texts. The unit will consider frequently occurring themes within both literature and philosophy, such as ethics (ways of living and acting).

Popular representations of world politics shape our collective understanding of political history and international relations. This unit examines the ways in which film can communicate political messages to its audience, as well as the far more difficult issue of the effects that those messages might have on viewers. Although the discipline of International Relations (IR) has overwhelmingly ignored popular culture, it is the argument of this unit that popular culture actually provides us with a wealth of significant representations of world politics.

This unit presents a social and cultural history of Japan from the mid nineteenth century to the present. The principle organising theme is the question of modernity: what are the different ways that Japan has expressed its modern identity? How has this been shaped by Japan's position in relation to both the West and its Asian neighbours? What is the relationship among the state, its citizens, and history in negotiating identity? How has war affected Japanese modernity and what we know of modern Japan?

In the West, it is assumed that the authorities of the state and of the church are separate. The state looks afters the public or political affairs, while religion takes care of one’s private beliefs and moral values. In practice, however, such a separation has always been precarious. From American politics to the conflicts in the Middle East, the two have remained intermeshed. The unit will trace the idea of the separation of state and church back to its genesis and track its development in modern thought. The aim is to demonstrate the variegated relation between politics and theology by closely examining a wide array of texts in a variety of disciplinary fields, including literature.

This unit studies the history of the post-war Japanese political experience. In particular, examining the interaction between domestic political developments, and security and foreign policy matters.

This unit offers a general overview of race in politics as it exists in Europe, Asia, the Americans and Australasia. It will focus on theories of race, racist policies and practices and the political economy of race.

This unit is concerned with developments in China since the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It will focus on the post-1976 period, which saw the adoption and implementation of an "open-door" policy and the launch of the "Four Modernisations". Due attention, however, will also be paid to the history and politics of the 1950s and 1960s as backgrounds. The unit will be issue-oriented, exploring a whole range of social and political issues that will have a bearing on China's future as a potential world power in the twenty-first century.

Since the end of the Cold War, the European Union (EU) has become not only one of the central actors in world affairs, but its novel forms of governance and dynamics of integration have marked its uniqueness in the history of international life. This unit introduces students to the diverse international roles of the EU as well as the nature of its external relations. It also considers the recent assertions that the EU's foreign policy is 'in crisis.' The unit will evaluate, from different perspectives, the institutions involved in the international diplomacy of the EU and its development of foreign policy.

This unit will introduce students to the contemporary history and politics of Central Asia. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region of Central Asia (encompassing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) has reclaimed its importance as a political, economic, and cultural region. Located in a key geo-strategic position between Russia, China, South Asia, and Iran, and with extensive natural resources (especially oil and gas), the region has attracted significant policy and popular attention. The aim of this unit is to introduce students to key domestic and regional issues affecting Central Asia. The unit will look at the historical legacy of Russian and Soviet regimes, the broad effects of post-Soviet independence, the politics and economics of state-building, and the roles played by international actors and organizations. The unit will also examine how government efforts to build states, nations, and economies historically and recently have influenced societal institutions, such as Islam, community groups, and gender relations.

This unit offers a historical study of the international relations of the Middle East from 1945 to the present. It examines the relations of Middle Eastern states to global structures of power; the pattern of relations between regional states; the causes of regional wars and international co-operation; the impact of domestic factors on the foreign policy of states; the importance of oil to international politics and the global economy; and the role of ideologies and non-state forces in international relations and between states in the Middle East.

This unit investigates the far-reaching political and social changes underway in Indonesia, Australia's closest and most important Asian neighbour. It studies in depth the turbulent period since the 1998 overthrow of Soeharto, paying particular attention to the dramatic struggle for political reform against efforts to preserve much of the status quo. The unit examines the far-reaching constitutional reforms implemented since 2000 and the accompanying new political structure that is emerging. Indonesia's status as an emerging democracy is a particular focus of the unit against the backdrop of challenges such as economic crisis, Islamist terror, separatist pressures, and endemic corruption.

Why do humans kill? What is the nature of war? This course is a selection of different established theories offering explanations of human violence and social conflict. Both theories of individual violence and aggression, and collective conflict are studied to give students a perspective on the forces behind these phenomena. Theories from politics, philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociobiology, sociology, and cultural studies are introduced to exemplify the classic positions and lines of reasoning. These are used to question and explain current forms of violence and conflict, and to give students better understanding of the issues behind attempts to forestall, manage or end conflict.

The impact of the industrial revolution was felt earliest and most profoundly in many parts of the world through changes in transport and communications. During the mid 19th century the telegraph, postal services, the steamship and the railway diminished distance in ways no innovations ever had before. This unit will examine their social, economic and political impact as well as later innovations such as civil aviation and road motor transport.

"Understanding Freedom" consists of a close analysis of major theories of freedom from ancient times to the contemporary world. It explores the relation between freedom and imprisonment, freedom and politics, freedom and the everyday, as well as the way that freedom informs the production of culture.

This unit aims to explore contemporary understandings of power and its various manifestations in the modern world. Numerous themes are considered including informal and formal mechanisms of power, the uses and abuses of power, resistance, plus various examples of "powered" sites. The unit examines the relation between power, violence and the state. The unit concentrates on a few, influential theorists of power. Particular attention is paid to how power has an impact on the production of culture.

This unit provides an overview of the major institutions and branches of the United States government. It draws attention to the interaction between the ideas that have been articulated by American social and political movements, and the institutions and goals of the American government as they have unfolded over time.

This unit examines problems and issues in international politics. In particular the unit critically assesses the major theoretical paradigms associated with attempts to explain international behaviour of key individuals, nations and the international system. Major issues and key problems in world affairs since the end of World War Two (such as justice and equality, human rights and terrorism) are examined.

This unit will look at the historical heritage of Japan that is central to contemporary Japanese identity and culture. The historical heritage considered includes Zen, samurai culture, Japanese artistic achievement, the Emperor, who still pays respect to 'the Divine ancestors' on ceremonial occasions, "great" Buddhist temples, Shinto, Shogun, the court, religion, military lords and warlords. The unit explores Japan's historical heritage in relation to industries and institutions, such as the tourist industry and investigates how power, authority, and art are linked?

This unit will examine a series of topical theoretical issues such as claims concerning the end of sovereignty, the emergence of a borderless world, the triumph of liberalism following the end of the Cold War and the so-called 'War on Terrorism' since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Finally it will examine the rise in prominence of so-called 'low politics' issues such as human rights, gender and the environment.

This unit provides inquiry into the origins, course, and aftermath of WWII in Asia and the Pacific. You will ask why Japan and China went to war with each other in the 1930s; you will also seek understanding of why and how that war came to include the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and practically all of Asia. You will examine the atomic attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Was the bomb a necessary evil? Or could/should the US have avoided using the bomb? You will also look intensively at post-WWII Asia. How did two wartime allies – the US and the Soviet Union – become bitter enemies within months of the war’s end? Why did China descend into civil war? What was the war in Korea all about? Were wars of independence throughout SE Asia unavoidable? How was it that Japan escaped much of this postwar misery?