Indigenous Studies @ Macquarie in 2008.
‘We do not choose to be enshrined in a glass case, with our story told by an alien institution which has appointed itself as an ambassador of our culture. To be a voyeur on the physical objects of other people’s culture is not a way to understand them. That understanding could come only from becoming involved in debates on the issues that are at the heart of people’s concerns today’.
Originally published by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Quoted from L. Russell (2000), ‘Where is the Past? Locating Archaeological Discourses and Narratives in the Melbourne Museum’, in The Artifact 23
We believe that Indigenous Studies units, as they are taught at the department of Indigenous Studies, Warawara, are a vital part of any undergraduate program. It is imperative that all students understand the issues that make inter-relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples fraught in many professional and personal situations.
Our units are academic units that draw on various theories from the social sciences to try and understand the world from some points of view that may be somewhat different from those commonly espoused by the dominant society. All our units challenge dominant assumptions and support and encourage students to think outside the constraints of their own cultural bias.
Our 100 level units are centred on Australian Indigenous Studies, whereas we expand our view into more global domains in 200 and 300 units. All our units provide opportunities for personal and professional intellectual growth and are an asset for employment in many fields including Education, law and medical science, providing essential training in critical and reflexive thinking.
Semester One:
ABST 100 – Introduction to Australian Indigenous Studies
ABST 200 (day and evening) – ‘Contested Issues in Indigenous Studies’
Semester Two:
ABST 100- Introduction to Australian Indigenous Studies
ABST 210- ‘Exhibiting Indigenous Heritage: comparative studies of Indigenous
museum exhibitions.
ABST 300- ‘Pathways for Indigenous Studies’
For more information please contact Dr. Kristina Everett for all units above 100 level and Ms Megan Cooper for 100 level units.