Unit (2019)
Information on this page, including unit offerings, is from the 2019 academic year.
Country, Nature and Identity: Indigenous Sustainability (AIS206)
| School | School of Arts | ||||
| Credit Points | 3 | ||||
| Availability | MURDOCH: S1-internal, S1-external | ||||
| Teaching Timetables | Murdoch S1 |
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| Description | This unit questions common and deeply-held assumptions about 'nature', 'civilisation', 'development', and 'Indigeneity', and contrasts these with precepts embodied in notions of 'country'. In particular, it explores how these often obstruct a shift towards sustainability in Indigenous and, by extension, other communities by obscuring possibilities for reciprocity, stewardship and the ethical co-evolution of people and their environments. | ||||
| Unit Learning Outcomes | 1. To be able to reproduce a philosophical analysis of standard settler Australian conceptualizations of human relationships with nature in terms of 'wilderness' versus 'civilisation'. 2. To be able to contrast this conceptual framework with the key elements of Indigenous notions of 'Country'. 3. To be able to apply this analysis to current, real-world conflicts over development on Indigenous and other lands, as well as to recent moves away from a binary 'conserving' of nature, such as management of conservation reserves; two-way ecological research; rewilding; and the incorporation of fire management into attempts to improve community sustainability. 4. Be able to demonstrate reading, writing, and critical reflection skills appropriate to third-year level. |
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| Timetabled Learning Activities | Lectures/workshops: 1 x 2.5 hours per week. | ||||
| Unit Learning Experiences | The approach to learning in this unit is that you will be, via guided reading and discussion activities, small-group work and the use of audio-visual materials, carefully led through a small number of philosophical questions such that you can apply these in analyses of complex and contemporary real-world issues. | ||||
| Assessment | The assessments in this unit are sequenced in such a way as to foster your capacity to comprehend and apply a small number of philosophical tools in your analysis of contemporary debates over issues such as Indigenous community sustainability, resource access and the management of lands for conservation purposes. They include a low-stakes writing activity, a summary of a philosophical argument central to the unit, several review quizzes and a research essay. | ||||
| Prerequisites | Nil. | ||||
| Exclusions | Students who have completed AIS301 Country, Nature and Identity: Indigenous Sustainability or AIS201 Indigenous Sustainability may not enrol in this unit for credit. | ||||
| Previously | 2015: AIS306 | ||||
| Appears in these Courses/Majors: see individual structures for context |
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| Appears in these Minors | Anthropology Australian Indigenous Studies Nature Based Tourism |
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| Internet Access Requirements | Murdoch units normally include an online component comprising materials, discussions, lecture recordings and assessment activities. All students, regardless of their location or mode of study, need to have access to and be able to use computing devices with browsing capability and a connection to the Internet via Broadband (Cable, ADSL or Mobile) or Wireless. The Internet connection should be readily available and allow large amounts of data to be streamed or downloaded (approximately 100MB per lecture recording). Students also need to be able to enter into online discussions and submit assignments online. |
Contacts
| Unit Coordinator | |
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| AIS206 | Mr Michael Prince Lecturer Murdoch Campus t: 9360 6573 e: M.Prince@murdoch.edu.au o: 450.4.058 - Education and Humanities, Murdoch Campus | Unit Contacts |
| AIS206 MURDOCH: S1-External MURDOCH: S1-Internal | Mr Michael Prince Lecturer Murdoch Campus t: 9360 6573 e: M.Prince@murdoch.edu.au o: 450.4.058 - Education and Humanities, Murdoch Campus |