Outline

Overview

Indigenous Art and Culture engages with traditional and contemporary art and cultural expression, offering students an opportunity to critically and creatively explore a variety of artistic and creative practices undertaken by Indigenous Australians. Students will study traditional cultural expression such as oral storytelling and song-cycles, ceremony and art, and contemporary cultural expression in the visual arts, literature, performance, theatre, film and music.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Indigenous Academic Units
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	INDG1001 and INDG1002
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Amy Davidson, amy.davidson@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Out-of-class quiz	Online Quizzes 5x Online Quizzes, 170wd per quiz (850wd total)	25%	Multiple weeks	5 x 170wd = 850wd total	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	In Tutorial Presentation In Tutorial Presentation	20%	Multiple weeks	10mins (1000wd equivalent)	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Out-of-class quiz	Online Quiz EFT Online Quiz EFT #earlyfeedbacktask	5%	Week 02 Due date: 17 Aug 2025 at 23:59	150wd	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Creative work	Creative work and reflective exegesis Creative work in any form/genre and reflective, academic exegesis	50%	Week 13 Due date: 05 Nov 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 28 Nov 2025	1 x 2500wd Creative Project and Exegesis	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Futher details found on Canvas

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 -

100

Consistently strong and ongoing demonstration and evidence of superior organisational and conceptual skills. The work is extremely well conceived, coherent, logical, original and lucid as well as professionally prepared.

Impressive and original depth of understanding of the content and discipline is displayed. Information is gathered from a wide range of current & relevant sources beyond the core materials.

Convincing synthesis of evidence, critical analysis and understanding of multiple perspectives to formulate a coherent argument.
Critical assessment and analysis of the relationship between theory, research and practice. Possible insightful and/or original deployments of theory or theoretical concepts. Implications for personal and professional practice are carefully considered and explored. Work potentially worth dissemination and/or postgraduate study.

Distinction

75 - 84

Consistently strong and ongoing demonstration of very good organisational and conceptual skills. The work is well conceived, coherent, logical and lucid as well as professionally prepared.

Thorough and comprehensive understanding of the content and/or discipline gathered from a wide range of current & relevant sources beyond the core materials.
Convincing synthesis of evidence, critical analysis and understanding of multiple perspectives to formulate a coherent argument.
Insightful critique or consideration of relationship between theory, research and practice. Personal / professional implications for practice considered.

Credit

65 - 74

Strong organizational & conceptual skills and evidence that the task is logical and coherent and professionally prepared.
Considers topics and issues in the broader disciplinary context. Evidence of having read current and relevant sources beyond the core materials.

Credible argument making relevant use of evidence, analysis and understanding. Able to apply concepts and draw and justify conclusions

Critical or evaluative discussion/thinking about links between theory, research and practice.

Pass

50 - 64

Demonstrates task organization and conceptual understanding in a style which is mostly logical, coherent and flowing.

Clear understanding of topic. Demonstrates understanding of materials presented in core texts and readings.

Demonstrates some evidence of analytical and evaluative skills. Able to apply fundamental concepts and draw and justify conclusions

Beginning to develop critical reflection and analysis of practice through theory and research. Relevant concepts etc applied in a generally appropriate and thoughtful way.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.
Attempts are made to demonstrate a logical & coherent understanding of the assessment task but some aspects may be confused or undeveloped.
Limited understanding of topic with serious gaps or errors. Demonstrates little evidence of having read materials presented in core texts & readings.
Little or no evidence of analytical and evaluative skills. Fails to draw on fundamental concepts and to justify conclusions.
Very little or no consideration of the relationships between theory, research and practice.

For more information see guide to grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late submission In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Cultural Protocols for engaging in Aboriginal Arts and Aboriginal Spirituality: Amy Davidson	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	The connections between Country and Cultural Artistic Expression: Tarunna Sebastian	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Visit: Chau Chak Wing Muesum, the Ambassadors collection. Marika and Judy.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Aboriginal Art is resistance and advocacy: From First Contact to today. Amy Davidson	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Contemporary Aboriginal Artistic and Cultural Expression. Virginia Keft	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Visit: Yiribana Gallery at the Art Gallery of NSW	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	The Impacts of Colonisation on First Nations Queerness: Song and Identity as resistance. Jioji Ravulo	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	First Nations Musicology: Cianna Walker	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Wiradjuri symbols and tracks: Lynette Riley.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Literature, Poetics and Poetry, Peter Minter.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Artistic and Cultural Expression in Film: Fran Dobbie	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Creative Exhibition of Assessment Task 3	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses
/13426

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Week 1

Australian Government. (2019). Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the ArtsLinks to an external site. Creative Australia
Grieves, Vicki. 2008. “Aboriginal Spirituality: A Baseline for Indigenous Knowledges Development in Australia.Links to an external site.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies 28 (2):363-398.

Week 2

1.Caring for country through participatory art: creating a boundary object for communicating Indigenous knowledge and values Melanie Zurba & Fikret Berkes
Croft Warcon, Pamela and Fredericks, Bronwyn L. (2009) How the knowledge within country informs Aboriginal arts practices and affirms and sustains identity. In: Selling Yarns 2 : Innovation for Sustainability, 6-9 March 2009, National Museum of Australia, Canberra.
Taylor, Luke. 2008. "From Rock to Bark: Art from Western Arnhem Land.Links to an external site." In They are meditating : bark paintings from the MCA's Arnott's collection. Sydney : Museum of Contemporary Art. (not in quiz)

Week 3

Goldstein, I.S 2013, ‘Visible art, invisible artists? The incorporation of Aboriginal objects and knowledge in Australian museums. Vibrant: Virtual Brazilian Anthropology, 10, pp. 469-493
Sullivan, T., Kelly, L., & Gordon, P. (2003). Museums and indigenous people in Australia: A review of previous possessions, new obligations: Policies for museums in Australia and aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Curator: The Museum Journal, 46(2), 208-227.
Minch-de Leon, M. (2024). Introduction: The unknowable known past. Visualizing Genocide: Indigenous Interventions in Art, Archives, and Museums ed. by Yve Chavez and Nancy Marie Mithlo. Native American and Indigenous Studies, 11(1), pp 3-16;

Week 4

Langton, M. (1994). Aboriginal art and film: The politics of representation. Race & class, 35(4), 89-106.
Quayle, A., Sonn, C., & Kasat, P. (2019). Community arts as public pedagogy: Disruptions into public memory through Aboriginal counter-storytelling. In Creating Inclusive Knowledges (pp. 47-63). Routledge.
Lawrence, K. (2005). Weaving the Murray: Mapping connection and loss. Textile, 3(2), 130-149.

Week 5

Harkin, N. (2020). Weaving the colonial archive: A basket to lighten the load. Journal of Australian Studies, 44(2), 154-166.
Carmichael, E. J. (2017). How is weaving past, present, futures? (Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology).
Radley, A., Ryan, T., & Dowse, K. (2021). Ganggali Garral Djuyalgu (weaving story): Indigenous language research, the insider–outsider experience and weaving Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing into academia. WINHEC: International Journal of Indigenous Education Scholarship, (1), 411-448.
Humphrey, K., Barlo, S., & Lasczik, A. (2023). Basket weaving as an Aboriginal methodology and theoretical framework. AlterNative: an international journal of indigenous peoples, 19(3), 603-614.

Week 6

Belk, R. W., & Groves, R. (1999). Marketing and the multiple meanings of Australian aboriginal art. Journal of Macromarketing, 19(1), 20-33.
Altman, J. (2018). Brokering Aboriginal art: A critical perspective on marketing, institutions, and the state. Geelong, Vic.: Bowater School of Management and Marketing, Centre for Leisure Management Research, Deakin University.
Smith, T. (2001). Public art between cultures: The" Aboriginal memorial," Aboriginality, and Nationality in Australia. Critical Inquiry, 27(4), 629-661.

Week 7

Ravulo, J. (2021). Exploring the role of sexuality and identity across the Pacific: Navigating traditional and contemporary meanings and practices. In The Routledge international handbook of indigenous resilience (pp. 108-120). Routledge.
Farrell, A. (2015). Can you see me? Queer margins in Aboriginal communities. Journal of Global Indigeneity, 1(1), 1-4.

Week 8

Clapham, R., & Kelly, B. (2019). “I Got the Mics On, My People Speak”: On the Rise of Aboriginal Australian Hip Hop. Journal of Hip Hop Studies, 6(2), 18.
Dunbar-Hall, P., & Gibson, C. (2004). Introduction in: Deadly sounds, deadly places: Contemporary Aboriginal music in Australia. UNSW Press. pp. 15-31.
Bracknell, C., & Barwick, L. (2020). The fringe or the heart of things? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musics in Australian music institutions. Musicology Australia, 42(2), 70-84.

Week 9

Riley, L. (2021). The use of Aboriginal cultural traditions in art. Curriculum Perspectives, 41(1), 85-92.
Jones, J. (2020). untitled (giran). Visual Communication, 19(3), 415-428.

Week 10

Minter, Peter. https://redroompoetry.org/poets/peter-minter/thetree/Links to an external site.The Tree the Tree, (2023).
Minter, Peter. Peter Minter, All of the Trees.pdf Download Peter Minter, All of the Trees.pdf, All of the Trees (2021, pp 55-69)
Aboriginal Literature chapter, (not in quiz)(already on reading list.

Week 11

Boomalli: From Little Things Big Things Grow, Book Chapter Croft, Brenda L, in Painting the land story , by Taylor, Luke, Canberra, National Museum of Australia, 1999, 95 – 118.
Coffey, Essie: 1978. "My Survival as an Aboriginal" 49 mins. Sydney: Goodgabah.

Week 12 – n/a

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. Demonstrate a knowledge of Indigenous Australian arts across a range of traditional and contemporary Indigenous art forms and practices
LO2. Identify and reflect upon key forms of Indigenous cultural expression, including the visual arts, literature, performance, theatre, film and music, and key movements and figures
LO3. Understand and reflect upon the national and international significance of Indigenous creative expression and its place in local, regional and transnational arts spheres
LO4. Undertake research, writing and speaking activities that develop and apply a critical framework informed by Indigenous standpoint theory and decolonisation theory

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Assessment dates, activities & some readings have been updated in this version.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

INDG2002: Indigenous Art and Culture

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links