Contemporary celebrations of Anzac Day are exclusionary and divisive.” Do you agree/disagree with this statement? Why/why not?
Contemporary celebrations of Anzac Day are exclusionary and divisive
You must attempt to answer three (3) of the following questions in essay format.
You cannot answer more than one question from each category (i.e., you cannot answer two questions from the ANZAC or any other category)
Maximum: 600 words per essay.
As with the main assignment, answers must be referenced.
Duration of Test: 28 June-2 July
- Australian politics have been shaped by competition between Labor and non-Labor parties. How has this competition evolved since 1901?
- Choose a contemporary issue in Australian politics. Using this issue, show how it has evolved and shaped Australian politics into the twenty-first century?
- Identify two case studies (one from first settlement by the British until the 1950s; the other from the 1950s until today) that exemplify the tension between Australian government policies and Indigenous Australia. To what extent have these policies evolved? How has Indigenous Australia demonstrated autonomy in the face of such policies?
- “Contemporary celebrations of Anzac Day are exclusionary and divisive.” Do you agree/disagree with this statement? Why/why not?
- What are the dominant factors that explain the contemporary resurgence of Anzac Day?
Category: Environment and Climate Change
- Historian Tom Griffiths argues that Australia occupies a “unique” position in understanding the historical changes to its environment. What makes Australia’s experience unique, and do you agree with Griffith’s claims?
- To what extent do you think Australia’s economic growth will continue to depend on the exploitation of natural resources and what will be the impact on the environment? Explain with reference to mining and/or the Great Barrier Reef.
Category: Gender and Feminism
- What were the key developments for women’s rights in Australia in the twentieth century? What impact did these developments have for women in Australian society and have these developments reached their full potential in terms of bringing about gender equality?
- Shifting expectations around gender roles in Australia have been centred around ideas of the home and household labour. Discuss.
Category: Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- In the context of Australia’s history, Australians’ attitudes towards refugees and asylum seekers make perfect sense. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Just as the White Australia Policy was unsustainable for the future of Australia in the globalised world of the twentieth century, so too will Australia’s policies towards refugees and asylum seekers be unsustainable in the twenty-first century. Discuss.
Category: Australia & the World
- Australia’s relations with North and South-East Asian countries have been based more on economic opportunism than cultural engagement. To what extent do you consider this the case?
- Since Federation there have been a number of identifiable shifts in Australia’s foreign, economic and defence policies. Identify these shifts. What do they suggest about Australia’s relations with the world and particularly its ‘near north’?
- How has being a white, British country in the Asia-Pacific defined Australia’s identity and outlook on the world?