This course examines the ways in which Indigenous people, in Australia and elsewhere, have assumed the right to tell their own histories of imperialism, colonialism and dispossession through diverse forms of memorialisation, performance, writing, art and other modes of meaning-making. The creative labour of Indigenous intellectuals, artists, filmmakers, writers, and historians shapes contemporary public culture in Australia and other settler-colonial nations, such as Canada, southern Africa, New Zealand and in the Pacific. This course explores such creative labour, both in the past and present. We will examine the ways in which Indigenous people have engaged with and challenged imposed cultural and historical forms and practices in ways that have redefined concepts such as sovereignty, self and other, nation and place, and history and time. Students will gain experience working with archives, images, objects, performance, television, lyrics, film and digital forms of storytelling.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- understand the key theoretical, political and ethical debates about Indigenous history and memory within colonial, cross-cultural and post-colonial contexts;
- critically interpret a range of historical and memory sources, and their uses for Indigenous history;
- apply new and expanded understandings of historical practice and the uses of the past to original research projects;
- construct an evidence-based historical argument in a format suitable to its purpose and audience; and
- critically reflect on contestations over memory, history and historical interpretation in contemporary settler colonial societies.
Indicative Assessment
- Critical review, 1500 words (30) [LO 1,2,4,5]
- Research proposal, 500 words (10) [LO 1,3,4,5]
- Research essay, 3000 words (50) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Seminar participation (10) [LO 1,2,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks of seminar and seminar-like activities; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.