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Unit of study_

AGEN3008: Indigenous Land and Food Knowledge

This unit of study aims to promote understanding of Indigenous knowledge of land and food both past and present, and develop skills in identifying and developing opportunities for Indigenous engagement in land management and food production. It is an elective unit of study for undergraduate degree students in Science, Business, and Arts and Social Sciences; and for Honours and Masters degree students in Science and Arts and Social Sciences. This unit of study will explore the importance of the Indigenous estate (the 20-25% of Australia which is under some form of Indigenous land tenure) and will examine Indigenous knowledge to engage with contemporary realities of land management and food production for the sustainability of communities living on country. Emphasis will be on identifying opportunities for economic activities based on land and food management for the communities visited on the field trip. Students will describe traditional land and food knowledge and understand the complex situation around living on country and the long term trends that are impacting on Indigenous communities. They will participate in activities with community members to identify opportunities for the development of enterprises based on land and food knowledge, then design and develop a plan for an activity that could contribute to the sustainability of the community. Students will develop cultural competency through engagement with indigenous communities and recognition of the influence of their personal and cultural background through self-reflection. They will develop social research skills in collection and interpretation of qualitative data and the ability to describe a complex social/cultural ecological system and design interventions to improve problem situations. It will also provide students with skills and ideas for future research projects that will engage Indigenous communities and improve partnerships and dialogue.

Code AGEN3008
Academic unit Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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72 credit points in 1000-3000 level units
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Understand the complexity involved in sustainably caring for Country using multiple sources of knowledge and world-views.
  • LO2. Recognise the extent of Indigenous land management in Australia by working directly with individuals and communities living and working on Country.
  • LO3. Develop the cultural competence and capability to work effectively with Indigenous communities.
  • LO4. Be familiar with the main challenges facing contemporary Indigenous communities in the context of land management and critically examine the potential future implications of these challenges.
  • LO5. Practice applying skills and knowledge to work competently and confidently with individuals and communities for positive change.
  • LO6. Explore and describe options for enterprise development in collaboration with communities and assess the potential for increasing cultural inclusivity.
  • LO7. Develop a feasibility study for enterprise development and a grant application tailored to include local Indigenous knowledge and participation.
  • LO8. Critically reflect on and analyse how different cultural values and beliefs affect professional communication and practice and the strategies that can be employed to enhance communication across cultures.

Unit outlines

Unit outlines will be available 2 weeks before the first day of teaching for the relevant session.

There are no unit outlines available online for previous years.