21 February 2012
RMIT boosts Indigenous studies
Students can qualify for an Indigenous Specialisation in an RMIT University initiative marking the start of the academic year.
Associate Professor Barry Judd with Nikki Stephenson, who will be co-teaching the foundation elective.
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Formal recognition is potentially open to all undergraduate students whose degree program allows four electives.
Professor Gill Palmer, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and Vice-President, said electives with Indigenous themes had long been offered at RMIT.
"Now students who complete four Indigenous studies electives will receive formal recognition of the Indigenous Specialisation on their academic transcripts.
"This option will equip students with an understanding of the cultural, historical and contemporary frameworks that have shaped the lives of Indigenous people in Australia and globally.
"The courses span history, cultural diversity, human rights and land management.
"These, in combination with several fieldwork courses, will provide students with the experience and knowledge to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples in culturally appropriate ways."
Associate Professor Barry Judd, who heads the Indigenous Specialisation, said a former elective for social work students had been rewritten as a recommended foundation for the specialisation.
The response had already proven positive, with enrolments doubling from last year to 140.
"This is an initiative primarily geared to the needs of non-Indigenous students at RMIT," he said.
"The aim is to broaden their understanding of Indigenous people and culture in this country and by doing so gain a deeper understanding of their own history.
"The electives will also help students in their working lives – they will be able to participate in policy debates, program development and community engagement in an informed and culturally sensitive manner."
Undergraduate electives
- Indigenous Studies
- Indigenous Peoples and the Environment
- Applied Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
- The Lurujarri Dreaming Trail
- Understanding Diversity and Difference
- Heritage Planning: Indigenous and Post-Colonial
Postgraduate electives
- Applied Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
- Indigenous Land Use
- Legal Clinical Practice
Students are welcome to undertake fewer than four Indigenous electives, but will not qualify for the Indigenous Specialisation.
