History Department Response to Student Feedback
HSTY6992 - Monuments and History (2008)

Unit Coordinator: Professor Robert Aldrich

This postgraduate unit examined such topics as collective memory and ‘sites of memory’; public commemorations through statues and monuments; ruins as monuments; war memorials; monuments as history and propaganda; memorials of the Holocaust; and monuments of nationalism and colonialism. Examples were drawn primarily from Australia, Europe and Asia. The assessment included a 2000-word report on a specific monument in Sydney (30%), a 4000-word essay on a topic of each student’s choice (50%), and participation in seminars (20%). Students included candidates for the MA degree in History and in Museum Studies.

The overall satisfaction with this unit according to the USE surveys was 4.80 of 5.00. Students were positive about all aspects of the unit. They felt in particular that the lecturer was responsive (5.00), that the unit helped them to learn effectively (4.83), that they were motivated to engaged with the learning activities, that they received constructive feedback an that the unit encouraged and stimulated their thinking (4.80).