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Indigenous Australia (INDG10001)
Undergraduate level 1Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
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Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
Availability | Semester 1 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Indigenous Australia is an interdisciplinary field of study that introduces you to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples before and since colonisation. It seeks to expand your understandings of society by focusing on the diverse knowledges, scholarship, experiences, stories, and concepts of the world’s longest continuous culture. You will have the opportunity to explore the historical, cultural institutional and political relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In this way, you will gain an understanding of tensions produced by the historical relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that continue into the present.
The subject uses a relational approach and draws on Indigenous and non-Indigenous works to develop your critical thinking skills, and to develop and articulate your standpoints as Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Topics include history, education, resistance and activism, anti-racism, kinship, ecology, sport, music, art, Indigenous Astronomy, languages, sovereignty, social and emotional wellbeing, First Nations literature, and criminology. Narrative, story and metaphor are some of the ways used to teach Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing in partnership with scholarly resources such as journal articles, book chapters and reports. At times websites, media, film, music, dance and literature will be used to develop your ability to acquire and articulate new knowledge. Indigenous Australia is a first year subject that can be the first step to an Indigenous Studies minor or major in Indigenous Studies, or can be undertaken as a stand-alone subject. While there are no pre-requisite subjects, some knowledge of Australia, and in particular Indigenous Australia, would be of benefit.
Intended learning outcomes
Students who complete this subject will develop:
- Understanding of the cultural, social, political, and economic contexts of Indigenous peoples in Australia past and present
- Understanding the processes and structures of colonisation and decolonisation
- Understanding of enduring Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing that have existed for thousands of generations
- Understanding of past and present Australian Indigenous sovereignty, leadership, agency, activism, and resistance
- Understanding of the significance of Indigenous standpoints in research and knowledge production.
Generic skills
At the completion of this subject, students should gain the following generic skills:
- An understanding and ability to apply relevant critical theories and methods
- The ability to work effectively as an individual and member of class
- The ability to communicate complex ideas clearly
- The ability to produce high quality written material in a timely manner.
Last updated: 15 February 2024