Indigenous and Australian Studies

Choose a major in Indigenous and Australian Studies

Understand the collective future for all Australians.

The Indigenous and Australian Studies major will cover movements such as Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous human rights, self-determination and Indigenous futures. This will contribute to broader understandings of political and social policy within Australia (Closing the Gap 2019) and Indigenous communities self-determination to redress inequality.

Using Indigenous led creative/scholarly teaching and learning, (visual arts, poetics, Indigenous literatures, spoken word, performance, song, exhibition, curation), will locate Indigenous well-being and Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, as central to any decolonising processes. The major can contribute to creative decolonising knowledge production, critical thinking, having the potential to transform and reform relationships within settler-state institutions through informed graduates.

Why study Indigenous and Australian Studies?

Gain a thorough grounding in historical and contemporary issues and debates in Indigenous and Australian Studies
Connect across boundaries and value ethical behavior through a cross-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary understanding of Indigenous cultures and Australian society
Graduate with a critical understanding of the various ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders identities are formed and represented within Australia
Critically examine ideas of representation, power and privilege through key sites of knowledge production, including social and cultural institutions in Australia

What you will study

Indigenous culture, languages, politics, archaeology and art
Reconciliation and Indigenous knowledges
Indigenous women's voices
Indigenous environmental management
Indigenous and settler relations in Australian history

Add Indigenous and Australian Studies to your degree

Bachelor of Applied Geographical Information Systems

Bachelor of Arts and Science

Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)

Bachelor of Education (Primary R-7), Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts (Enhanced Program for High Achievers)

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Primary R-7)

How many topics will you study?

A major in Indigenous and Australian Studies is made up of 36 units, including:

two Year 1 topics (9 units)
two Year 2 topics (9 units)
two Year 3 topics (9 units)
plus two additional topics (9 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topics.

Indigenous and Australian Studies can also be taken as a minor. Your 22.5 units will include:

two Year 1 topics (9 units)
two Year 2 topics (9 units)
plus an additional topic (4.5 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topics.

You can complete an extended major in Indigenous and Australian Studies by completing the prescribed major topics (36 units), plus two additional topics (9 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topics. An extended major in Indigenous and Australian Studies is not available if you’re studying the Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts.

Add a year of Honours

Kickstart your career or future in research with one extra year.

By adding just one year full-time to your undergraduate degree, you can graduate with Honours. Enhance your career prospects, delve deeper into knowledge or launch yourself into the world of research.

Explore your honours year

Your career

You'll be able to apply your understanding of the world to open up opportunities in a broad range of industries that value critical and ethical thinking, effective communication and strong research skills. These transferrable skills are valued all around the world and are emerging as highly desirable in the ever-changing the nature of global workforces.

Potential occupations include: