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Unit of study_

NYUS2102: Texts and Ideas: Making Place and Country

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study is only available to students approved to be participating in the NYU Sydney Program.

Unit details and rules

Unit code NYUS2102
Academic unit Arts and Social Sciences
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Yuri Ogura, yuri.ogura@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Djuna Hallsworth, djuna.hallsworth@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Small test Final Exam
Short essays in response to specific questions to understand key themes
15% Formal exam period
Due date: 05 Jun 2023 at 14:00
120 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Small continuous assessment Reflective Blog
Short written assignments allow students to critically reflect on readings
10% Multiple weeks 300 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Participation Class Participation
Active participation in class and attendance will be required
20% Ongoing ongoing
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Paper 1
Allow students to critically analyze the texts covered in session 1-3
20% Week 04
Due date: 13 Mar 2023 at 23:59
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Small test Midterm Exam
Short essays in response to specific questions to understand key themes
15% Week 07
Due date: 03 Apr 2023 at 14:00
80 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Paper 2
Allow students to critically analyze the texts covered in the course
20% Week 13
Due date: 22 May 2023 at 23:59
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Assessment summary

Class Participation: Active participation in class, and attendance, will be reflected in this part of the course requirements. Students are required to demonstrate accountability and responsibility in their preparation for, and engagement with, the course and its readings.
Weekly Reflective Blog: These short written assignments allow students to critically reflect on ideas explored in the weekly assigned texts in response to class discussion questions.
Short Paper 1 and 2: These papers allow students to critically analyze the texts covered in the course in comparative perspective.
Midterm and Final Exam: These exams will involve short essays in response to specific questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the key themes of the course.

Assessment criteria

For this course your total numerical score, calculated from the components listed above, correspond to the following letter grades:

A 94 to 100
A- 90 to < 94
B+ 87 to < 90
B 84 to < 87
B- 80 to < 84
C+ 77 to < 80
C 74 to <77
C- 70 to < 74
D+ 67 to < 70
D 65 to < 67
F 0 to < 65

For more information see guide to grades.

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 Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Indigenous Country Pre-Invasion Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 02 The Dreaming: Aboriginal Ownership and Personhood Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 03 Indigenous Space and Navigation: Worlding, Songlines and Contemporary Cultural Practices Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 04 European Cartographic Imagination Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 05 Looking for Terra Australis Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 06 Overland Exploration: Colonial Encounters on Indigenous Country Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 07 European Property and Society: Enlightenment & Imperialism Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 08 Terra Nullius: Law and Colonisation Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 09 Colonial Settlement and Violence Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 10 Aboriginal Challenges to Terra Nullius Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 11 Farming Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 12 Mining and Wilderness Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 13 Climate Crisis and Caring for Country Block teaching (3.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Studying at NYU Sydney is an academically intensive and immersive experience, in which students from a wide range of backgrounds exchange ideas in discussion-based seminars. Learning in such an environment depends on the active participation of all students. And since classes typically meet once or twice a week, even a single absence can cause a student to miss a significant portion of a course. To ensure the integrity of this academic experience, class attendance at NYU Sydney is expected promptly when class begins. Attendance will be checked at each class meeting.

Unexcused absences may be penalized with a two percent deduction from the student’s final course grade for every week's worth of classes missed, and may negatively affect your class participation grade. Four unexcused absences in one course may lead to a Fail in that course. Being more than 15 minutes late counts as an unexcused absence.

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed through NYU Brightspace

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.

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

  • LO1. The history and legacies of colonial conflict over land
  • LO2. The role of different texts in shaping colonial history and culture, including the ways in which Indigenous texts challenge colonial narratives, ideologies and values
  • LO3. The contested knowledge and meanings of place and country expressed through stories, maps, artwork, travel narratives, and naming of places
  • LO4. Differences between colonial and Indigenous principles and practices of ownership
  • LO5. Indigenous contestations of dispossession and defence of culture and land rights
  • LO6. Problems and alternatives in the management of land and resources in history and contemporary society

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

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.