Australian Studies

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.

This course examines Indigenous Australian peoples and their music making; diverse forms of Indigenous performance; and how Indigenous Australian performers simultaneously resist and use colonialist constructions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performance to create new and exciting forms.

This course examines the institutions, practices and principles of representative democracy and justice, within a comparative context. It covers the Australian constitutional framework, the separation of powers and the judicial system, the "unwritten constitution" of governing conventions, and human rights. It also considers the role of political parties, the media, and questions of citizenship in regard to sex and gender, race, and class. These elements of Australian representative democracy, as well as the controversial issues that they cover, are compared to their counterparts in other countries. 

This course examines the connection between land and culture to the continuity and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students learn about Country and Indigenous relationships with, responsibilities to and care of place, and the maintenance of land, language and culture. A rights based perspective is used to explore Indigenous political history and activism in maintaining and protecting Country and culture. 

This course examines Australian politics from a historical perspective. It explores the foundation and working of democracy, the formation and transformation of the party system, and the relationship of politics to broader changes in society. The first part follows a chronological structure, beginning with traditional Indigenous government and extending through the colonial era to the present day, while the second examines a range of themes such as federation, nationalism and republicanism, women, gender and politics, rural politics, Indigenous politics and the media.

This course examines the background, context, conduct and implications of politics relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (TSI) communities and policy affecting Indigenous Australians. It explores aspects of inclusion and exclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from the formal political system, internal power relations within and between communities, social movements and representative bodies, Australian Indigenous politics with those of other nations, and looks at a range of policy areas.