Urban Legends: Melbourne Intensive (HIST30071)

How are Australian histories and identities expressed in the urban landscape of Melbourne, and Australian cities more generally? Urban Legends offers an exciting look at the role of space, including the inner city and the suburbs, in the development of the Australian nation and the diversity of its peoples. This cross-disciplinary subject is taught intensively, with lectures by academics and industry professionals. It explores meanings of 'places', both real and imagined: from the city to the suburbs to the bush. Much of our learning involves site visits outside the campus. We will explore Melbourne’s ethnic precincts, such as Chinatown, as well as the city’s famous laneways with their internationally known graffiti; and will look at the national and local stories in exhibitions at Museum Victoria, the Shrine of Remembrance and other key institutional sites and monuments to see how they interpret Australian identities in the past and present. We will explore how identity and issues of of race, cross-cultural interactions, gender and belonging are negotiated in the city, and the role of economic and social factors in city life. This subject will appeal students interested in undertaking a detailed study of representations of Australia and national identity, and will build skills in historical and cultural analysis.