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Making Histories Public - MHPG844
Researchers in Australia, Britain and the US have revealed that 'ordinary people' don't learn history through formal teaching or scholarly monographs but mostly through consuming historical television, radio and film productions, when creating family trees and visiting museums. This unit will examine how and why academic historians make public history and the tensions and opportunities that are produced by the decision to appeal to a wide audience. We will explore the way histories are represented in television and radio production, family history, museums, historic houses, exhibition curation, social policy and political debate. In so doing, we will investigate the social and political functions of the acquisition of historical knowledge and training. At its core, the unit will question whether this process democratises historical knowledge and thus enfranchises new authors and audiences. After considering some of the theoretical and historiographical issues that characterise this practice, students will develop their own proposal for a public history project related to their field of historical interest.
| Credit Points: | 4 |
| When Offered: | S1 External - Session 1, External (On-campus dates: None) |
| Staff Contact(s): | Dr Tanya Evans |
| Prerequisites: |
(12cp in MHIS or AHST or POL units at 300 level) or admission to MA in (History or Modern History) or PGDipArts in Modern History or PGCertArts in Modern History |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCW(s): | |
| Unit Designation(s): | |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations Faculty of Arts |
Timetable Information
For unit timetable information and session dates for external offerings please visit the Timetables@Macquarie Website.