Australian Studies

This course examines the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, peoples and societies. A central focus of the course is the ways in which the philosophical frameworks of Indigenous knowledge systems continue to inform contemporary
Indigenous practice that continues to shape Indigenous identities today. Taught from a range of perspectives, students will develop an understanding of social, cultural, political, economic, and ecological aspects of Indigenous Knowledge. 
Indigenous Studies Major

This course examines the security challenges facing the Pacific Islands and, in particular, Australia’s role in the security of the region. This includes cooperation on transnational crime and counterterrorism; intervention and stabilization; criminal justice assistance; governance capacity-building; natural disaster response; and substantial development assistance. It also considers ways in which Pacific understandings of security differ from Australia’s, and the implications of this for Australia’s engagement with Pacific Island governments, security agencies and societies. It also assesses the outlook over the next decade for security in this strategically important and rapidly changing region.

This course examines the history, politics and culture of Sydney. Students will explore the city through walking tours and from many vantage points, including its beaches, rivers, parks, subcultures and multicultural communities and will learn more about the past and present of Aboriginal Sydney, Western Sydney and Queer Sydney. Drawing on a vast range of historical and contemporary accounts, the course traces Sydney’s extraordinary urban transformation from a tiny penal outpost to a global city of international renown in only 200 years. 

This course examines popular music, Indigenous music, classical music, and the music of multicultural communities in Australia, as well as themes prevalent in the work of contemporary music scholars. These include gender and identity, ownership and appropriation, reception and transmission, colonialism and Empire, globalization, modernity, representation, and music and place.

This course examines representations of the Australia's sporting past through the lenses of memorials, museums, film and the internet. As part of this approach, there is a focus on Australian sporting icons including Les Darcy, Dawn Fraser, Eddie Gilbert, Peter Norman and Michael O'Loughlin as well as the Australian Sport Museum (Melbourne), the Ration Shed Museum (Cherbourg) and the Australian Paralympic Movement.

This course examines the Australian legal system, a common law system, and contrasts it with the civil law system. It covers the historical origins of the Australian legal system, some of the principles underpinning the legal system, including the importance of the concept of the rule of law. It also covers the operation of the principal institutions of the legal system, the legislative and executive arms of government and the judiciary and courts. This will include the jurisdiction of Australian courts, the process by which cases are decided and the doctrine of precedent, consideration of alternative methods of dispute resolution and an examination of the role of the legal profession. There will also be an overview of the main branches of law. Aboriginal customary law will be looked at and there will be a critical analysis of the circumstances of the adoption of the common law in Australia and the effect on the indigenous people. There will also be examination of the recognition of customary law and native title.

This course examines the diversity of Indigenous culture, epistemologies, practices and engagements with the contemporary world. It will also looks at traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies, cultures, languages, history and prehistory in curricula, research and knowledge exchange.