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Unit of study_
HSTY2701: Spies in the Archive
2021 unit information
Historians love spies whose clandestine collection of information in the service of states and as a weapon of war has created irresistible archival records. This course traces the history culture and changing technologies of espionage and surveillance from the Spanish Inquisition to Cold War Australia, from Russian empire to neighbourhood spy networks in interwar Britain and current debates over terrorism and social media. Can we use such material without becoming complicit in the voyeurism and implied violence of its collection?
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | History |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level in History |
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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. demonstrate knowledge of the history of and spying and surveillance and their importance to states, societies and individuals
- LO2. analyse historical evidence from a number of selected primary sources of different kinds including primary sources produced through surveillance activity
- LO3. engage in independent historical research into the history of spies and surveillance
- LO4. present a coherent and convincing written argument using primary sources as evidence, weighing up the ethical challenges of using primary sources produced through spying and surveillance
- LO5. demonstrate appreciation of scholarly trends and debates in the field of surveillance studies and intelligence history.
Unit availability
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