UWA Handbook 2023

Major Overview

Description

Its scope spans millennia, its object of study is humanity, its sources are everywhere and everything.

History's endeavour is unashamedly vast, daunting and challenging. In submitting the past to the scrutiny of the present, it explores among so much more the experience of wars, revolutions, conflicts and diasporas, nations, empires, economies, cultures, emotions and people from the most elevated to the lowliest. In History there are no taboo areas and no questions are off limits. Doing History means learning how to learn about the past, it means engaging with its wonders and horrors, and it means joining in its telling and retelling. Doing History immerses you in discovery, debate, discussion, understanding, surprise and awe, and it requires of you rigour, reason, questioning, imagination and passion. By doing History, you become part of the process by which humanity's memory itself comes to be made.

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) demonstrate a capacity to understand imaginatively other times, societies and cultures; (2) demonstrate an awareness of the world we live in, through reference to important aspects of humanity's past experience; (3) demonstrate a knowledge of major historical developments in a range of times and places; (4) identify main issues in a body of complex historical material; (5) critically evaluate differences and issues in others' interpretations of historical events; (6) describe and interpret evidence of past human experience, proposing explanations for the content of such evidence with reference to concepts such as power, myth, representation, culture and social structure; (7) independently formulate a logical argument, supported by relevant evidence; (8) express ideas in clear, cogent and correct English; (9) conduct independent research by locating and organising information relating to a specific question or problem; (10) utilise historical resources for research exercises and apply critical and analytical tools to them; and (11) demonstrate a knowledge of the causes of historical change in a range of times and places.

Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so if this suits your aspirations. Over the next few months you will find here some broadening suggestions related to your degree-specific major. While we know that many students value guidance of this sort, these are only suggestions and students should not lose sight of the opportunity to explore that is afforded by your Broadening Choices. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.

Courses

History can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

• BP001 Bachelor of Arts
• BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Units