Law, Race and Indigenous Peoples

Subject CRIM90008 (2010)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.

Credit Points:

12.50

Level:

9 (Graduate/Postgraduate)

Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

Semester 2, Parkville - 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: A 2-hour seminar per week for 12 weeks.
Total Time Commitment: Not available

Prerequisites:

Admission to the postgraduate certificate/ diploma or fourth-year honours in criminology, socio-legal studies, political science or sociology, the Master of Criminology, Master of Social Policy or the Executive Master of Arts.

Corequisites:

none

Recommended Background Knowledge:

Criminology, socio-legal studies, political science or sociology at Undergraduate level

Non Allowed Subjects:

none

Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Dr Julie Evans

Contact

Dr. Julie Evans
j.evans@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview:	This subject examines the historical underpinnings of the contemporary over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice systems of settler states such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States of America. It introduces students to the history of law"s relation to Indigenous peoples and its responsiveness to colonialism from the fifteenth century. In particular, the subject explores connections between sovereignty, the idea of race and the historical experiences of Indigenous peoples, including the legal frameworks of dispossession and nation-building. This subject enables students to develop a critical appreciation of the historical, social, cultural, ethical and economic contexts of law"s relation to Indigenous peoples and to bring this knowledge to bear on current concerns, particularly in the Australian context.
Objectives:	to comprehend the historical development of law"s relation to Indigenous peoples from 1492 to the present. to appreciate the significance of these historical developments in understanding contemporary relationships between Indigenous peoples and the law in settler states. to recognise and explain the significance of these developments in understanding the broader social and economic experiences of Indigenous peoples in settler states. to understand the historical, social, cultural, ethical and economic contexts of European notions of sovereignty and their enduring consequences for Indigenous peoples. to recognise and explain the correlation between law"s relation to Indigenous peoples and the emergence of the idea of race (including criminalisation).
Assessment:	A short reflective essay of 1000 words (20%) due inthe first half of semester, and a major critical research essay of 4000 words (80%) due in the examination period. Full participation in seminar reading, seminar presentations and discussion is expected. The oral presentation of at least one seminar paper based on the weekly readings is a (non-assessed) hurdle requirement.
Prescribed Texts:	A subject reader will be available for purchase from the University Bookshop.
Recommended Texts:	Armitage, D., The Ideological Origins of the British Empire, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002. Keal, P. European Conquest and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: The Moral Backwardness of International Society, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Pagden, A., 1995, Lords of All The World: Ideologies of Empire in Spain, Britain and France, c.1500 - c.1800 (New Haven). Williams, R.A., The American Indian in Western Legal Thought: The Discourses of Conquest, Oxford University Press: NY, 1990
Breadth Options:	This subject is not available as a breadth subject.
Fees Information:	Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:	to demonstrate the capacity to think in theoretical terms. to demonstrate advanced skills in critical thinking and analysis. to demonstrate the capacity to apply theoretical and historical thinking to the analysis of contemporary social issues.
Related Course(s):	Master of Criminology (CWT)
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations:	200 point program - full time over 18 months 200 point program - full time over 24 months Criminology Criminology Socio-Legal studies Socio-legal Studies

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