Cirrus@Austlit

The unit aims to provide US Study Abroad students with a substantial overview of Australian history and an analysis of the evolution of contemporary Australian society. It covers major themes and events in Australian history and offers a context for comparison and isolation early settler population coming to terms with an unfamiliar and often hostile environment in one of the most remote parts of the British Empire. The unit emphasises the changing pattern of Aboriginal/white relations, from armed friction on the frontier during colonial times, to the beginnings of a search for reconciliation. The brutal nature of the convict system, the desperate expansion of the gold period and the sacrifices of Australians during the ‘Great War’ are all examined in some detail. Australia’s changing relationships with its powerful allies – Britain and the United States – are also examined. Through it all, Australia has had a bloody, determined and vibrant history as the ‘great southern land’ has, through the struggles of its migrants and indigenous people, been transformed into a modern society.

*Please note: This unit is available to Study Abroad students on the Fremantle campus only.