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Unit outline_

HSTY3809: Social and Cultural History

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

How did people in past societies congregate, organise, socialise, and argue How did they live and love How did they make sense of the world around them This advanced seminar uses sources, methodologies, lenses and questions drawn from social and cultural history to explore dynamics of power and difference in everyday encounters and thought: in cities or villages, nations or empires.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 2000 level in History
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Chris Hilliard, chris.hilliard@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Participation Participation
Participation
10% Please select a valid week from the list below Weekly class participation
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Assignment Part 1 Essay
Essay on topics covered in Part 1 of the unit
40% Week 06
Due date: 06 Sep 2023 at 23:59
2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2
Assignment Part 2 Essay
Research essay or historiographical essay
50% Week 13
Due date: 05 Nov 2023 at 23:59
3500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO3

Assessment summary

Two submitted essays + seminar participation.

Assessment criteria

All assessments will be graded using the FASS grading scale and grade descriptors.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

FASS and University policies on late penalties will be applied.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 02 ‘From Social History to Cultural History’, 1 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 03 ‘From Social History to Cultural History’, 2 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 04 Agency, Experience, and Representation, 1 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 05 Agency, Experience, and Representation, 2 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 06 Precarity and Poverty Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 07 Crime Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 08 A Changing Working Class Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 09 Sociology and History/Quantitative and Qualitative Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 10 Education and Social Mobility Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 11 Social History, Cultural History, and Race Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 12 Topic to be negotiated with students Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 13 Conclusions Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

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

  • LO1. Explain the development of social history and the cultural turn
  • LO2. Understand the strengths and limitations of social and cultural history
  • LO3. Apply the methods of social history and cultural history to primary source research

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.