Outline

Overview

This unit introduces students to Indigenous Australia in a stimulating, in-depth study of traditional and contemporary forms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expression. Ranging from the Dreaming and ancient knowledges, ceremony and lore, to the lives and societies of Indigenous peoples today, students learn in areas such Aboriginal kinship, language, story and art, Indigenous agriculture, aquaculture and astronomy, and contemporary Indigenous cultures and cultural currents.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Art, Communication and English Administration
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Peter Minter, peter.minter@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Mykaela Saunders, mykaela.saunders@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Annotated Bibliography Long Answer / Essay	30%	Week 02 Due date: 03 Jul 2020 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Poster Presentation Presentation	20%	Week 04 Due date: 17 Jul 2020 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay Essay	50%	Week 06 Due date: 31 Jul 2020 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Assessment Tasks and Due Dates

Assessment Name	Individual /Group	AssessmentType	Length	Weight	Due Time	Due Date
Annotated Bibliography	Individual	Long Answer / Essay	1500wd	30%	23:59	3 July

Poster Presentation	Individual	Presentation	1000wd	20%	23:59	17 July
Research Essay	Individual	Long Answer / Essay	2000wd	50%	23:59	31 July

Assessment criteria

PLEASE NOTE: you must submit ALL tasks if you wish to pass this unit. Regardless of your final mark, if you do not submit a task you will receive an Absent Fail grade.

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late penalties will be applied to late work according to Faculty policy.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Seminar 1, 25 June – Welcome & Introduction: Indigenous Studies Frameworks	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 02	Seminar 2, 30 June – Aboriginal Spirituality: Dreaming, Country, Songlines	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 02	Seminar 3, 2 July – Kinship, Custodianship, Law	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 03	Seminar 4, 7 July – Language, Culture and Country	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 03	Seminar 5, 9 July – Living Country: Aboriginal Astronomy	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 04	Seminar 6, 14 July – Living Country: Aboriginal Agriculture & Aquaculture	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 04	Seminar 7, 16 July – Aboriginal Creativity: Art & Sacred Geographies	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 05	Seminar 8, 21 July – Aboriginal Creativity: Introduction to Aboriginal Literatures	Lecture (4 hr)
Week 05	Seminar 9, 23 July – Cultural Revitalisation & Conclusion	Lecture (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

The Intensive July session runs as a 2 x 4hr seminar per week for 5 weeks. Refer to Canvas for more details.

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

INDG1001 Introduction to Indigenous Cultures Weekly Readings

Readings are available from the University Library eReading system, available in Canvas. Links to readings can also be found in the weeklyfolders in the unit Canvas site. There are no “required” or “recommended” readings — try to familiarise yourself with them all, but in weeks with anumber of readings you may choose to focus your attention on a particular reading.

Two useful introductory texts are:

i.Parbury, Nigel. 2005. Survival : A History of Aboriginal Life in New South Wales. Rev. ed. Surry Hills, NSW: NSW Department of AboriginalAffairs.

ii.Berndt, Ronald M, Catherine H. Berndt. 1992. The World of the First Australians : Aboriginal Traditional Life, Past and Present.

5th rev. ed. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

Seminar 1: Welcome & Introduction: Indigenous Studies Frameworks

1.Flinders University. Appropriate Terminology, Representations and Protocols of Acknowledgement for Aboriginal Strait Islander Peoples.Adelaide: Flinders University.

2.Graham, Mary. Some Thoughts about the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews.

3.Griffiths, Billy. 2015. An Aboriginal History of the University of Sydney. Down City Streets.

Seminar 2: Aboriginal Spirituality; Dreaming, Country, Songlines

4.Grieves, Vicki. 2008. “Aboriginal Spirituality: A Baseline for Indigenous Knowledges Development in Australia.” The Canadian Journal ofNative Studies28 (2):363-398.

5.Hume, Lynne. 2004. “Accessing the Eternal: Dreaming “The Dreaming” and Ceremonial Performance.” Zygon39 (1):237-258.

6.Rose, Deborah Bird. 1996. “Country.” In Nourishing Terrains : Australian Aboriginal Views of Landscape and Wilderness, 7-15.

Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.

Seminar 3: Kinship, Custodianship, Law

7.Riley, Lynette, Deirdre Howard-Wagner, and Janet Mooney. “Kinship Online: Engaging ‘Cultural Praxis’ in a Teaching and LearningFramework for Cultural Competence.” Australian Journal of Indigenous Education44.1 (2015): 70-84.

Rose, Deborah Bird, Diana James, Christine Watson. 2003. Indigenous kinship with the natural world in New South Wales, 37-71.

Hurstville, N.S.W.: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Seminar 4: Language, Culture, Country

9. Walsh, Michael. 1993. “Languages and their status in Aboriginal Australia.” In Language and culture in Aboriginal Australia, edited by MichaelWalsh and Colin Yallop, 1-13. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.

10. . Walsh, M., Marmion, D., & Troy, J. (2014). Re-awakening Australian Languages: Economic, Educational, Health and Social Benefitsto the Community. In P. Heinrich & N. Ostler (Eds.), FEL XVIII Okinawa - Indigenous Languages: Their Value to the Community, 107-112. Bath, UK: Foundation for Endangered Languages.

11.Anderson, G. Introducing Wiradjuri Language in Parkes. In Hobson, J., K. Lowe, S. Poetsch & M. Walshe (Eds). (2010). Re- AwakeningLanguages: Theory & Practice in the Revitalisation of Australia's Indigenous Languages. Sydney, Australia. Sydney University Press.

Seminar 5: Living Country: Aboriginal Astronomy

12.Norris, Ray P., and Duane Hamacher. 2009. “The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australia.” Proceedings of the InternationalAstronomical Union5 (Symposium S260):39-47.

13.Fuller, Robert S., Ray P. Norris, Michelle Trudgett. 2014. “The astronomy of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi peoples and their neighbours.”Australian Aboriginal Studies(2):3-27.

14.Fuller, Robert S., Michael G. Anderson, Ray P. Norris, Michelle Trudgett. 2014. “The Emu Sky Knowledge of the Kamilaroi and EuahlayiPeoples.” Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage17 (2).

Seminar 6: Living Country: Aboriginal Agriculture and Aquaculture

15.Gammage, Bill. 2011. “The closest ally.” In The Biggest Estate on Earth : How Aborigines Made Australia, 157-186. Crows Nest, N.S.W:Allen & Unwin.

16.Pascoe, Bruce. 2014. “Agriculture.” In Dark Emu: Black Seeds : Agriculture or Accident?, 19-52. Broome, Western Australia: MagabalaBooks.

17.Pascoe, Bruce. 2014. “Aquaculture.” In Dark Emu: Black Seeds : Agriculture or Accident?, 53-71. Broome, Western Australia: MagabalaBooks.

Seminar 7: Aboriginal Creativity: Art & Sacred Geographies

18.Morphy, Howard. 1998. “Foundations: Art, Religion and the Dreaming.” In Aboriginal Art, 65-100. London: Phaidon Press.

19.Croft, Brenda L. 1999. “Boomalli: from little things big things grow.” In Painting the Land Story, edited by Luke Taylor, 95-118.

Canberra: National Museum of Australia.

Seminar 8: Aboriginal Creativity: Introduction to Aboriginal Literatures

20.Heiss, Anita, and Peter Minter. Macquarie Pen Anthology of Aboriginal Literature. Eds. Heiss, Anita and Peter Minter. Crows Nest,N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2008. 1-8.

21.Wright, Alexis. “On Writing Carpentaria.” Heat 13 (2007): 79-95. Print.

22. Wright, Alexis. 2008. “From Time Immemorial.” World Literature Today, 82(6): 53-54.

Seminar 9: Cultural Revitalisation & Conclusion

23.Winch, Tara June. The books we carry on our backs: 1796–1996.

24.Winch, Tara June. Speaking for ourselves: 1997–2007.

25.Winch, Tara June. Can you hear me now?: 2008–2018.

26.Winch, Tara June. 2019: Future voices.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an introductory understanding of Indigenous Australian knowledges, histories and cultures, including an understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expressions, cultural values and world-views
LO2. demonstrate an introductory understanding of the value of Indigenous customary laws, beliefs and traditions, and the centrality of country, kinship, language and cultural expression to community, cultural and ecological wellbeing
LO3. demonstrate an introductory understanding of the centrality of Indigenous culture to contemporary Indigenous life and wellbeing
LO4. demonstrate competent communication skills across a variety of mediums—verbally, textually and online—in ways that are inclusive, respectful and aware of appropriate terminology
LO5. apply skills in working effectively with people in intercultural settings.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Student feedback was used to refine workshopping practice and assessments for this unit.

Additional information

INDG1001 Introduction to Indigenous Cultures Important Dates
25 June	Lectures begin
3 July	1500 word annotated bibliography due
17 July	Poster presentation due
31July	2000 word research essay due
August	Results available

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment Tasks and Due Dates

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

INDG1001: Introduction to Indigenous Cultures

Intensive July, 2020 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment Tasks and Due Dates

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect