Students

ABST202 – Culture, Creation and Characters: Indigenous Australian Literature

2017 – S1 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer and Convenor
SJ Burton
Contact via (02) 98508125
W6A 634
Lecturer
Toby Davidson
Bronwyn Carlson
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
12cp at 100 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit will examine the writing of Indigenous Australians to explore Indigenous perspectives of culture and continuity. Students will be introduced to a variety of written work, including biography, and the growing and rich array of fiction and poetry. We will consider the range of reasons Indigenous Australians write, from resistance to celebration, as well as the political motivations for publication. Students will also examine the impact of Indigenous literature on national identity and understandings of Indigenous Australia.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

General Assessment Information

Information about the criteria and standards for grading against which individual assessment tasks will be judged can be found in the ilearn site.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation 20% No Entire Session
Kim Scott Discussion Paper 30% No Week 7
Critical Review 10% No Week 10
Final Essay 40% No Week 13

Participation

Due: Entire Session
Weighting: 20%

Participation in online discussions each week.

Demonstrated attention to texts.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Kim Scott Discussion Paper

Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%

Discuss how Scott’s characterisation of indigenous and non-indigenous characters questions notions of colonialism and post colonialism in That Deadman Dance and selected critical readings.

1500 words.

More information will be provided via the iLearn site.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Critical Review

Due: Week 10
Weighting: 10%

Write a 500 word critical review of one of the provided online resources for Indigenous Australian literature.

More information will be provided via the iLearn site.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Final Essay

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%

More information available via the iLearn site.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Delivery and Resources

Required books will be available through the campus bookshop (Coop) or can be accessed from libraries or other booksellers. You MUST access all required readings in order to read them. All required readings will be available in the MQ library.

* Ezekiel Kwaymullina, My Country

* Kim Scott, That Deadman Dance

* Anita Heiss, Not Meeting Mr Right & Manhattan Dreaming (extracts)

* Tara June Winch, After the Carnage

We will also be watching Redfern Now and studying a selection of Indigenous Australian poets. Access to this material will be available via iLearn.

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Final Essay

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.

Assessment task

  • Final Essay

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (written creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders).
  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Articulate the place of Indigenous Australian literature in relation to Indigenous Studies, Australian literature, and comparative Indigenous literary studies.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of relevant literary traditions, histories of interaction colonisation and nationalism, various creative art forms, and the politics of publication and anthologising in Australia.
  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Kim Scott Discussion Paper
  • Critical Review
  • Final Essay