AIH107 - Conquering Modernity: Global History, 1840-1940

Unit details

Year

2027 unit information

Enrolment modes

Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)*

Credit point(s)1
EFTSL value0.125
Unit chairTrimester 1: Carolyn Holbrook
Prerequisite

Nil

CorequisiteNil
Incompatible withAIH260, AIH360
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment

1 x 2-hour on- campus seminar per week

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment

1 x 2-hour online seminar per week

Typical study commitment

Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Supplementary information

*Community Based Delivery (CBD): only for students of the National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation NIKERI Institute (located at the Waurn Ponds campus)

Content

The century between 1840-1940 was an ‘age of extremes’—to borrow the title of historian Eric Hobsbawm’s famous book—as humans co-operated and competed in equal measure to ‘conquer modernity’. Destruction and exploitation on an untold scale—enslavement, colonisation, industrial warfare—co-existed with developments that we applaud today—the emergence of democratic systems of government, first-wave feminism and demands for improved conditions for workers. Themes in this unit will include a study of the major economic changes and political structures that emerged from the 1840s, including the rise of empires and the emergence of modern nation states. We also examine the contest between democracy, fascism and communism. We examine these themes through major events such as the birth of the railway age, the First World War, the Russian Revolution, the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Great Depression and the Japanese invasion of China in 1937.

The unit is intended to introduce students to the study of history and the Deakin history major. While this is developed as a discrete unit, it is intended also to provide an introduction to the trimester two unit so that together, the trimester one and two of the first level will provide an extended analysis of the making of the modern world. 

Learning outcomes

Each unit in your course is a building block towards Deakin's Graduate Learning Outcomes - not all units develop and assess every Graduate Learning Outcome (GLO).

ULO

These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:

Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)

ULO1

Examine historical events using primary and secondary sources and use digital technologies responsibly, to facilitate historical analysis and research

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO3: Digital literacy

ULO2

Critically reflect on cultural and historical assumptions to formulate logical arguments about change over time

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO4: Critical thinking

ULO3

Evaluate historical events from different perspectives and debate the role of history and its intersection with societal debates

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO2: Communication

ULO4

Evaluate the profound legacies of modern history for the world's contemporary global challenges

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO8: Global citizenship

Assessment

Assessment Description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week
Assessment 1: (Pairs) Oral Presentation

10-15 minutes,

1200 words 
or equivalent

30% Ongoing
Assessment 2: Class Exercises 1800 words
or equivalent
45% Weeks 4 - 8
Assessment 3: Critical Reflection 1000 words
or equivalent
25% Week 12

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning resource

There is no prescribed text. Unit materials are provided via the unit site. This includes unit topic readings and references to further information.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.

To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.

Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.

Unit fee information

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.