Students

ABST202 – Culture, Creation and Characters: Indigenous Australian Literature

2019 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Bronwyn Carlson
Tristan Kennedy
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 Indigenous Australian texts to explore Indigenous peoples’ perspectives of culture and continuity. Students will be introduced to a variety of creative works, including biography, music, literature, and the growing presence of Indigenous voices in online spaces. We will consider the range of reasons Indigenous Australians write and create, from resistance to celebration, as well as the political motivations for publication. Students will also examine the impact of Indigenous creative works 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 (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation 30% No On-going
Review 30% No Within one week
Comparative Essay 40% No Friday 31st May

Participation

Due: On-going
Weighting: 30%

Active participation is a requirement of all students. This includes attendance at lectures and tutorials and online participation. Continuing active participation will contribute to enhanced learning experiences for all students.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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.

Review

Due: Within one week
Weighting: 30%

Students will review a text related to a specific week from the unit timetable. The text will be produced by Indigenous Australian writers or creative artists. A core aim of this task is to provide a detailed and critical review of the text in light of course content.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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.

Comparative Essay

Due: Friday 31st May
Weighting: 40%

Students will write a 2500 word comparative essay using two key texts from a selection negotiated in class. Students will be required to develop their own basis of comparison and offer a critical discussion of both texts. This task requires a critical engagement with Indigenous Literature.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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.

Delivery and Resources

Lecture / Tutorial

Tuesday 12pm - 2pm

9 Wally's Walk

Rm 116

Unit Schedule

ABST202 Unit Outline 2019

Week One – 26th February – What is text? Interpreting and critically evaluating literature and other texts

Heiss, A., 2003. Indigenous Discourse in Heiss, A. Dhuuluu-Yala: To Talk Straight-Publishing Indigenous Literature. Aboriginal Studies Press.

Tutorial Exercise:

Post an example of Indigenous literature. You can post a link, an image, a video or a brief description of the text. Write 250 words about the author/creator and what the text is about.

 

Week Two – 5th March – Auto/biography and identity

Haag, O., 2011. Indigenous Australian autobiography and the question of genre: an analysis of scholarly discourse. Acta Neophilologica, 44(1-2), p.69.

Paradies, Y.C., 2006. Beyond black and white: Essentialism, hybridity and indigeneity. Journal of Sociology, 42(4), pp.355-367.

Tutorial Exercise:

Use three images to write the biography of a famous Indigenous person. Each image should have a one sentence caption and all information and images used must be referenced. In addition, students need to post an image that demonstrates the most important aspects of your own identity. Write 100 words to explain your own image.

 

Week Three – 12th March – Non-Fiction

Grossman, M., 1998. Out of the salon and into the streets: contextualising Australian Indigenous women’s writing. Women’s Writing, 5(2), pp. 169-192

Pascoe, B., 2014. Dark Emu Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?. Magabala Books.

 

Tutorial Exercise:

Find a news article that describes a significant event for Indigenous people. In 250 words try re-imagining it in future tense and in a way that centres Indigenous agency. For example, you might want to imagine what the dual citizen debate might mean for Australian and Indigenous identity in the future.

 

Week Four – 19th March – Land and Country

Moreton-Robinson, A., 2009. Imagining the good indigenous citizen: Race war and the pathology of patriarchal white sovereignty. Cultural studies review, 15(2), p.61.

Tutorial Exercise:

Find an example of Indigenous art. Post a photo of it or link to it. Research the artist and the message. Discuss the piece and how it relates to themes of resistance, land rights and sovereignty.

 

Week Five – 26th March – Music / Musicians

Blanch, F.R., 2011. Young Nunga males at play and playing up: the look and the talk. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 32, 99–112.

Kennedy, T., 2018, Black Metal not Black-Metal: White privilege in online heavy metal spaces, Media International Australia, 169(1), pp. 94-100.

 

Listen to: AB Original, Homesick, Southeast Desert Metal, Coloured Stone, Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi

Tutorial Exercise:

Post a link to music composed / created by Indigenous musicians. Provide a brief review of the music (genre, lyrical content, musicianship). How does this track relate to resistance and sovereignty?

 

Week Six – 2nd April – Children’s Literature

O'Neill, A., 2011. Aboriginal Australian and Canadian First Nations children's literature. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, 13(2), p.4.

Tutorial Exercise:

Find another example of Indigenous children’s literature. Post a 250-word description of it. Identify whether anything in particular about the text resonates with you. What about the text appeals to you as an adult? 

 

Week Seven – 9th April – Reading Week [Online Activities Only]

See iLearn for details

 

Week Eight – 30th April – Guest Lecturer Daisy Purdy

[TBC]

 

Week Nine – 7th May – Guest Lecturer Hemopereki Simon

[TBC]

 

Week Ten – 14th May – Social Media

Carlson, B.L., Jones, L.V., Harris, M., Quezada, N. and Frazer, R., 2017. Trauma, Shared Recognition and Indigenous Resistance on Social media. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 21.

Tutorial exercise:

Create your own meme about a current Indigenous issue in the news media. Post the meme and write 250 words to explain what you have done and why.

 

Week Eleven – 21st May – Chick Lit

Mathew, I. ‘“The Pretty and the Political Didn’t Seem to Blend Well”: Anita Heiss’ Chick Lit and the Destabilisation of a Genre.’ Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature 15.3 (2015): 1-11.

Heiss, A., 2006. Black poetics. Meanjin, 65(1), p.180.

Tutorial Exercise:

Find another example of Indigenous Chick lit not discussed in the lecture. This can be a film, television show, book, play etc.  Using the ideas referenced in this week’s reading write 250 words about how it challenges assumptions about Chick lit.

 

Week Twelve – 28th May – Futurism

James, L., 2016. Children of Change, Not Doom: Indigenous Futurist Heroines in YA. Extrapolation, 57(1-2), pp.151-176.

Tutorial Exercise:

Select one of The Dreaming Series videos and watch the Storyteller background and profile that accompanies it. Research the Indigenous nation the storyteller comes from. Write 250 words on the relationship/s between creationism and futurism in an Indigenous context.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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 outcome

  • Critically consider specific texts by Indigenous Australian people in the light of the above understandings.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Comparative 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 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.

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.

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 (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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
  • Review
  • Comparative 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

  • 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
  • Review
  • Comparative 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:

Learning outcomes

  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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
  • Review
  • Comparative 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
  • Review

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

  • Discuss key features of Indigenous Australian literature (creative texts produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
  • 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
  • Review
  • Comparative Essay