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Monday, 15 October 2012

By Aleta Johnston

Gone are the days when a UWA student could go through their whole learning experience without acknowledging they had spent their time on Noongar land and without a basic understanding of the local Indigenous protocols and how Indigenous peoples think and do things.

This year the School of Indigenous Studies (SIS) introduced the first mandatory online unit of its kind in Australia for undergraduate students called Indigenous Studies Essentials (ISE).

ISE was developed by the School to help students meet the requirement of cultural literacy, one of the core principles of the University.

Indigenous Knowledge is also one of our six strategic research areas. SIS Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning, Jeromy Harvey, said the main focus of research is around the development of community-based oral histories and Indigenous stories as well as making a significant contribution to historical research.

“The School strives to give voice to Indigenous peoples’ knowledge, experience and understandings of the world,” he said.

“With ISE we can make sure that all students on campus get at least some exposure to Indigenous protocols. It can also help them in their studies when they read certain Indigenous-related literature, for example, by giving them the background to be able to critically evaluate it based on who is writing it and what authority they have as well as how to go about accessing information that can help.

“ISE starts with a focus on the traditional owners of the Perth area, the Whadjuk Noongar, and then traces broader identities, from the regional to the global. Students are required to reflect on the need to recognise local Indigenous protocols, and to consider that these can vary significantly from place to place.

“Students are directly guided and taught at important points by Whadjuk Noongar Elders and cultural authorities, who provide a Welcome to Country and a language lesson,” Assistant Professor Harvey said.

ISE has already been successfully delivered to more than 5,000 students and has received positive feedback. The latest figures show more than 87 per cent agree that ISE explains the basic principles and protocols of working with Indigenous peoples and communities, and more than 90 per cent agree that ISE provides a helpful introduction to Noongar peoples.

One student wrote: “Really good that this has been made compulsory to new students. I think it’s a really important side of living, studying and working in Australia that is neglected”.

Published in UWA News , 15 October 2012

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