Contemporary Issues in Public History and Cultural Heritage
UndergraduateMAQ-PBHX33032027
Course information for 2027 intake
Engage with current debates in public history and cultural heritage. Examine how professionals interpret, preserve and communicate the past. Consider the ethical and practical choices involved.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 18 July 2027
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 26 July 2027
- Price from
- $2,355
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Contemporary Issues in Public History and Cultural Heritage
About this subject
On successful completion, a student will be able to
- Critically evaluate contemporary debates in public history and cultural heritage, including decolonisation, contested memorialisation, and the representation of gender, race, and sexuality.
- Analyse global and local case studies to understand how communities and practitioners challenge dominant historical narratives and advocate for ethical, inclusive cultural heritage practices.
- Collaborate to develop creative, evidence-informed responses to complex cultural heritage issues demonstrating an ability to design proposals that engage diverse publics and affected communities.
- Reflect on your role as a public historian, articulating how your values, positionality, and practice contribute to shaping more inclusive and socially responsible historical narratives.
- A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials
In Contemporary Issues in Public History and Cultural Heritage, you will critically examine how power, identity, and memory shape the ways history is interpreted, preserved, and presented in public spaces around the world today. This unit explores urgent debates in the field, including the decolonisation of museums and archives, the politics of memorialisation, and the representation of gender, sexuality, and race in cultural heritage narratives. You’ll engage with case studies from Australia and around the world, analysing how public historians and communities are challenging dominant narratives and advocating for more inclusive and ethical practices. Designed to consolidate your learning across the major, this unit encourages you to think reflexively about your role as a public historian and heritage practitioner and to develop collaborative, research-based, and creative responses to contemporary challenges in the field.
- Media article (40%)
- Collaborative Project: Reimagining a Heritage Site (30%)
- Reflective Portfolio (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Prior study
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
one of
MAQ-PBHX0000 (Not currently available)
- MAQ-AHIX2254-The State in the Ancient Greek World
- MAQ-MHIX2202-Merchants, Markets, and Globalisation
Others
Pre-requisite-120cp at 1000 level or above
NCCW (2020 and onwards)
PBHS3303 Contemporary Issues in Public History and Cultural Heritage
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateMAQ-HIS-DEG
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