Migrant Families unit (HAA108)

Online

Introduction

Australia is a migrant nation, with a rich and diverse mix of peoples, languages and cultures. In Migrant Families, we trace the journeys of ancestors who migrated to and from Australia and New Zealand, and place their lives in the context of global migration over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We explore the ways governments have shaped populations through migration and citizenship law and policy, and consider how these might have affected your ancestors’ lives. Migrant Families develops your archival research skills in the digital age. We explore where and how to find migration records (in Australia, New Zealand and overseas) and how to use them effectively to tell your family’s migration story. The unit builds on historical research and writing skills developed in the Foundation-level Family History units.

Summary

Unit name	Migrant Families
Unit code	HAA108
Credit points	12.5
College/School	Arts and Society Humanities and Social Sciences
Discipline	History and Classics
Coordinator	Doctor Kate Bagnall
Available as an elective?	Yes
Delivered By	University of Tasmania
Level	Introductory

Availability

Location	Study period	Attendance options		Available to
Online	Term 1

Note

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Key Dates

Study Period	Start date	Census date	WW date	End date
Term 1	1/2/2026	16/2/2026	11/3/2026	18/4/2026

* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).

Unit census dates currently displaying for 2026 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2026 will be available from the 1st October 2025. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).

About Census Dates

Learning Outcomes

• Use appropriate technologies to locate, identify and access historical records relating to migration and citizenship
• Read, interpret and evaluate historical information found in migration and citizenship records
• Research and write a biographical non-fiction account of an individual or family’s experience of migration
• Situate individual lives within the wider history of migration, particularly in relation to Australia and New Zealand

Fee Information

Field of Education	Commencing Student Contribution 1,3	Grandfathered Student Contribution 1,3	Approved Pathway Course Student Contribution 2,3	Domestic Full Fee 4
090305	$2,174.00	$1,020.00	not applicable	$2,249.00

• Available as a Commonwealth Supported Place
• HECS-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility³
• FEE-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility⁴

¹ Please refer to more information on student contribution amounts.
² Please refer to more information on eligibility and Approved Pathway courses.
³ Please refer to more information on eligibility for HECS-HELP.
⁴ Please refer to more information on eligibility for FEE-HELP.

If you have any questions in relation to the fees, please contact UniConnect or more information is available on StudyAssist.

Please note: international students should refer to What is an indicative Fee? to get an indicative course cost.

Teaching

Teaching Pattern	Weekly online learning materials (e.g. short video lectures, discussions, readings, activities) (approx. 3 hours) Online web conference discussion 2 x 1 hour
Assessment	Document analysis (20%)|Essay (40%)|Online quizzes (40%)
Timetable	View the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required

All learning materials for this unit, including required readings, are provided in our MyLO site. You do not need to purchase a text book.

Recommended

If you would like to read broadly on the topic of Australian and New Zealand migration history, we can recommend the following books: James Belich, Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century, Penguin, 2007 James Belich, Paradise Reforged: A History of the New Zealanders from the 1880s to the Year 2000, University of Hawai’i Press, 2002 James Jupp, From White Australia to Woomera, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2007 Eric Richards, Destination Australia: Migration to Australia since 1901, UNSW Press, Sydney, 2008 The Diploma of Family History provides a Reading List of optional and useful resources on a range of different topics relevant to your research. You will find this on the Reading Lists page on the University Library website or under Content > Research Materials in the Diploma of Family History Common Room on MyLO.

The University reserves the right to amend or remove courses and unit availabilities, as appropriate.