Indigenous Australian Cultural Studies Specialisation

This Specialisation introduces students to Indigenous Australian perspectives and academic discourse through a carefully formulated raft of four units that each highlight different aspects of Indigenous lifeways, values and beliefs augmented by an understanding of history, impacts of colonisation and positive affirming narratives of resilience and celebration. The specialisation takes the student on a journey whereby they gain a practical understanding of Native Title and connection to Country. The student establishes a greater perception of the significance of cultural practices and the arts through an enquiry into Indigenous creative arts, both from antiquity to contemporary. This encourages insight into cultural knowledge and the protocols and ethical behaviour within Indigenous studies, primed through contexts of theory and practice within all units of the specialisation. The specialisation has strong elements of emersion and reflection, particularly with students being participants in trips to sites in Country, both in Perth and the near region.