AIH108 - The Modern World: Globalisation and Fragmentation, the 1940s to the 21st Century
Unit details
| Year | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)* |
| Credit point(s) | 1 |
| EFTSL value | 0.125 |
| Unit chair | Trimester 2: Clare Corbould |
| Prerequisite | Nil |
| Corequisite | Nil |
| Incompatible with | AIH109, AIH208, AIH408 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment | 1 x 1-hour on-campus lecture per week (recordings provided), 1 x 1-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week (recordings provided), 1 x 1-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. |
Note*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 world after World War II became more connected than ever before, but inequalities and division persist. This unit explores the major forces that shaped the modern world from the 1940s to the twenty-first century, with attention to how people experienced, drove or resisted global change. Students will examine the dropping of atomic bombs in 1945; decolonisation and the creation of new nations; the Cold War and its legacies; migration and population growth; environmental change; and the rise of social movements including feminism, civil rights and environmentalism. The unit also considers how events such as the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and the Fukushima disaster revealed globalisation's possibilities and limits. Designed for first-year students and open to all, the unit introduces key historical skills while asking how global change affected lives, communities and environments.
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 | Analyse, interpret and explain events, people, ideas in the past using primary and secondary sources | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO2 | Distinguish sound historical arguments and interpretations from flawed ones | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO3: Digital literacy GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO3 | Improve comprehension of the assumptions that shape historical knowledge and the ways such assumptions change and/or continue over time, including your own assumptions and context | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
| ULO4 | Understand the origins of today's contemporary global challenges, including how people in the past have tried to address and solve them | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO5: Problem solving |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Live mock-panel presentations with Live Q&A | 2000 words or equivalent | 45% | Weeks 4 to 8 |
| Assessment 2: Written Reflection on Assessment Task 1 | 500 words or equivalent | 10% | Weeks 5 to 9 |
| Assessment 3: Supervised written test | 1500 words or equivalent | 45% | End-of-Unit Assessment Period |
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)
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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.
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