Current course offerings

Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.

Course description

Would you want to write about being a brain surgeon without having researched or talked to a brain surgeon? How would you react if someone tells your life story to others even if they have never met you? Has a book ever changed your mind on something you thought was unequivocally true?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have notably been one of the most written about nations in the world; however, they are also the ones who never get to speak their truth. Indigenous people, culture and policies, and most importantly, their voices, are often missing in the mainstream media, or severely misrepresented by those speaking from outside the community. 

After all, the `victors¿ get to tell the stories of those they have subjugated.

However, in ABTS1000 ¿ Introduction to Indigenous Studies, students will learn from Indigenous people about Australian history, Indigenous cultures, and past and contemporary oppressive policies. Students will learn about history and truth-telling from an Indigenous perspective. At the same time, they will learn to critically and reflectively engage with Indigenous cultures and writing. This course will provide students with a much deeper understanding and critical engagement of Australia¿s identity as a nation, one that still struggles with racism and equality for Indigenous communities and individuals. Students will learn to be discerning in their analysis of readings and understand how to implement new lenses to examine historical and contemporary events, Indigenous people, communities and culture, and their own positionality.

Students will emerge with a greater knowledge of true Indigenous history, oppressive policies and the depth and diversity of Indigenous cultures. At the same time, they will begin to develop critical analysis tools and reflective writing to better be able to inhabit new perspectives and form a deeper understanding of their own positionality.

Archived offerings