OLET2801: Semester 2, 2021

Units OLET2801 Semester 2 2021 [Online]

Unit outline_

OLET2801: Music and Australian Indigenous Identities

Semester 2, 2021 [Online] - Sydney

Overview

This unit of study raises big questions about Australian Indigenous musical culture, including its performativity on the national and global stage. The unit explores: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and dance spectacles at major sporting events (war cries, welcome to country, contemporary 'corroboree'); the ways music signifies identity at various levels; and multiple versions of an iconic songs.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	2
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Students enrolling in this unit of study should be able to distinguish aurally between the melody, harmony, bass and rhythm layers of music, and have a basic knowledge of popular music instrumentation and song structure.
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Myfany Turpin, myfany.turpin@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Skills-based evaluation	Multiple Choice Quiz Mastery assessment.	25%	Week 03 Due date: 25 Aug 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 30 Aug 2021	May be repeated; highest score counted.
Outcomes assessed:
Creative assessment / demonstration	Song lyrics and recording Lyrics and analysis	35%	Week 06 Due date: 16 Sep 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 30 Sep 2021	400 words equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Video essay and presentation Video file with script, presented in class	40%	Week 12 Due date: 04 Nov 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 30 Nov 2021	1,150 words equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Multiple choice quiz, to be taken online. Multiple attempts are possible with highest mark only counted.
Compose song lyrics according to a set model (see description of the assignment in Canvas). Record yourself singing or rhythmically reading the lyric and upload the audio file to the Canvas site.
Working alone or in pairs create a video essay examining an Australian Indigenous music video/s or artist (acccording to set criteria) drawing on analytical codes provided. Present the resulting video in class.

Assessment criteria

Marking rubrics for Assignments 2 and 3 will be provided in the Canvas site.

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.

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 penalties apply. See the Assignments tab in the Canvas site for details.

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Progressive	Module 1. Two distinct Australian Indigenous groups (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander); music and social grouping (from local mob to nation); dance; coevalness (living in the same historical epoch); song-within-a-song; new old ceremonies; healing and recovery	Online class (9 hr)
	Module 2. Four approaches to music change following colonisation: Continuation of existing practices; Adaptation of existing practices; Revival and repatriation of older practices; Experimentation with new styles and genres	Online class (9 hr)
	Module 3. Cultural-textual analysis; Australian Indigenous Identities (Part 1): Expressions of Pride (in community, ‘race’, culture/language and First Nations status); Protest (against the legacy of colonisation and various forms of discrimination, including Aboriginal deaths in custody); Personal stories (experiences such as being part of the Stolen Generations, living in two worlds, connections to culture)	Online class (9 hr)
	Module 4. Australian Indigenous Identities (Part 2): Understandings of Place (incorporating country and custodianship), and exemplary People (heroes).	Online class (9 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned. The Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned may determine that a student fails a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 90%.

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 2 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 40-50 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

TRCMediaStudies, “Text analysis of music videos,” September 11, 2016, video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVeJOuBI72I.

Webb and Bracknell, 2015, “Using my art, using my heart”: A framework for the analysis of Australian Indigenous popular music video for use in formal education. Paper presented at the Indigenous Content in Education Symposium, University of South Australia, Adelaide, 21 September 2015.

Mike Smith, ‘The metaphysics of songlines’, in Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, ed. by Margo Neale, National Museum of Australia Press, Canberra, 2017, pp. 216–21.

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. Distinguish between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musical expressions
LO2. Compare several versions of the same Australian Indigenous song performance and interpret the song’s accumulation of meaning
LO3. Explain how music is used to define social and cultural groups
LO4. Discern unique ways music is capable of providing catharsis in the face of the traumas that have divided Australians ever since colonisation
LO5. Distinguish between intended audiences for particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songs, and determine their intended purposes
LO6. Distinguish between classical (traditional) Indigenous music genres and imported genres

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.

Student questionnaire in CANVAS site

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

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

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