Reflections on Teaching a First-Year Indigenous Australian Studies Subject

Robyn Heckenberg and Andrew Gunstone team taught a first-year subject in Indigenous Australian Studies at Monash University for eight years. The significant majority of students undertaking this subject are non-Indigenous students who are studying the subject as an elective rather than as part of an Indigenous Studies course. In this paper, we discuss our experiences and reflections in teaching this subject, including our teaching philosophies and approaches, the various successes and challenges that we have encountered, and our views of the usefulness and potential of this subject in preparing students to genuinely work and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.