GED2835

Aboriginality and education

Not offered in 1999

Professor F Rizvi

12 points - Summer semester - Clayton

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have developed and be able to defend their views on issues of Aboriginality such as the ways in which it has been historically constructed, contested by Aboriginal writers and artists, and rearticulated in line with their political struggle. Students should also be able to explain the ways in which conceptions of Aboriginality are educationally significant and draw implications of their analyses for the development of curriculum and pedagogy more appropriate to Aboriginal aspirations.

Synopsis This subject will explore some of the contemporary debates around issues of Aboriginality, particularly as they relate to education. It will enable students to examine the ways in which a number of indigenous writers, visual artists and film makers have portrayed their own Aboriginality and described their educational experiences and aspirations. Discussions of Aboriginality will involve such questions as how do these writers, visual artists and film makers construct and view their Aboriginality; what significance they attach to it; how do they 'read' their Aboriginality in relation to their experiences of 'white' history; and how does their Aboriginality affect their social relations in contemporary Australia. A particular focus of the course will be on the ways in which educational institutions have treated issues of Aboriginality, and the consequences of these for Aboriginal educational experiences.

Assessment Seminar presentation: 20% - Assignment (6000 words): 80%

Recommended texts

Broome R Aboriginal Australians Allen and Unwin, 1986
Hodge N and Mishra V Dark side of the dreaming Allen and Unwin, 1990
Rowse T After Mabo MUP, 1993

Back to the 1999 Education Handbook