Latrobe: A Brave New World

Australia is filled with many different aspects in which makes it the country it is today. I believe it is important to study texts that explore aspects of Australia by studying texts such as ‘The Club’, by David Williamson, a play written in 1977 about an Australian football club and movies such as “The Castle”, directed by Rob Stitch in 1997, about the daily life of an Australian family when their happiness is threatened when developers attempt to buy their house to expand the neighboring airport. Both these texts show us what Australian life was like in the past. By us looking at themes such as language, tradition and the mateship shown we are able to explore different aspects of Australia that make it what it is today.

History is the study of people and events from the past. However, history in high school is not being taught correctly. For example, Black history is not being taught the way it should be. My experience in high school with learning about black history was that it was not required to be taught. Teachers never really mentioned the important things that happened in black history. They only gave us quotes about black history and some of the people that were apart of black history. I never knew the true meaning of black history and what it was all about. Still today I am not sure what really happened during that period. But the truth behind history is beginning to come out with the removal of the confederate monument. We are now seeing that high

History has the unrelenting power to reenter our present lives and show that it is far from a dormant topic that is drilled into school students. The past has a purpose to teach us, to provide us with the knowledge of our failures along side our successes. The past is there to be sure that we do not continue to make the same mistakes endlessly. If we constantly look toward the future without remembering our country’s past experiences, than we are going to concede to repeat.

History has changed life in many ways. The discovery of America, the end of slavery. No matter what it happened it was history. History gets taught all over the World. Schools teach Civics and Economics, World History 1 and World History 2. It is split up because there is so much to learn about like wars, economics, and last but not least, religion.

The current events that are happening now will be in a history textbook one day. History does not change. What happens in the past stays in the past and it can not be changed, though it can be repeated. This class has not made me appreciate the past any more or less because I feel like I am only in the class to take notes and past tests. I feel the same way about history as I did going into the class. I feel like it is a necessity and it is important, but I am not passionate about the subject. History does matter because it is how humanity learns from its mistakes and does not make them again. To put it simply, without history we would not know what types of things work and don’t work. We can use history today for good because we can improve upon our lifestyle, health, and prosperity by studying the

In his novel ‘The Go Between’ L.P Hartley’s writes that “the past is a foreign country ; they do things differently”. Even though I agree to a point with Hartley I cannot fully agree because in order for us to move forward we must use the past as an important learning experience for us. Due to this I recommend that more emphasis be placed on history in schools and more reforms be made in the curriculum . The following suggestions are important for the realization of these reforms for example, more importance should be placed on lessons in school through early learning i.e. at the early stages of school, teaching should involve more documentary evidence and finally educational excursions should be organized more frequently .

The unique history of Australia has led to it having one of the most culturally diverse population in the world today. Almost 25 percent of the residents of this country were born in another country with numerous others being decedents of refugees or migrants. Also, add in all the almost 2.5 million indigenous people, whose ancestry on this continent dates back centuries, and you have the basis for the multicultural mix that is unique to this country. With immigration continuing in this country, the diversity will only increase and not decrease in the years to come.

As children we quickly learn from our mistakes, when a little kid puts their hand on a hot stove they pull it away quickly because it hurts. As adults, we learn to make informed decisions about politics and our life based on what had happened in the past. The reason why we take a history class is so we can learn from our past mistakes. We look at the way people did things in the past and we have the privilege of seeing how it ended for them, so we can form our own opinions and ideas from it. For example, today we are much more aware of foreign crisis because of the Holocaust. No one wants to see something like the Holocaust happen again so we are doing our best to find a safe way to fight ISIS and other similar groups. People can also make

Australia is a multi-cultural society, Aboriginal, people of British and Irish descent are initial population in Australia. After World War 2 the population grow because of heavy migration from Europe, especially from Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and other. It show out the Australian policy that trying to incur more immigrants to boost the population and work force. It also cause their country turn into a multi-cultural and multi-faith society.

“Australia has a unique history that has formed the diversity of its peoples, their cultures and lifestyle today” (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011, p. 1). ABS (2011) report states that Australia

Many people often wonder: what is the relevance of studying History? How does it matter what happened ages ago? The answer is simple, History is inescapable. It is an integral part of how we, our society and our culture have shaped

As great philosopher George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." History plays a critical role in understanding why the present is the way it is, and it allows us to make conscious decisions about the future. By examining and analyzing historical events, we are able to dive into the past in order to gain insight on direction to the future. One must be able to learn about the past, learn about mistakes and problems, in order to move forward.

In taking a peak at a current history lesson taught in a classroom, the common outsider will likely find nothing wrong with its content or presentation. They hear many famous names and key dates of the famous people and events of the past and do not bat an eyelash because they learned history in the same way. On the other hand, if a historian were to walk into that same classroom, they would be incredibly disappointed by the fact that students are not really learning how to practice history. Granted, they probably learned about history in the same way at one point or another during their educational careers, but that was in the past and this is the current day. As science, technology, and other subjects advance, why is the general public resolved to allow history to remain in the past? Is it not possible for history education to progress as well? The answer is yes, it is possible and it needs to be done. There is no doubt that students enter school with preconceived notions about history, which are often sustained by teachers as they present the subject in their classrooms, in direct contrast to how historians actually practice history; however, wrongs can be righted and historical analysis can be integrated into student learning.

Australia is now facing the reality of globalization. The Indigenous Aborigines are becoming fearful of their country's increase in the Asian population. They've begun expressing this lately, mainly through hateful speech. "Until recently, a society that had carved out its identity as an isolated slice of Britain had appeared to be broadening its outlook, forging an Asian connection based on trade, mutual security and the growing "Asianization: of its own populace." (Clifton). The Australian government is adopting this new culture with hopes of economic improvement and additional alliances for their country. There are many sensible reasons for both powers to come together, however, in order for Australia to profit from this globalization, the Aborigines, must be willing to accept a multiracial society. The fear they carry most likely stems from a lost of identity and power within their 'territory'. In this case the move of ideas is being brought by 80,000 new immigrants into Australia each year, half of them being of Asian descent. The joining of these two cultures undoubtedly will bring about much upset, as globalization will most likely be

There is no doubt that the primary purpose of schooling is to prepare students to function effectively in the world, and thereby to assist society to function effectively as well. We study the past in school not because students need to know a collection of old facts, but because history helps them understand how the world works and how human beings behave. Knowledge of the past is required for understanding present realities. When people share some common knowledge of history, they can discuss their understandings with one another.