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Unit of study_

ECOP6115: History of Australian Capitalism

2025 unit information

This unit focuses on the rich political-economic historiography of Australian capitalism. You will explore a range of themes in this historiography which include: British colonisation and First Nation’s dispossession; the long economic booms and depressions since the 18th century; the progressive and evolving integration of Australia with the global economy through trade, capital flows and migration; the making and remaking of class relations, and social protest; the evolving embeddedness of the Australian economy in the natural environment (including the growing reliance on extractive sectors like mining); and, the financialisation of the everyday life of Australians.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Arts and Social Sciences

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Political Economy
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. have broad knowledge about the economic and social history of Australia
  • LO2. critically analyse and competently discuss important themes in the historiography of Australian capitalism
  • LO3. critically analyse the relationship between social science and historiography
  • LO4. develop written arguments involving social theory and historical evidence
  • LO5. communicate quantitative social history data effectively
  • LO6. use information technology and library resources to conduct historical research

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.