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Unit outline_

NYUS2101: Anthropology of Indigenous Australia

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study is only available to students approved to be participating in the NYU Sydney Program.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Arts and Social Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Yuri Ogura, yuri.ogura@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Final Essay
Final paper shows engagement with and critical understanding of concepts
35% Formal exam period
Due date: 05 Jun 2023 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Presentation In-class Presentation
Present on one selected reading for the week
10% Multiple weeks 15 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Follow-up Paper
Follow-up paper from the presentation
20% Multiple weeks 1400-1600 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Participation Class Participation
Active participation in class and attendance will be required
10% Ongoing ongoing
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Paper
Write a short paper based on topics distributed in class
25% Week 07
Due date: 03 Apr 2023 at 23:59
1800 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

Participation: Students are expected to do the assigned readings, attend lectures, and participate actively in class discussion.
Presentation and Follow-up Paper:  Present on selected reading for the week. You will be asked to summarise authors’ arguments, present major themes, relate to the required readings and raise questions for further discussion. A follow up paper is due a week after the presentation.
Short Paper: You will write a short paper based on selected topics and demonstrating your understanding of the articles and engagement with concepts covered in the lectures, readings, and/or in-class media.
Final Paper: Final paper will demonstrate your engagement with and critical understanding of concepts, themes and material covered in the course.

Assessment criteria

For this course your total numerical score, calculated from the components listed above, correspond to the following letter grades:

A 94 to 100
A- 90 to < 94
B+ 87 to < 90
B 84 to < 87
B- 80 to < 84
C+ 77 to < 80
C 74 to <77
C- 70 to < 74
D+ 67 to < 70
D 65 to < 67
F 0 to < 65

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.

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Indigenous People, Settler Society, You, Us and Sydney Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 02 Cultural Translation, Cultural Knowledge Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 03 Classical Aboriginal Society: Cosmology, People, and Place Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 04 Aboriginal Life Worlds, Colonisation and Resistance Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 05 History: Settlement: Aboriginal Perspectives and State Policies Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 06 History: State Policies and Aboriginal Civil Rights. Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 07 History: Land Rights and Self-Determination Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 08 Whose History? – Identity and The Stolen Generations Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 Identity: Who/What is Aboriginal? Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 10 The making of Indigenous Art (From Papunya to Paris) Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 11 Indigenous relations to land: environmental knowledge, practices and issues Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 12 Indigenous Media, Cultural Activism Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 13 Historical Practices and Indigenous Representations: Archives and Databases Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed through NYU Brightspace

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.

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

  • LO1. Demonstrate understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and ways of being in their historical and contemporary contexts
  • LO2. Critically reflect upon, and engage in, the changing nature of ethnographic practice and the problems of attempting to represent the lives of Indigenous Australians
  • LO3. Recognise and interpret many of the different symbolic forms of self-representation Indigenous Australians use when communicating both intra-culturally and cross-culturally
  • LO4. More clearly articulate their own social, cultural, personal, and political dispositions as they reflect on their own responses to encounters with Indigenous Australia(ns)
  • LO5. Draw on this foundational knowledge to further develop the skills needed to sensitively engage cross-culturally with Indigenous Australians (and non-Indigenous Australians)

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

Update assessment dates to reflect semester 2

Work, health and safety

Attendance: Studying at NYU Sydney is an academically intensive and immersive experience, in which students from a wide range of backgrounds exchange ideas in discussion-based seminars. Learning in such an environment depends on the active participation of all students. And since classes typically meet once or twice a week, even a single absence can cause a student to miss a significant portion of a course. To ensure the integrity of this academic experience, class attendance at NYU Sydney is expected promptly when class begins. Attendance will be checked at each class meeting.

Unexcused absences may be penalized with a two percent deduction from the student’s final course grade for every week's worth of classes missed, and may negatively affect your class participation grade. Four unexcused absences in one course may lead to a Fail in that course. Being more than 15 minutes late counts as an unexcused absence.

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.