ABOR1001Welcome to Critical Indigenous Studies

Course handbook

Description

This course introduces students to the Global Indigenous Studies degree, its rationale, central concepts and key skills. This is an interdisciplinary course that studies the history and core learning principles of the discipline of Indigenous studies. It also explores how critical and creative thinking occurs within Indigenous studies. Engaging in the course learning will encourage students to consider the complexity of debates within the discipline given the historical importance of issues such as 'Indigenous identity, culture and knowledges' with particular awareness of our increasingly connected world. Students will engage with informed, present-day debates about Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous people primarily, but not exclusively in the Australian context, including exploring major concepts and projects underpinning the discipline such as decolonisation, identity, culture, language revitalisation, and representation. This course provides foundational skills in the areas of information literacy, evidence-based problem solving, critical and creative thinking, communication skills, and forging effective arguments. At the conclusion of the course, students will have developed level-appropriate research and communication skills that are vital for both success in the Bachelor of Global Indigenous Studies and an increasing range of potential career paths. They will also be able to demonstrate a foundational understanding of the importance of centralising Indigenous studies' role in Indigenous knowledge creation and ethically aware problem solving.

Availability2024 Course Timetables

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate introductory knowledge of the discipline of Global Indigenous Studies

2. Define and outline the complexity of debates within the discipline including the historical importance of issues such as Indigenous identity, culture and knowledges

3. Examine and define the historical and political influences on Global Indigenous peoples and communities

4. Examine and demonstrate effective communication skills in written, verbal and online literacies

Content

Module 1: Centering - Embedding Indigenous in our perspectives

Module 2: Global - Critical Indigenous Studies across Times and Spaces

Module 3: Doing - The Practice of Aboriginality in the Digital Age

Topics may include: critical and ethical thinking; Indigenous and non-indigenous epistemologies in context; histories of localities, nations, and peoples; global perspectives of Indigenous histories and politics; understanding languages in social and cultural contexts; understanding local, national, regional, and global power including colonisation and decolonisation in the past and present; the role of oral communication including telling stories and constructing narratives; media and audio-visual representation; material culture and cultural preservation; digital technology as a tool for knowledge acquisition and communication. 

Assessment items

Quiz: Module Quizzes
Compulsory Requirement: Submit assessment item - Must submit this assessment to pass the course.

Presentation: Podcast/Presentation
Compulsory Requirement: Submit assessment item - Must submit this assessment to pass the course.

Written Assignment: Written Assignment
Compulsory Requirement: Submit assessment item - Must submit this assessment to pass the course.

Contact hours

Semester 1 - 2024 - Online

Course outline

• ABOR1001 - Semester 1, 2024 (Online) (PDF, 251.3 KB)