TASK
Over module two you responded to critical questions to reflect on how social, institutional, and historical forces explicitly and implicitly construct knowledge of Self and Others. In Task 3 you will use this as a basis to extend into a critical analysis of Australian policy and historical events in relation to Indigenous Australian peoples.
You are required to select two events from the Australian History Timeline in Module 2. One event must be pre-1967 (before the Referendum) and the other post-1967 (after the Referendum). This will enable you to investigate the evolution of approaches to Australian policy for Indigenous Australian peoples, the way Indigenous Australians are positioned to rationalise approaches, and the presumed relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians as a consequence. Ensure that you choose topics which enable you to engage with this investigation.
You are required to describe and analyse each policy/event in relation to:
- Goals of each policy or event.
- How Indigenous Australians are positioned (e.g., do they have a role in decision-making, are their views represented, are they constructed as a ‘problem to be resolved’).
- The relationship between Indigenous Australians and wider Australian society (e.g., is there a social or cultural norm evident? Are Indigenous Australians constructed as ‘different’ to or divergent from the norm?);
- The similarities and differences evident in the goals, positioning of Indigenous Australians, and the implied relationship between Indigenous Australians and wider Australian society;
- How knowledge about Australian history is reproduced to reinforce contemporary understandings (e.g. how do the discourses and norms associated with the events continue to inform contemporary understandings of Australian history and culture as well as Indigenous Australians?);
- A reflection on your standpoint, on the influence of these policies and events on your own cultural competence and the social and cultural influences on your understandings.
If you would like to choose a policy or event which is not on the Australian History Timeline then please discuss this with your group tutor. Students are encouraged to choose events or policies which are relevant to their discipline / future profession.
- This assessment will be completed by using the secure online assessment platform, Cadmus. Cadmus can be accessed through the subject Interact2 site. In Cadmus, you will find further assessment instructions, write your submission, and submit your assessment. The platform is designed to simplify the assessment process, making it easy to focus on the task at hand while developing your academic skills. You can find out more about Cadmus here: https://cadmus.io/getting-started/students/intro-to-the-student-environment
- See your Assessment 3 tab in the subject site for more information.
RATIONALE
This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
- be able to critically reflect on the factors that have shaped historical and contemporary engagement with Indigenous communities and Indigenous peoples and critique deficit paradigms as they relate to Indigenous Australians.
- be able to critically examine how racialised power and privilege influence historical and contemporary structures of Australian society and its institutions.
This task extends on Task 1 and 2 to meet the following IKC101 Learning Outcomes:
LO 3: Be able to critically reflect on the factors that have shaped historical and contemporary engagement with Indigenous communities and Indigenous peoples and critique deficit paradigms as they relate to Indigenous Australians;
LO4: Be able to critically examine how racialised power and privilege influence historical and contemporary structures of Australian society and its institutions.
In Task 1 and 2 you reflected on your knowledge and the factors that influence what you know and how you come to know about Indigenous Australians and Australians more generally. You undertook further reflection in a critique of two media articles. You began to consider how knowledge can be taken-for-granted or assumed to be true because powerful institutions like schools, churches, government, the media (and social media) reinforce them over time.
In Task 3 you will analyse evidence of the social, institutional, and historical framing, reproduction, and reinforcement of particular kinds of knowledge and associated issues of power and privilege.