Indigenous Knowledges and the Social Sciences
ABT33
Overview
Warning: Mature Content
This unit contains mature content including Violence and may not be suitable for some students. Any student under the age of 16 who would like to enrol in this unit must first complete a Parental Consent Form.
Level of study: What does Undergraduate Level 3 mean?
Undergraduate Level 3
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Domestic student fee:
$750.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$975.00 (AUD)
Description
The topic uses a macrohistorical approach to provide an understanding of the worldviews of early hunter-gather peoples, the development of 'western' knowledge systems, colonial expansion, postcolonial Indigenous worldviews and the role of these different bodies of knowledge in our present understandings of globalisation and imperialism in the 21st Century. Central to the universalising influence of Western Europe is the development of 'western' concepts of science and capitalism and their role in the colonial experience. The unit also examines how and why these particular forms of knowledge emerged, and discusses the complexities of resistance, decolonisation and postcolonialism in challenging the dominating influence of 'western' knowledge systems.
Prerequisites
You must complete all core units and Level 1 before commencing this unit. If you have already completed ABT32, please consult your course coordinator before enrolling in this unit.
Assessment
- Assignment 1 — Comparative analysis (25%)
- Assignment 2 — Essay - 1000 words (25%)
- Assignment 3 — Case Study - 2500 words (50%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- compare Indigenous worldviews with 'western' worldviews and epistemologies
- critically evaluate key features of the ideology and history of colonialism
- discuss the resistance and challenges to colonialism
- identify and evaluate the recent debates regarding postcolonialism and globalisation.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Macrohistory/macrosociology/transitions/historical periods |
| 2 | The first great transition: the emergence of agriculture |
| 3 | Classical civilisations |
| 4 | The Renaissance: the emergence of the modern scientific consciousness |
| 5 | Colonialism, science, capitalism, enlightenment thought |
| 6 | The industrial revolution |
| 7 | The social sciences |
| 8 | Resistance |
| 9 | Different knowledge systems |
| 10 | Decolonisation |
| 11 | Postcolonialism |
| 12 | Globalisation |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Instructional Methods
- Discussion Forum/Discussion Board
- Embedded Multimedia
- Online assignment submission
- Podcasting/Lecture capture
- Standard Media
- Streaming Multimedia
- Web links
Textbook information for this unit is currently being updated and will be available soon. Please check back regularly for updates. Alternatively, visit the Unibooks website and enter the unit details to search for available textbooks.
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
This unit is an approved elective in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Behavioural Studies (Psychology), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Bachelor of Behavioural Studies, Swinburne University of Tnlgy
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
