Getting the most out of this course

In World War 1: A History in 100 Stories, we don’t assume you have had any prior experience of studying history before.

Throughout each week we will ask you to complete learning activities that will help you to apply the course content to your own context, and share your ideas with other learners.

Short quizzes are included in the course to give you an opportunity to check your understanding of the course material. In many sections of the course we’ll provide additional learning material as external links or downloads. Please make use of these as well.

Content advisory

These stories highlights the cost of war to combatants and noncombatants alike. Some viewers might find some material confronting.

Introducing the lead educator, Bruce Scates

Bruce Scates is an Adjunct Professor, Faulty of Arts at Monash University and a Fellow of the Australian Academy for the Social Sciences. He is the author and co-author of many studies of the Great War including prize winning histories and a novel. Professor Scates has been awarded University, State and National Awards for excellence in teaching and is a frequent contributor to both popular and academic debates about the memory of the Great War.

Meet the mentor, Margaret Harris

This course features mentoring by Margaret Harris. Margaret will support you as you make your way through the course, facilitating discussions and providing additional information to help make your learning experience the best it can be.

It’s worth noting that Margaret will focus her mentoring efforts in the current week of the course and not previous weeks.

• Week 1: Monday 5 November to Sunday 11 November
• Week 2: Monday 12 November to Sunday 18 November
• Week 3: Monday 19 November to Sunday 25 November
• Week 4: Monday 26 November to Sunday 2 December
• Week 5: Monday 3 November to Sunday 9 December

You’re welcome to keep the conversation going outside those dates, but please note that Margaret will not be able to monitor or provide guidance in the comments or discussions.

We strongly recommend following Margaret to make sure you’re aware of the comments she makes throughout the course. You can follow Margaret by selecting the links to her FutureLearn profile pages and then selecting ‘Follow’.

Participating in the course

You can participate in this course entirely within FutureLearn, but throughout the course you will have opportunities to enhance your experience by including elements from external web services such as Flickr.

You can learn more about creating accounts with these external services by working through the Social media tips and tools page in the FAQ of FutureLearn.

Your time commitment

You will need to allocate a minimum of four hours per week for five weeks to complete this course. This doesn’t have to be four hours in a single block, but you will find it easier to learn, if you can set aside a regular time to study and focus on the course without distraction.

It’s likely you’ll spend more than fours hours per week if you work through the course material and continue to explore additional links and files that have been provided.

Course assignment: An Epitaph for a Story

The course contains a short course assignment, entitled Epitaph for a Story, and due in Week 4. The assignment gives you the opportunity to draw together key themes you will consider in this course. After submitting your answer, it will be reviewed by another learner who will give you feedback on your work. You will also be asked to review an assignment submitted by another learner.

Assignment brief

Epitaphs on Australian headstones were limited to just 66 characters, including the spaces between words. We would like you to choose one of the Stories presented in the course, and write an epitaph for the individual concerned. Your epitaph cannot be longer than 66 characters, including spaces.

In addition to the epitaph itself, we would like you to write two paragraphs explaining the thinking behind your words. Why did you choose the story? How did you choose what to include in the epitaph, and what to leave out?

Even though the assignment is due in Week 4, we recommend that you start thinking about it before then. We’ll give you regular reminders throughout the course. Go to Course assignment: Epitaph for a Story to learn more about what you need to do and how you can complete this assignment. You can then return to this step.

Copyright

Please respect copyright laws if you are posting material in this course. Please do not post or link to material that breaches copyright.