Australian Indigenous Studies

Subject 100-181 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 1 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

Semester 2, - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable


Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: Two 1-hour lectures and a 1-hour tutorial per week
Total Time Commitment: 3 contact hours per week , 5 additional hours per week. Total of 8 hours per week.
Prerequisites: -
Corequisites: -
Recommended Background Knowledge: -
Non Allowed Subjects: -
Core Participation Requirements: -

Coordinator

Mr Philip John Morrissey

Contact

Philip Morrissey
philipjm@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview: This subject will provide students with an introduction to the complexity, challenges and richness of Australian Indigenous life and cultures. Social and political issues will be considered through engagement with specific issues both local and national. Students will have the opportunity to understand Indigenous histories and apply disciplinary perspectives through the experience of Indigenous cultural forms including sport, fine arts, museum exhibitions and performances. Perspectives from disciplines and fields such as Fine Arts, History, Politics, Criminology, Anthropology, Health Sciences, Literary Studies, Cultural Studies will provide students with a multi-faceted introduction to Indigenous studies and Indigenous society. While maintaining focus on Australian Indigenous issues subject matter will sometimes be reframed so that students will have the opportunity to appreciate a larger context, and linkages and correspondences with related fields indicated. (For instance the colonisation of Australia might be considered in relation to processes of colonisation affecting other Indigenous peoples.)
Objectives:
  • have an awareness of the extent of the Indigenous presence in Australia and an understanding of the diverse histories of Aboriginal communities as well as commonalities;
  • have an appreciation of the range of Aboriginal political, cultural and intellectual responses to colonisation;
  • have an ability to analyse and critique popular discourses and representations of Aboriginals;
  • have an informed awareness of political, social, economic, cultural, and health issues as they relate to Aboriginal communities.
Assessment:
  • One essay of 800 words due early in semester (20%)
  • One essay of 1200 words due mid semester (30%)
  • A two-hour examination in the examination period (50%)

Students must attend a minimum of nine tutorials, demonstrate familiarity with online resources, and participate in the Faculty of Arts online learning community in order to qualify to have their written work assessed.
Prescribed Texts: A subject reader will be available for purchase from the University Bookshop. Students may have the opportunity to make site visits including sporting events or performances.
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • be able to critically analyse and discuss a wide range of research materials through participation in class discussions, the reading of critical essays and the writing of class papers and essays;
  • acquire the capacity for independent and targeted research as a result of preparing a class presentation and writing of essays;
  • have the confidence to present and defend ideas and propositions as a result of seminar participation and presentation;
  • have the capacity for creative thinking through participation in discussions and the writing of essays that apply critical and theoretical ideas to the reading and interpretation of cultural signs and social formations;
  • have the capacity for lucid and logical argument as a result of careful essay planning and writing;
  • be competent in the use of library and other information sources such as on line websites and search engines through the researching and writing of essays that require the use of these resources;
  • have the ability to organise oneself and manage one’s time efficiently and effectively through the successful completion of a class paper and a written essay by the due date.
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: Australian Indigenous Studies
Australian Indigenous Studies
Australian Indigenous Studies
Australian Indigenous Studies Major
Interdisciplinary Foundation Subjects

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