HIST 3052 - Aboriginal Peoples and the Colonial World

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

This course offers a comparative study of the relations between Indigenous people and Anglo-European settlers in societies linked by their colonial origins: Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It considers European ideas about race, land tenure and civilisation that accompanied the spread of settler colonialism from the seventeenth century. The course also explores how Aboriginal peoples responded to the coming of Europeans to their lands. Issues to be covered include: the bases for cooperation between Indigenous peoples and settlers, the causes of conflict between them, land rights, frontier violence, assimilation, Indigenous resistance, and the basis of citizenship in settler societies.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code HIST 3052
    Course Aboriginal Peoples and the Colonial World
    Coordinating Unit Historical and Classical Studies
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 6 units of Level II undergraduate study
    Incompatible HIST 2081
    Assessment Participation 20%, 2 x Quizzes 20%, Minor essay (1500 word) 20%, Major essay (3000 word) 40%
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Robert Foster

    Assoc Prof Robert Foster

    Napier Building, Room 510
    Ph: 8313 5616
    email: robert.foster@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    By the end of the course students will be able to demonstrate:

    1.    An understanding of  the nature of colonialism and its impact on the Indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand

    2.    An ability to distinguish between different historical interpretations and different cultural perspectives

    3.    Enhanced skills in research, synthesis, organisation and presentation of information

    4.    Enhanced problem solving skills

    5.    Familiarisation with the research skills necessary for working with primary sources

    6.    An ability to work independently

    7.    An ability to work cooperatively

    8.    An ability to critically evaluate arguments

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    3, 4, 5, 8
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1, 2, 7
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1, 3, 4
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1, 2, 4
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    2, 6, 7
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    A reading pack, containing the texts that need to be read prior to each tutorial discussion, will be available for purchase at the start of the course from the Image and Copy Centre.

    Recommended Resources
    There is no text book for this course. The following books may help provide some background.

    Ken S. Coates, A Global History of Indigenous Peoples: Struggle and Survival, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

    Andrew Armitage, Comparing the Policies of Aboriginal Assimilation: Australia, Canada and New Zealand,
    1995.

    Online Learning
    MyMedia lecture recordings will be available. Lecture slides will be posted on MyUni, together with other material as required.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will have one one-hour lecture and one two-hour workshop per week.

    The lectures are designed to provide the chronological and thematic background to the issues covered in the
    workshops.

    In the workshops, you will normally be divided into three sub-groups. Each sub-group will focus on the questions as they relate to one country - Australia, Canada or New Zealand. In other words, in any one week, you will only expected to do the readings related to your sub-group – if you wish to do all the readings, so much the better, but it is not a requirement. The composition of the sub-groups, and country each will focus on, will be worked out so that each sub-group gets the opportunity to look at a variety of countrie

    In the first part of the workshop the members of each subgroup will work together, share their ideas, and work out a presentation on their assigned readings and topic. In doing this you should firstly summarise the article (who is the author, what is she/he setting out to do, how do they go about the task?), and then discuss what light it casts on the theme of the workshop.  This task is important, as students in other sub-groups are only required to focus on the readings relating to their county. Half way through the workshop, each group will then take turns giving their presentation to the combined group. The purpose of these presentations is to teach the other groups what they have learned regarding the topic.

    At the end of all the presentations there will be a general, comparative, discussion of the issues raised in the workshop.

    This workshop approach allows us to reduce the overall amount of reading to canvas all three regions but, at the same time, to still consider the issues in a truly comparative fashion.

    I envisage that the time will be allocated as follows:
    • The sub-groups gather together in class, discuss their readings and devise a presentation (usually presented as a sequence of key points on a whiteboard) (40 minutes).
    • Each sub-group, in turn, will make a presentation on their readings to the larger group as a whole and field questions (30-40 minutes)
    • Conclude with a general discussion of the issues raised.
    It will not always have to follow this pattern, some topics will suggest other approaches, but we will regard this as the default pattern.

    It is my hope that workshops such as these (and the content of those workshops) will aid the development of specific skills; deep analysis of primary sources, the comprehension and interpretation of secondary sources, working collaboratively and, in the devising of presentations, ‘thinking on your feet’. The success of this format depends in a large measure on your willingness to do the preparation, and to work both independently and collaboratively.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Formal contact hours: 36
    Preparatory activities for class: 12 hours
    Researching and writing asignments: 78 hours
    General reading and private study: 30 Hours
    Total: 156 hours
    Learning Activities Summary
    Each weekly lecture introduces one of the course themes, which will be examined in detail during the workshops. Those themes include, but are not restricted to, the following:

    1. Empire and Humanitarianism

    2. Indigenous Knowledges

    3. Land and Sovereignty

    4. Resistance and Rebellion

    5. Assimilation

    6. Reconciliation and Coming to Terms with the Past
    Specific Course Requirements
    N/A
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Small Group Discovery is embedded in the structure of the workshop experience and the related research projects. The lecturer is an active researcher in this field and the course gives a high priority to the development of research and writing skills. Themes explored in the lectures and workshops will be the springboard for students to develop their research essays that are the major learning focus of the course. The development of research skills, especially primary research and comparative analysis, is one of the primary aims of the course.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

    Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome
    Attendence and Participation -

    -

    10% 3, 5, 7, 8
    Quizzes Formative mid and late semester (2 x 10% = 20%) 1
    Short Research Essay Formative mid-semester 30% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
    Long Research Essay Formative late semester 40% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8




    Assessment Related Requirements
    N/A
    Assessment Detail
    1. Attendance and Participation (10%)

    There are no assessed presentations during the workshops. The workshops are at the heart of this course and are designed to develop your ability to work collaboratively and enhance your skill at presenting information, so it is important to not only attend, but to actively contribute.

    2. Quizzes (2 x 10% = 20%)

    There will be two quizzes in the course, one toward the middle of the semester and the other toward the end. The questions in these quizzes are drawn primarily from information in lectures and, to a lesser extent, workshops. These quizzes are designed to reward students who work consistently throughout the semester, prepare appropriately and attend regularly.

    3. Research Assignment 1 (30%)

    Short Research Essay (2,500 words)

    Choose your essay topic from one of the discussion questions set for the workshops between week 2 and week 11 (inclusive). Before undertaking the essay, you must confirm the topic of the question with the lecturer. The exact submission date for the essay is yet to be determined, but will be toward the middle of the semester.

    4. Research Assignment 2 (40%)

    Long Research Essay (3000 words)

    This exercise gives you the opportunity to undertake a detailed comparative study of at least two of the three countries examined, focussing on one of the key themes of the course. More detailed instuctions regarding the requirements for this assignment will be distributed toward the middle of the semester. The exact submission date for the essay is yet to be determined, but will be towards the end of the semester.
    Submission
    Written assignments are submitted online through Turnitin.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

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  • Policies & Guidelines
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