Overview

This unit introduces students to some of the social movements that have shaped and are shaping western societies. Using case studies, it critically examines why and how these movements came about and assesses their cultural and political ramifications. Exploring a range of movements – including women’s fight for the franchise in the 19th and 20th centuries, the gay liberation movement of the 1970s and the rise of right-wing extremism from the 1980s – it looks at the myriad ways people have imagined and fought for social justice.

Requisites

Antirequisites
HIS30002 Gender and History
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify, describe and evaluate key social movements that have shaped contemporary society;
  • Locate, interrogate, and integrate primary and secondary sources in the development of an argument;
  • Effectively communicate knowledge and understanding of the unit content in a written and spoken form;
  • Critically engage with key debates in the relevant scholarly literature;
  • Reflect critically on historical trends that have shaped contemporary society.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Lecture		 1.00  8 weeks  8
Live Online
Lecture		 1.00  4 weeks  4
On-campus
Class		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Specified Activities
Various		 7.00  12 weeks  84
Unspecified Activities
Various		 2.50  12 weeks  30
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Essay 1 Individual  35%  1,2,3,4,5 
Essay 2 Individual  45%  1,2,3,4,5 
In-Class Exercises (Written, Oral and Aural) Individual  20%  1,3,4,5 

Content

  • The fight for the franchise; 
  • Socialism and the labour movement;
  • The new left and anti-war campaigns;
  • The women’s movement;
  • The gay liberation movement;
  • Indigenous rights campaigns,
  • The disability rights movement;
  • The rise of right-wing extremism.

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.