Behind the Lines: Exploring Political Cartoons from 2003

Topic: Politics and the Media
Type: Curriculum materials
Years: 8 - 12

Key Curriculum Links:

Time, Continuity and Change; Culture; Natural and Social Systems; Investigation, Communication and Participation.

Linked to the National Museum's 2003 political cartooning competition and the exhibition, Behind the Lines, this unit of work asks students to examine and analyse a number of political cartoons by learning how to 'read' cartoons.

The student activities for this unit include the following topics:

• What do cartoonists do?
  
• Representing an issue
  
• Representing leaders
  
• Representing political institutions: the Governor-General
  
• Representing foreign policy: the Australian-American alliance
  
• Representing a difficult case: the Bali bombing
  
• The target
  
• Making judgements about cartoons.

If you are unable to download the below resources, please contact the Education section at education@nma.gov.au.