Overview
This unit examines Aboriginal cultures and their relationships with the land. Topics include the study of social organisations, beliefs and value systems, human ecology and human-land relationships, and contemporary land issues. A theme of cultures adapting to the changing natural and human environments is developed throughout the unit. A feature of this unit is its use of perspectives and commentaries by Aboriginal persons which will accompany each major topic.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from The evaluation with the Big Red Button on the course Moodle site
I found this course interesting and the resources provided for additional reading were very helpful. I also really like that this course introduces the lecturer as I believe it's important for students to know their lecturers particularly as a distance student. Wonderfully structured course and assessment. I always enjoy learning from Dr Deadly. Her method of teaching may be unorthodox but I found that this approach is appropriate in explaining the culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Besides gaining knowledge I always find myself growing as a person from Pamela's courses.
None
- describe Aboriginal social organisation and belief systems, and how land is a central element of both
- describe the nature of the human ecology of Aboriginal cultures, including economic land use and management in both traditional and contemporary societies
- investigate and explain the concepts of land rights and the way in which contemporary Aboriginal societies view the land
- explain how Aboriginal cultures have adapted to changing natural and human environments.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 60% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 60% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Microsoft Office
- Please Note: Correctional Centre students do not require access to email, internet or the course website.
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.croft@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 3: Countries and Boundaries. An investigation to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's relationship to Country, boundaries and identity to understand the concepts of custodianship versus ownership.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 4: Kinship and Social Organisation. Research to understand the diversity of Aboriginal Countries, Nations, clans and families. Examines the relationship to skin names, moieties, marriage and social protocols.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 5: The Dreaming. An investigation to understand what this concept is. Explores the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, languages, ceremonies, astronomy and oral traditions.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No Module
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 6: Creation stories and songlines. Explores the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creation stories, songlines and environmental conservation.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 7: Ritual and Sense of Place. Explores the relationships with totems, rituals, law and lore, initiation ceremonies, arts and crafts, sacred sites, sorry business and the afterlife to understand Aboriginal beliefs and values.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 8: Aboriginal Land and Sea Use. An exploration of hunting and gathering, Festival gatherings and the maintenance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's relationship to Country, culture and law.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 9: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Economic Land and Sea Use and Management. An investigation into the cultural heritage maintenance and economic issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 10: Land Rights Struggles. An examination of the difference between Land Rights and Native Title, Treaty and proposed changes to the Australian Constitution, The Tent Embassy, Bark Petitions, Overturning the 'Terra Nullius' concept to understand the History of Native Title and the Land Rights Act in Australia.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 11: High Court of Australia Decisions. An exploration into Native Title and the Mabo Case, Terra Nullius, Sovereignty, Remuneration for past injustices, steps towards Constitutional Change and Reconciliation.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 12: Reflections and on the Unit and students understanding of Aboriginal Australia.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No exam.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Course Coordinator: Dr Pamela CroftWarcon
Contacts: CQU telephone: 07 4930 6952 and email: p.croft@cqu.edu.au
1 Written Assessment
The purpose of this written assignment is to demonstrate your learning and understanding of Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander people's Country, their culture, including social organisation, dreaming stories, boundaries, totems, festivals, and their relationships and connections to Country by examining the topics presented in Weeks 1–7 of the Moodle unit site. It is important to demonstrate your knowledge about the Aboriginal Nation and Country where you live or work; or that has significant meaning to you. Possible inclusion of Name of the Country/ (nation), its boundaries, the people and their language; protocols; Kinship and social organisation of the nation eg. family clan groups, skin names, systems; Dreaming stories and sites, totems, food sources, tools, housing, and clothing; Festivals, gatherings or ceremonies; art symbols and style, astrology beliefs; and Identify foods and medicines associated to that particular Country. The use of appropriate terminology is considered highly important.
The essay topic is below:
Based on what you have learnt describe Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander social organisation, belief systems including identity, creation stories etc. and how the 'old ways' influence their contemporary identity and lifestyles and discuss how the land is a central element of both.
The structure for your assignment should include Cover and Criteria sheet, Title, Introduction and Conclusion. Sub headings are optional along with inclusion of additional materials (photos, maps, images etc) correctly cited in the paper (using the Harvard system) will add to the mark and the total number of references should be at least six, but more is always better.
Word length: 2000 words. Weight: 40%
Week 7 Friday (28 Apr 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (19 May 2017)
Students will be assessed on the following criteria -
Content: Presentation and Development: of main points and discussion/ approach relevant to the question and use of appropriate terminology. Use of key concepts: from the unit relevant to the learning outcomes. Introduction: state aims, purpose, structure and background of the paper. Breadth of reading: a minimum of SIX references. Analysis of major findings: examples and supporting evidence addressing the identified topics within the assessment task . Conclusion: Coming to a final position on the topic with overview and summary of main points/ arguments in paper; and
Presentation: Attention to Grammar and Spelling: including paragraph structure and clarity of expression. Legibility and Format: line spacing, font, margins, style, etc. Word count: (10% either side of word limit).
- describe Aboriginal social organisation and belief systems, and how land is a central element of both
- describe the nature of the human ecology of Aboriginal cultures, including economic land use and management in both traditional and contemporary societies
- explain how Aboriginal cultures have adapted to changing natural and human environments.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
2 Written Assessment
The purpose of this written assignment is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander peoples their cultures, relationships and connections to Country and the colonising history of Australia by including and critiquing the topics presented in Weeks 1-12 of the Moodle unit site. The use of appropriate terminology is considered highly important.
Choose 1 of the following Essay Topics below:
(1) Discuss the ‘struggles for justice’ regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Rights and Native Title and the significant developments which have been associated with these issues. Based on what you have learnt include historical events of the struggles for justice and why land rights are vital to Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander peoples, the land rights movement, and the nature of key State and Commonwealth legislation and court decisions regarding land rights and Native Title.
(2) Based on what you have learnt describe the nature of the human ecology of Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander peoples and their culture, including economic land and use and management before colonisation and in contemporary Australian societies.
The structure for your assignment should include Cover and Criteria sheet, Title, Introduction and Conclusion. Sub headings are optional along with inclusion of additional materials (photos, maps, images etc) correctly cited in the paper (using the Harvard system) will add to the mark and the total number of references should be at least ten, but more is always better.
Word length: 3000 words. Weight: 60%
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (16 June 2017)
Students will be assessed on the following criteria -
Content: Presentation and Development: of main points and arguments/ approach relevant to the topics and use of appropriate terminology. Use of key concepts: from the course relevant to the topics. Introduction: state aims, purpose, structure and background of the paper. Breadth of reading: a minimum of TEN references including book chapters and/ or journal articles. Analysis of major findings: examples and supporting evidence points or arguments presented. Conclusion: Coming to a final position on the topic with overview and summary of main points/ arguments in paper; and Presentation: Attention to Grammar and Spelling: including paragraph structure and clarity of expression. Legibility and Format: line spacing, font, margins, style, etc. Word count: (10% either side of word limit).
- investigate and explain the concepts of land rights and the way in which contemporary Aboriginal societies view the land
- explain how Aboriginal cultures have adapted to changing natural and human environments.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
