PSY320 Working With Indigenous Australians (8)
CSU Discipline Area: Psychology (PSYCH)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
This subject requires students to spend a minimum of 3 days working in an Indigenous Australian community. During the visits, students will work on projects determined by community members. The subject provides students with first-hand experience of working with Indigenous Australians, and thereby of reconciliation in action. It provides an opportunity for them to apply the knowledge, values and skills acquired from their undergraduate degree. Through first-hand contact, the subject provides students with an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the experiences of Indigenous Australians, contemporary Indigenous communities, and the issues faced by these communities in Australia today. It will provide the opportunity to further develop skills, and increase their cultural sensitivity.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 1 | |
|---|---|
| Distance | Bathurst |
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: PSY320
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Assumed Knowledge:
PSY114 , or IKC101 , or other knowledge, subject to the approval of the subject coordinator
Enrolment restrictions:
Students must be enrolled in a course offered by the Faculty of Arts and should have completed first year. Students will be responsible for their own accommodation and living costs whilst on placement. The number of places available in this subject is limited because it is conditional upon availability in Indigenous communities. It therefore may not be offered every year. Please check availablility with the subject coordinator. A competitive selection process may be used to allocate places where there are more students than available placements.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of working effectively with Indigenous people.
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of cultural protocols when working in Indigenous organisations.
- Be able to apply the above principles in a real-life setting.
- Be able to demonstrate the use of generic skills in working with Indigenous people (e.g. communication skills).
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the issues impacting upon the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous Australians today.
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between these issues and the impact of colonisation and the history of oppression and marginalisation that Indigenous Australians have experienced.
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of their own values and cultural identity.
- Be able to demonstrate critical reflection on the role of psychology in the lives of Indigenous people, both historically and today.
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which psychology can contribute to one of the following:
- Reducing prejudice
- Advocacy
- Policies and projects to improve Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
- Before the visit the Centre for Indigenous Studies will teach:
- 1.The experiences of Indigenous Australians and the past and ongoing impact of colonisation.
- The community will be responsible for providing background knowledge on:
- 1. The history of the country being visited.
- 2. The issues of importance to the community being visited.
- 3. The geography and cultural traditions of the community being visited.
- 4. The relationship between country, community, family and individual social and emotional wellbeing.
- The School of Psychology will be responsible for teaching:
- 1. The application of psychology in the community being visited, especially in regard to one of the following:
- Reducing prejudice
- Advocacy
- Policies and projects to improve Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing
- 2. The role of psychology and psychologists in the lives of Indigenous people, historically and today.
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.