Undergraduate courses

Indigenous Australia is the gateway course to the Indigenous Studies Major.

In this course students will gain an understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, peoples and societies.

A central focus of the course is the ways in which the philosophical frameworks of Indigenous knowledge systems continue to inform contemporary Indigenous practice that continues to shape Indigenous identities today.

Taught from a range of perspectives, students will develop an understanding of social, cultural, political, economic, and ecological aspects of Indigenous Knowledge, which are key foundational elements to the Indigenous Studies Major.

This course aims to develop student understanding of the role of public policy in shaping Indigenous communities.

It considers case studies of policy development by Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory authorities. It provides students with a theoretical framework for understanding policy and policy development processes and observing how key actors and institutions shape policy outcomes.

The course considers opportunities for participation and engagement in policy formulation, and reflects on past policies which have contributed to Indigenous disadvantage and marginalisation.

Students will critically analyse past and current policies and develop their understanding of the important role that policy plays in shaping community.

This course explores Indigenous histories in Australia and their contemporary resonance.

It offers students an overview of relationships between Indigenous peoples and settlers, centring Indigenous experiences and tracing some of the ways Indigenous people have enacted self-determination and made their own histories in varied contexts of settler colonialism.

The course covers nineteenth century Indigenous travellers and entrepreneurs, examines violence and friendship, studies reserves and resistance, and historicises displacement and the many novel articulations of land rights.

Students will also engage with debates about the representation of Indigenous pasts in the present, as well as completing in-depth and independent historical research.

There are (at least) two sides to the colonial relationship. In this class we focus on the ways in which colonialism is enmeshed with White knowledge traditions and cultures so that we can better understand the complex relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia.

Students will be introduced to key concepts and thinkers in the fields of Critical Race and Whiteness theory and together we will apply them to everyday experience and popular culture.

At the theory and application learning stage of the Indigenous Studies Major, this course will help students develop their understanding of identity politics that are deeply entangled with a variety of political and intellectual debates in Australia.

There’s been something of a renaissance in Blak pop culture in recent decades.

From children's TV shows to literary fiction, through film and music in every genre, sports broadcasting, memes and viral protest movements, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives have made the most of changing media environments to find and reach new audiences.

In this course, we’ll engage with a range of Blak pop culture. We’ll listen to music and watch cartoons. Along the way, you’ll learn to critically interpret and analyse popular culture and constructively engage in debates involving the politics of representation.

You’ll learn about the entanglement of popular culture and power.

We’ll focus especially on how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives have leveraged this complex to advance Indigenous interests.

The course explores the ways in which gender, sexuality and variants of colonialism intersect in the past and present both in Australia and elsewhere.

It encourages students to reflect on the entanglements between heteronormativity, colonialism, and settler colonialism.

The course material covers a range of issues involving gender, sexuality, including land, art and popular culture, activism, Indigeneity, feminism, violence, and race.

Particular attention is paid to gender and gender roles in colonial processes.

In this course students are introduced to Aboriginal Sydney through local written and oral histories, as well as notable works in film, performance, television and art, seeking to make visible Aboriginal experiences, lives and connections to place in the city.

Different approaches to urban history and to understanding the relationship between identity, memory and place are discussed against the broader context of imperial and colonial history and the marginalisation of Aboriginal land and heritage.

With a specific focus on doing place-specific research, students are encouraged to get outside of the classroom and visit the places they are learning about. 

The focus of this course is on the role of museums and art galleries in the representation of Indigenous peoples and their cultures.

The course begins with an introduction to Indigenous material culture, in both pre-contact and contact Australia. Students will also learn about the collection, study and display of Indigenous objects by museums and galleries.

In this context disciplines of anthropology, ethnography, archaeology and museology are examined. Particular attention is given to the ways in which we can study objects and their different meanings as they journey from Indigenous contexts to non-Indigenous institutions.

Students undertake an excursion to one or more local museums and participate in interactive seminar discussion as part of this course.

This course explores Indigenous perspectives on, and aspirations for the management of Country, waterways, culture and heritage in Australia.

The course is designed to refine student understandings of traditional ecological knowledge, Indigenous knowledge and its relationship to western natural resource sciences and ecology.

By exploring intersections between cultural heritage management practices, the environment, Indigenous knowledges and the contemporary space, students will gain an insight into best practice models for cultural heritage management and associated practices of sustainability and maintenance of Australia's rich cultural heritage and the environment.

A compulsory field trip for this course incurs an additional cost.  

This is the Capstone course for students completing the Indigenous Studies Major.

The course draws on content, themes and theories from all levels of the Indigenous Studies Major to consolidate understandings of the convergences that characterise the relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia.

Students in this course will learn how to explore the deeper complexities of their chosen disciplines and Indigenous Australia, and practise ways to productively engage their boundaries, limits and agendas.

Students will have the opportunity to refine their analytical and communicative capacities to navigate these boundaries as their preparation for professional practice or further study.

This course helps you develop the skills and knowledge required to engage respectfully and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

It builds your cultural and professional capability to work in diverse Indigenous contexts by fostering critical self-reflection and cultural awareness.

The course introduces you to key principles of ethical engagement, consultation, collaboration, and co-design, essential when working in partnership with Indigenous communities and organisations.

During the course we will explore strategies for enhancing strengths-based and culturally responsive policies that support self-determination and positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations.