Travel back in time to the emergence of the world’s first civilizations. Starting around 3500 BCE, you will explore and compare the remarkable cultures and foundational events of several ancient societies. Includes Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Mediterranean, the Indus River Valley, China, Central and South America and more. Suitable for lovers of history at all levels.

This course over 2 terms is in 2 parts, each semester. Part 1: pre-history to 1900 and Part 11: 1901 (Federation) to today and the future.

Mark Twain travelled widely in Australia in 1895/96 and later wrote that Australian history “is so curious and strange that it is itself the chiefest novelty the country has to offer. It does not read like history and of all a fresh new sort, no mouldy old ones. It is full of surprises, adventures, incongruities, contradictions and incredibilities, but they are all true, they all happened.” This course will prove the “truism” of these words. It is an “exceptionally” different course.

Two places available.

Where did hominins originate? When did Homo sapiens split away from the anthropoid family tree? What was the name of our earliest bipedal ancestor? How did we become the dominant hominin species on earth? Join Bruce on a journey of discovery with Charles Darwin and many other scientists, as we examine human evolution from 6 million years ago, to today. We will be examining the basics of DNA discoveries, so some knowledge of biology would be desirable for this course. The tutor would like students to read the NY Times Best Seller: “Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind” by Prof. Yuval Noah Harari, during the two terms of the course.

This two-term course traces the history of India in the time from the early 1500’s to the late 1900’s. As indicated in the title, it will commence with a survey of the Mughal Emperors, followed by the British East India Company, the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and the establishment of British Government rule (the “Raj”) from 1858 until Independence in 1947. The course will conclude with a survey of the Nehru family Prime Ministerships up to the 1990’s. (Includes PowerPoint, Notes & DVDs)

This course will commence with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476AD and cover the almost thousand-year period up to and including the fall of Constantinople in 1453AD. In between it will include various aspects of the socio-economic and political history of western Europe during the course of this overall period. (Includes PowerPoint, Notes & DVDs)

This course offers participants the opportunity to encounter the Movers and Shakers of the Mediterranean culture during the High Middle Ages. We will walk and ride the pilgrim trails, where you will meet colourful and exotic characters including the wild, the wilful and the wicked. Roland, Charlemagne, Anna Comnena, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the Pied Piper will be among the stars. Central to our activities will be the interrogation of primary sources, both literary and archaeological. There are no course prerequisites. Just bring a sense of curiosity, wit and wonder.

A Social History is the story of People in History: ordinary people from all walks of life who lived “extra-ordinary” lives, in meeting the challenges of isolation and survival in the strange and often hostile environment of the new British Colony. This will be the history and herstory of our early Pioneers, from settlement to the beginning of our fledgling Nation. Our Pioneers, their stories and their contributions to our identity.

During the 16th century, Europe and Britain were convulsed by seismic shifts in political, economic, social and religious settlements. No part of life in Europe was untouched by what became known as the Reformation. While ostensibly a religious realignment of values, the seeds of upheaval were planted in the fertile soil of the background social, political, economic and cultural ferment affecting all of the late medieval world. This course charts these changes and the subsequent realignment of values, modes of worship and   cultural norms that set the scene for the modern consensus.

This is a “hands-on” structured course, suitable for absolute beginners. You will learn how to use the Internet and your computer/tablet to get the best information about your ancestors and their way of life; and how to best store/record it. You will learn how to: join the Family History Website (Ancestry) for free, to start your Tree; use effective methodology for finding and recording family data: find which country your ancestors are from & how to find records: how to use free websites to find records about your family; search for family photographs; find out the social conditions & how your family lived; effectively use Google Search for family history; use maps to show where your ancestors lived & travelled; use DNA results to find your cousins/ancestors; effectively use the Major Family History Websites: use computer/tablet family history software. You will need your own laptop/tablet.

As indicated in the title of this course, there will be two parts to this history course with the first term covering the Australian contribution and the second term examining the other nations’ – principally the main allied and axis powers – contributions. The course will conclude with a brief survey of the outcomes of World War II on subsequent history. (Includes PowerPoint, Notes & DVDs)