Learn more about the nation’s convict past with the fully online “Convict Ancestors” course offered by the University of Tasmania (UTAS). Throughout this course you will access the wealth of expertise and history in Australia’s UNESCO-listed convict archive.
The course covers important information on how to read and interpret convict records, as well as a host of tips for making sense of trial records and information gleaned from other judicial and penal series.
“Convict Ancestors” is part of a fully online suite of units which enable flexible study. It is one of five foundation-level units available in the Diploma of Family History offered by UTAS. Students must complete four foundation-level units and four 100-level units to complete the Diploma.
On successful completion of this unit you will be:
– Familiar with the wide range of historic records available to locate individual convicts transported to the Australian penal colonies and to trace their life course experiences.
– Able to read, transcribe, and understand key material presented within convict records.
– Able to situate the experiences of individual convicts within a relevant wider context and convey this information to a wider audience.
This unit is a must for anyone interested in the nation’s convict past.
Applications for Convict Ancestors are now open.
This course runs from Monday, 25th February 2019 through until Friday, 12th April 2019.
For further information and register, visit the UTAS website, and to keep up with the latest courses follow the Family History UTAS Facebook page.
