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Key facts

UNE unit code: ENSC220

*You are viewing the 2024 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.

Start
  • Trimester 2 - Online
24/7 online support
  • Yes
Intensive schools
  • Yes
Supervised exam
  • No
Credit points
  • 6

Unit information

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This unit introduces you to the Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Australia.

You will start by taking a global perspective, followed by a deep look into Australian Aboriginal teachings and lore, and how it connects to Country (the environment).

You will learn the importance of accepting Indigenous Knowledge, how it can be embedded into Western Science methods and how to utilise both during research projects.

The unit focuses on important skills for your employability as a graduate, including cross-cultural communication, critical thinking and exploring alternative options.

You will keep a Reflective Journal of your personal journey through this unit.

Offerings

For further information about UNE's teaching periods, please go to Principal Dates.

Teaching period
Mode/location
Trimester 2Online

*Offering is subject to availability

Intensive schools

StartFinishDurationAttendanceOfferingsNotes
05 August 202407 August 20243 daysMandatory Intensive SchoolAll offeringsAn Intensive school will be conducted for all students. Activities will include a field trip to Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) near Guyra, NSW where students will gain first hand experience discussing with Local land rangers and Indigenous knowledge holders that currently work alongside ERS staff and students in research. Will also involve a weaving lesson and dancing lesson accompanied by story-telling and why these activities are important in the everyday life of Aboriginal Australian.

Enrolment rules

Pre-requisites
18 cps

Notes

The School of Environmental and Rural Science considers all practical/laboratory/tutorial activities as essential to student learning. Attendance and participation in all practical/laboratory/tutorial classes (sessions) is mandatory - exemptions will not be granted without supporting evidence.

Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.

Unit coordinator(s)

profile photo of Brooke Kennedy
Brooke KennedyLecturer in Anthrozoology and Indigenous Knowledge - School of Environmental and Rural Science

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate an in-depth understanding of how Indigenous Knowledge systems in science can be used for a sustainable environmental future;
  2. analyse and review available information on co-management strategies and the impacts of how these are implemented in practical situation for comprehensive environmental management outcomes; and
  3. exercise critical thinking and judgement in discussing issues related to Australian Aboriginal Peoples and their connection to Country.

Learning resources

Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

Note: Recommended material is held in the University Library — purchase is optional.

Indigenous peoples and the collaborative stewardship of nature: knowledge binds and institutional conflicts.

ISBN: 9781598745788

Anne Ross, Kathleen Pickering Sherman, Jeffrey G Snodgrass, Henry D Delcore, Richard Sherman, Routledge 1st Edition 2016

Note: Involving Indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge into natural resource management produces more equitable and successful outcomes. Unfortunately, argue Anne Ross and co-authors, even many “progressive” methods fail to produce truly equal partnerships. This book offers a comprehensive and global overview of the theoretical, methodological, and practical dimensions of co-management. The authors critically evaluate the range of management options that claim to have integrated Indigenous peoples and knowledge, and then outline an innovative, alternative model of co-management, the Indigenous Stewardship Model. They provide detailed case studies and concrete details for application in a variety of contexts. Broad in coverage and uniting robust theoretical insights with applied detail, this book is ideal for scholars and students as well as for professionals in resource management and policy.

Text refers to: All offerings

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I'm grateful to UNE for the opportunities studying has given me, but above all, for making me realise I could actually do it, and giving me a sense of accomplishment.

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The University of New England respects and acknowledges that its people, courses and facilities are built on land, and surrounded by a sense of belonging, both ancient and contemporary, of the world's oldest living culture. In doing so, UNE values and respects Indigenous knowledge systems as a vital part of the knowledge capital of Australia. We recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of the Aboriginal community and pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future.