ATS2792 Understanding Australia: From the deep past to the present
Faculty of Arts
ATS2792 Understanding Australia: From the deep past to the present is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2026 in Semester 2 at Caulfield and Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 2
- Caulfield, Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS2792
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS2792
No unit lists ATS2792 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisites: Twelve credit points of first-year Arts units.
Overview
In this unit, you will be introduced to key moments, themes, and controversies in Australian history. The story of Australia and its peoples is traced through a series of central themes: the experiences, knowledge, and perspectives of First Nations peoples; invasion and colonisation; Australia’s environment; Australia’s deep connections with Asia and the Pacific; migration; the development of distinctive political institutions; warfare, both overseas and within Australia; and the transformation and reinvention of Australian society and culture over time. You will investigate Australia’s past to contextualise and understand our contemporary society, including its divisions, debates, and anxieties.
This unit provides you with a deeper understanding of Australia. For students interested in a career in education, this unit equips you with the knowledge and confidence to effectively teach Australian history content at Primary or Secondary level. For students pursuing a major or minor in History, this unit takes advantage of the rich primary material on our doorstep to provide you with hands-on experience with the methods and approaches of historians. This unit is also an ideal elective if you have no prior experience of History but are keen to learn more about Australia and its past.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Caulfield | On campus |
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Analytical ExerciseExercise15%
- EssayWritten40%
- Reflective WritingWritten15%
- Analytical ExerciseExercise30%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
identify and explain key events and concepts in Australian history and situate them in local and global contexts;
- 2
recognise and evaluate differing interpretations of key issues and debates in Australian history;
- 3
identify and critically analyse the relationship between Australian history and contemporary Australian society;
- 4
analyse and interpret historical sources, including both primary and secondary sources;
- 5
communicate key concepts in Australian history through a variety of written and oral forms;
- 6
reflect critically on your understanding of Australian history and how it can be applied to civic and/or and professional practice.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages you in enquiry-based learning, where you will be encouraged to use your own knowledge to develop and engage in a process of enquiry, study and research to identify areas to be investigated and an approach to doing so.
This unit includes case-based teaching, where you apply your knowledge and engage in analytical and reflective thinking to solve complex contextual scenarios. Activities are often designed so that there is not one clear answer, but you need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation.
This unit allows you to develop your research skills by engaging in structured inquiry using a systematic approach and discipline-specific methodologies
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Where it fits
ATS2792 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Rohan Howitt
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Rohan Howitt
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS2792?
ATS2792 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS2792 offered?
In 2026, ATS2792 runs in Semester 2 at Caulfield and Clayton.
How much work is ATS2792?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS2792 have an exam?
No. ATS2792 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS2792?
ATS2792 is part of History.