Aboriginal Land, Law and Philosophy

This subject is not offered in 2016.

Total expected time commitment is 170 hours across the semester, including class time.

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100-181 Australian Indigenous Studies; MULT10001 Australian Indigenous Studies or MULT10001 Aboriginalities.

106-242 Aboriginal Land, Law and Philosophy

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/

Aboriginal Land, Law and Philosophy will provide students who have completed the first year introductory MULT10001 Aboriginalities subject with a more detailed and complex understanding of some of the key themes in this study area. It will utilise the physical, symbolic and metaphysical role of land and country in Australian Indigenous society as a starting point for the consideration of critical issues in Indigenous and Settler relations in contemporary Australia. Aboriginal Land, Law and Philosophy will enable the development of a deep and nuanced engagement with a selection of major issues. These may include land tenure, crime and punishment, political representation, social policy, cultural production, governance and economics. Using land and country as a base, these issues will be explored from Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives and from the interdsciplinary perspective of Literary Studies, Philosophy and Law. The interdisciplinary fusion of Literary Studies with Philosophy and Law will create a divergent interrogation of how land, possession and dispossession has influenced materially, legally and theoretically the experience of Indigenous Australians.

On completion of the subject students should have:

• developed appropriate skills in reading literary, legal and philosophical texts;
• attained an appreciation of the diversity of disciplinary content, forms and discourses, and be able to engage in critical analyses of the interdisciplinary intersections on major issues in this subject;
• developed an informed position capable of critique yet sensitive to the politics of the Australian Indigenous experience of land, possession and dispossession;
• applied critical and analytical skills and methods to an independent research project, which communicates complex ideas clearly and comprehensively.

Tutorial participation and a 10-minute class presentation, 10% (done through the semester), an essay of 1500 words 30% (due mid-semester), and an essay of 2500 words 60% (due in the examination period). This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 80% attendance and regular participation in tutorials. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

A Subject Reader will be available.

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

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

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.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• have developed understanding of relevant critical theories and methods;
• be able to work effectively as an individual and member of class;
• be competent in the use of a wide range of research applications and resources;
• communicate complex ideas clearly and comprehensively;
• produce high quality written material in a timely manner.

This subject is available to Bachelor of Arts continuing students at either level 2 or 3 in order to complete a major in Australian Indigenous Studies.