Despite full citizenship, the expenditure of much money and effort and twenty-five years of benign government policies, the material circumstances of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have remained poor by all the standard social indicators. Their life circumstances are often a shock to those who have not seen them before and for those familiar with them the problems can seem intractable. In this course we will explore why it is so difficult to improve these circumstances by examining a range of theoretical and social issues relevant to a sociological analysis of the diversity and complexity of the surviving indigenous social orders and their location within the state.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

By participating fully in this course you should expect the following out comes:

• An understanding of the public debates and reporting of issues in Indigenous affairs in Australia and an ability to deconstruct them
• An understanding of the nature of the diverse Indigenous social orders in Australia
• An understanding of the anthropological debates around the concepts of culture and tradition and how these relate to Indigenous affairs
• An understanding of the complexities of policy making in this area and why achieving positive outcomes is often difficult
• An understanding of the nature of the Australian state and its significance for understanding Indigenous affairs

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction: Culture, social justice, and colonialism. Re-inventing Wheels & We don’t need a map.
2	The meaning of NUMBERS
3	Themes 1: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
4	Themes 2: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
5	Themes 3: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society	Assessment 1
6	Themes 4: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
7	Themes 5: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
8	Themes 6: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
9	Themes 7: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
10	Themes 8: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society	Assessment 3
11	Themes 9: Interactive engagement on Indigenous Life and Society
12	Course conclusion and final discussion	Assessment 4

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Participation and Tutorial discussion leading (15%)	15 %	26/02/2019	31/05/2019	1,2,3,4,5
Journal (20%).	20 %	28/03/2019	15/04/2019	1,2,3,4,5
Essay (35%)	35 %	18/05/2019	30/05/2019	1,2,3,4,5
Take home exam (30%)	30 %	25/05/2019	05/06/2019	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Assessment Task 1

Participation and Tutorial discussion leading (15%)

Tutorials will have two components for 15%: (a) general participation and (b) responsibility for leading the discussion of one week’s readings using powerpoint for no more than 10 minutes.

Assessment Task 2

Journal (20%).

Journal 20%.   The idea of the journal is to make you aware of the frequency and nature of the reporting on Aboriginal issues in the newspapers. The Journal should be kept from week 4-6 inclusive (i.e. 3 weeks) and take the form of a commentary on a news report from each of these weeks. For each week I expect 200 words of commentary accompanied by a copy of the newspaper report. Tutorial journals will not be judged on elaborate formatting; what I will be looking for is critical engagement with the issues raised by the cutting, particularly in the light of issues raised in the course. Don’t just summarise the newspaper report. The journal needs to be clearly and chronologically organized. They will be returned.  This must be submitted by 5pm on 28 th March 2019.

Assessment Task 3

Essay (35%)

Essay 35%: An essay of 2000 words. The essay must be submitted by 5pm18th May 2019. Essay topics will given out early in the semester. The essay must be on a different topic from that for the tutorial presentation.

Assessment Task 4

Take home exam (30%)

Take home exam 30%: The exam will be based on the lectures and tutorial readings.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students