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Subject details

At the completion of this subject students will be able to:

  1. develop an analysis of a cross-section of Aboriginal writing, biography, artistic expression and Aboriginal authored critique to place Aboriginal writing, and creative expression within the broader Australian culture
  2. identify and compare central themes and issues within the texts examined
  3. analyse the texts within a range of contemporary theory
  4. critically compare Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal representations within the texts.
  • Topics
    • Aboriginal authors: stories from rural, urban and remote communities
    • Aboriginal people represented in literature and film
    • Examine Aboriginal writing as both literature and history
    • Concept of 'voice', in relation to history, representation and culture
    • Issues of audiences and contexts of publishing and transcription
    • Other important forms of expression ie. cinema, dance, music, theatre and visual art
    • Cultural connections, comparison of different regions and contemporary and historic forms of cultural expression
  • Study resources
    • Instructional Methods
      • Web links
      • Online assignment submission
      • Embedded Multimedia
      • Disscusion forum/Discussion Board
    • Online Materials
      • Audio-Video streaming
      • Printable format materials

No eligibility requirements

Special requirements

No special requirements

Students will build on their knowledge of Aboriginal cultures by exploring the production of contemporary Aboriginal texts, critical comparisons with Indigenous writing from other first nations peoples, construction of Aboriginal identity by Australian colonial and post-colonial society and Aboriginal constructions of self. Students will analyse non-Indigenous historical and contemporary representations of Aboriginal people, Indigenous literature, history and cinema and Indigenous and non-Indigenous post-colonial theory.

  • Assignment 1 - Summary 900 words (20%)
  • Assignment 2 - 5 minutes (30%)
  • Assignment 3 - 2500 words (50%)

Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a subject.

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