Courses and subjects

The ethos of Charles Sturt University (the University) is clearly described by the Wiradjuri phrase 'yindyamarra winhanga-nha' - 'The wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in'. If our graduates are to embrace this ethos in their personal and professional lives they need: understandings of their cultural and historical standpoints, skills and attributes of Indigenous cultural competency, professional skills specific to their disciplines which can be derived from high quality, culturally inclusive, professional education.

Charles Sturt University has a strong policy framework governing school and faculty responsibility for the inclusion of Indigenous Australian content and subjects in all courses.

Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage

Join in the process of reconciliation and help build capacity in the Wiradjuri community. The Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage from Charles Sturt University introduces you to the Wiradjuri language and develops your capacity to make a positive contribution working in and supporting Indigenous communities.

Apply for this program

Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Competency

Are you are a professional who works with Indigenous communities? Do you contribute to issues impacting Indigenous Australians? Or do you want a greater understanding of your role working with Indigenous Australians so you can create positive change? If so, the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Competency from Charles Sturt University is for you.

Apply for this program

Indigenous Australian Studies Subjects

Content that is developed and taught by the School of Indigenous Australian Studies. Subjects in this category hold an IKC subject code, for example:

Compulsory foundations subjects in Charles Sturt undergraduate courses:

• IKC101 First Nations Foundations: Knowing, Relating and Understanding Country
• IKC100 Indigenous Australian Health

Other subjects include:

• IKC200 Contemporary Indigenous Australian Realities
• IKC301 Wiradjuri Language
• IKC404 Critical Studies: Indigenous Australians and the Politics of Control
• IKC406 Indigenous Social Work Policy and Practice

Discipline-specific Indigenous Australian Studies subjects

Subjects and/or content in courses developed and taught by other Schools across the three faculties of Charles Sturt.

There are three sub-categories for this classification:

• Stand-alone subject in any discipline that includes Indigenous Australian content in every topic/module/assessment task; and/or,
• An integrated or sequenced module of three to four assessable Indigenous Australian studies topics; and,
• Integrated Indigenous Australian Studies content across a course to scaffold learning from foundation to capstone and mapped against the Indigenous Graduate Learning Outcome. It is preferable for this integrated content to be assessable.

Subjects:

• EEB206 Indigenous Education for Social Justice
• ENM163 Natural Resources Management
• PHS309 Paediatric Physiotherapy Practice
• SPA215 GIS 1: Geographic Information Science Foundations
• SCI201 Science in Modern Society
• WEL429 Indigenous Australian Practice for Human Services Workers

Hybrid Indigenous Australian Studies subjects

Subjects that are co-developed and co-taught by the School of Indigenous Australian Studies and the convening discipline School. Indigenous Australian content is incorporated into every topic/module/ assessment task.

• EEB435 Indigenous Australian Studies for Teachers
• ENM111 Indigenous Environmental Studies
• HLT517 Indigenous Perspectives on Health and Wellbeing
• JST123 Indigenous Australians and Justice: An Introduction

The Indigenous Board of Studies (IBS) is a sub-committee of the University Courses Committee and is chaired by Associate Professor Jay Phillips. Board membership includes representatives from each of Charles Sturt’s faculties, the School of Indigenous Australian Studies, and the Division of Learning and Teaching.

The IBS is the governance mechanism for quality assurance, course endorsement of Indigenous Graduate Learning Outcome (GLO) integration, and subjects approval as aligned with the Indigenous Australian Content in Courses and Subjects Policy.

All IBS documents can be found on the Office of Governance and Corporate Administration (OCGA) website and includes committee agenda and minutes, submission templates, and the 2021 Annual Report. This report provides detail about the achievements of Charles Sturt in integrating the Indigenous GLO and subject approvals as outlined in the Indigenous Content policy in relation to undergraduate programs: 96% inclusion of compulsory Indigenous Australian Studies core subject; 93% Indigenous GLO endorsed or in-progress; and 96% compliance with the Indigenous content policy or in-progress.

From 2021 this policy also applies to post-graduate coursework programs.