Charles Sturt University. PSY114 First Nations Australians and Psychology: An Introduction. Charles Sturt University. http://www.csu.edu.au/handbook/subjects/PSY114.html
ABSTRACT

Overview: This subject provides students with foundational knowledge in Indigenous Australian Studies from which to build their discipline-specific understandings and skills and ability to work effectively in Indigenous contexts. It is constructed within a cultural competence pedagogical framework which enhances the development of student graduate attributes and prepares students for active citizenship and engagement in reconciliation and the achievement of social justice for Indigenous Australians. Students will be exposed to a body of information critiquing the meta-paradigm and methodologies of the discipline of psychology and its historical involvement with Indigenous Australians, and the implications of this for contemporary professional practice.

Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this subject, students will be able to demonstrate:
• knowledge and understanding of the richness and diversity of pre- and post-invasion Indigenous Australian cultures and the continuity and change in aspects of cultures past and present
• knowledge and understanding of the socio-economic and political policies, practices and ideological processes of colonisation and their impact upon the First Nation peoples and cultures of Australia
• understanding of the trans-generational psychological impacts of colonisation on Indigenous peoples and cultures, including the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families, within human rights and social justice frameworks
• critical reflection on the self as an individual and professional, and upon the discipline, including its paradigms, assumptions, methodologies and history of interaction with Indigenous Australian peoples and communities
• knowledge of Indigenous community protocols and the major issues and strategies relevant to working effectively in Indigenous contexts
• knowledge of Indigenous loss and grief models and methodologies
• reflection on the implications of the content covered in this subject for professional practice when working with people from diverse cultures.