Over 160 years since the teaching of History commenced at the University of Melbourne, the University remains deeply committed to providing the best possible educational opportunities for its students.
Innovations in teaching include field trips, overseas study tours, object-based learning, hands-on archival workshops and ‘simulations’ of key events in history. Such learning transforms students’ lives, giving them the knowledge and confidence to participate fully in society.
In the twenty-first century, Australia and the world face a range of pressing issues that will define human life and society well into the next century. History is instructive and education in History can inspire students and the community to tackle these issues with knowledge and confidence. Our vision for History at the University of Melbourne is thus global and outward looking. We believe that a truly international education must involve the study of History.
The History Trust Fund recognises that new developments in pedagogy, technology and scholarship require support. We need to reach out to new generations of students and provide an education that encompasses an understanding of broad historical change; that traces and explains fragmented knowledge across eras and weaves it into rich and engaging narratives that instil passion through in-depth investigation and identification with events and figures in time. These are serious goals, and, in order to deliver this vision, History needs to continue to thrive at Melbourne and be taught with passion and persuasion. The History Trust Fund aims to support the development of historical scholarship and learning.