HIST-MAJ History

Why study History?

The history major empowers you to make sense of our complex and contradictory world through knowledge of the past. Studying a wide range of themes, times, and places, you will develop the analytical, argumentation, research, and writing skills that responsible and effective global citizens and critical and creative lifelong learners need to thrive in the 21st century.

Let go of any expectations that history is nothing more than memorising dates and places, or lauding the achievements of the elite few. Historians grapple with questions of power, knowledge, agency, and contingency. The deep and critical reading of historical sources—material, literary, and visual—allows us to render the past visible, make meaning from it, and draw on its lessons. 

The History major is structured to allow you to systematically build the skills necessary to research, write about, and interpret history. In the first year, you will be introduced to the study of history through a two-semester global survey that takes them chronologically from the medieval period through the modern era.

In the second year, you will build on this foundation through one of two cornerstone units designed to deepen their knowledge and professional skills as historians. You can choose between a unit on the history of Australia and its peoples, or on the evolution of History as an academic field, including recent theoretical and philosophical debates. Whether deepening knowledge about the nation’s past, or of the discipline’s history, these units offer critical insights into the principles and approaches that historians bring to the interpretation of how we got to where we are today.

The third-year capstone offers you an opportunity to work at a more advanced level, developing a research project of their own design. The project might take the form of a traditional essay, or something more creative and imaginative, e.g., historical fiction or a podcast. It might be an individual work or a group project. Whatever the specifics, it will draw and build on the knowledge and skills developed across the previous years of study to produce an inventive and exciting take on the past. For those wanting to pursue Honours (and beyond), it gives you a taste of more independent and intensive research into a topic of your choosing.

As part of the major, you have the opportunity at second and third year to take electives that allow them to dive deeper into a range of themes and national contexts for which Monash historians are world-leading experts. For those who wish to develop a research focus, electives have been designed to stack logically across second and third year. One can, for example, progress through electives on modern European history, modern Asian history, the history of social justice movements, the history of science, medicine, and technology, and the history of religion.

There are myriad ways to combine units into a coherent concentration. Not sure what the right combination is for you? Talk to our major coordinator or one of your lecturers about the best options for you, or consult our History Moodle site for suggested pathways/curriculum maps.

What can you do with your history major? Our graduates go on to meaningful careers in policy and research, publishing, education, public service, museums and heritage, archiving and records management, media and communications, and the private sector. History majors are sought after by employers for their fine analytical, research, and writing skills. Whatever your career path, learning to think like a historian—critically and empathically—sets you up for a lifetime of engaged citizenship.

Availability
History is listed in A2000 Bachelor of Arts at Caulfield and Clayton as a major and minor, and in A0502 Diploma of Liberal Arts at Caulfield and Clayton as a major.