CRIM13005 - Indigenous Justice

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit you will examine the justice systems and practices of Indigenous Australian communities and their relationships with Western justice institutions. Indigenous Australian understandings of Western law and justice will also be compared to the situations and principles of international Indigenous communities. You will discuss and evaluate community justice innovations that seek to respond to Indigenous interests and to embrace Indigenous perspectives and voices. Through analysis of these innovations you will demonstrate the importance of empowering communities to find solutions to their problems. You will develop skills to identify the position of Indigenous people within the Western criminal justice system and you will develop your Indigenous cultural competency to a higher level.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 40%
2. Research Assignment 30%
3. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books 30%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 83.33% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 54.55% response rate.

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.

Source: SUTE qualitative student feedback
Feedback
Provide more examples of previous assignments (exemplars).
Recommendation
Exemplars to be developed by UC which reflect the general layout for each task, in addition to the instructional documents and videos that students are provided.
Action Taken
It was not possible to provide examples of the workbook assessment as this remained the same in 2024. Extensive resources were provided for the critical analysis essay, which contained examples. The overview video of the virtual museum also provided clearer indication of how the task should be presented.
Source: Unit evaluation
Feedback
Clearer link to the overall degree to indicate relevance.
Recommendation
UC to embed links to other units that students are/have completed, to indicate how the topics intersect. Provide more criminal justice related examples.
Action Taken
Links to other units were made across the workshop content, indicating how content was related to students' studies in other areas.
Source: Feedback during workshops
Feedback
Students remarked on the inclusive and safe workshop space in which complex and sensitive topics could be discussed openly.
Recommendation
Continue to foster safe learning spaces through clear expectation setting, and inclusive language and teaching practices. Continue to role model reflexivity and encourage students to do the same through workshop and assessment reflection activities.
Action Taken
The same practice of creating safe and inclusive spaces for open discussion during the workshops was replicated in T1, 2024. This was appreciated by those students who attended the workshop as received in SUTE data and anectdotal feedback.
Source: Student feedback email
Feedback
Appreciation of the clarity of unit layout and delivery.
Recommendation
Continue to ensure that Moodle is laid out in an accessible manner, with clearly labelled sections and resources to ensure ease of navigation by students.
Action Taken
The Moodle shell was refined in T1, 2024, to build upon the success of the previous years delivery.
Source: Student feedback email
Feedback
Students appreciated the level of support and prompt communication provided by the UC.
Recommendation
Continue to embed support throughout the unit, including integrating the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy.
Action Taken
There was an increased focus on providing students with support during workshops, including to welcome any points of discussion or debriefing when the recording was not in progress both at the beginning and completion of the workshop. Students took this opportunity to speak honestly and openly about their experience in the unit - this practice should be continued.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Compare and contrast the key features of Indigenous justice and differences from the Western justice system
  2. Critically express the importance of listening to and empowering communities
  3. Discuss the effectiveness of Indigenous justice projects in Australia and overseas
  4. Evaluate innovations and programs in the Indigenous justice field
  5. Explore best practice for the development and implementation of Indigenous cultural competency at a professional level.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment • • • •
2 - Research Assignment •
3 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • •
2 - Problem Solving • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • • •
8 - Ethical practice •
9 - Social Innovation •
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10