History is the study of humanity in all its dimensions. It explores the diversity of human experience, the richness of difference in ideas, culture and institutions. We look into many pasts to try to understand today’s world, to recognize what we share and to measure how profoundly our lives today differ and why. Our interests cover social, cultural, intellectual, political and military history, and we teach and conduct research in histories of gender, ethnicity and religion in world history.

UNSW’s History program is distinctive among Australian universities in pioneering Transnational history which concerns the circulation of peoples, ideas, technologies and institutions across national boundaries since the emergence of nation states as an important phenomenon in world history. History teaches clear thinking, analysis, written and oral communication skills. These attributes are the foundation of citizenship and ideal qualities for employment across a range of careers.

The ultimate aim of the UNSW BA with a major stream in History is to develop historically informed graduates who are critical, reflective and creative. Specifically, a major stream in History seeks to:

A student who wishes to gain a major stream in History must complete 54 units of credit including 12 uoc at Level 1, at least 18 uoc at level 2 and at least 18 uoc at level 3 including the capstone course.

Level 1

The two history courses offered at Level 1 cover World History from the beginnings of human existence to the 20th century. They are ARTS1270 The Big Picture: Introduction to History and ARTS1271 The History Matrix. ARTS1270 is a compulsory course.
To fulfil the requirements at level one, students must complete:

AND EITHER

OR one of the following courses:

The following courses from other subject areas can also be counted towards the History major stream:

History Courses:

The following courses from other subject areas can also be counted towards the History major stream: