INDG8761 Caring as Country: Indigenous Environmental Management GE

Overview

Caring for country is the term many Indigenous Australian people use to describe their connection with and approach to land and sea management. Caring as Country is a term many Indigenous Australians feel better represents their connection to country. The topic Caring as Country: Indigenous Environmental Management aims to develop the capacity of students to engage respectfully, effectively and equitably in cross-cultural collaborations, particularly with Indigenous Australians. The topic presents Indigenous perspectives on caring as country and also encourages students to engage with their own cultural backgrounds to challenge the dominance of Enlightenment thinking in Natural Resource Management (NRM). It engages students in discussion of the continued colonisation of mainstream NRM structures and practices and offers mechanisms to address this. Students are provided with an overview of the contemporary challenges, opportunities and innovations in protected area management, Aboriginal heritage, mining, native title, Indigenous governance, Intellectual property, tourism and international Indigenous contexts.

Topic availabilities

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Tuition pattern

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Aims

This topic aims to:

Develop the capacity of students to engage effectively, equitably, ethically and respectfully in cross-cultural collaborations
Define and discuss some of the differences in worldviews underpinning Indigenous Australian Caring for Country and Western approaches to Natural Resource Management (NRM)
Increase the awareness of students of their own cultural perspectives on human-environment relations and challenge them to consider other ways of thinking
Make Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in Caring as Country visible
Increase awareness of race relations in Australia in the context of 'country' and the challenges facing Indigenous Australians in contemporary Australia
Using a range of case studies, introduce students to contemporary debates in which the competing interests of Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders have led to conflict, compromise and innovation
Identify and discuss key challenges Indigenous groups face in working collaboratively with NRM practitioners and institutional structures
Provide opportunities for students to engage with pedagogical, teaching and learning approaches for working with students about Indigenous issues
Provide opportunities for students to develop knowledge, skills and mechanisms for addressing historical injustices and for engaging with Indigenous groups in effective and equitable ways

Assessments

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Current students should refer to FLO for detailed assessment information, including due dates. Assessment information is accurate at the time of publishing.

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Requisites information

Anti-requisites:

Handbook

Caring as Country: Indigenous Environmental Management GE