Semester Two. This semester marks a definite shift into another gear. It's clear that our program's development phase has been completed. We're generating and attracting the sort of energy that is not all that common in corporate entities. One of my key concerns has been the recruitment and development of young Indigenous scholars. Policy developments now mean that's going to be a reality. Our curriculum and teaching coach has commenced working with with us to finesse the Australian Indigenous Studies curriculum as well as conducting one on one sessions with staff. My intention here has been to continue to improve without recourse to the thick-headed carrot and stick approaches used elsewhere.
Critical Debates in Indigenous Studies. It's our capstone subject and compulsory for students completing the Australian Indigenous Studies major. The aim is to give students the chance to engage with practitioners working with Indigenous issues in the corporate world, media, health and arts and others. This year we've got 27 students. Many of whom would not have considered an Australian Indigenous Studies major if they had not enrolled in our first year interdisciplinary foundation subject Australian Indigenous Studies. Both of our subjects rank at the top when it comes to student satisfaction.
Aesopic Voices: Reframing Truth through Concealed Ways of Presentation in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries. This edited collection of essays is almost ready for printing. As well as Australian and Australian Indigenous scholars the collection includes essays from scholars from Greece, USSR, United States, France and Germany as well one of the last essays of Professor Greg Dening. The opening sentence of the foreword asks, 'How does one respond, as a humane and critical thinker, when political, social or religious circumstances are hostile to truth and open discussion?' It follows on from a conference I convened with Gert Reifarth in 2008. I'm credited as a co-editor of Aesopic Voices but it's been driven by Gert who's put an in an amazing amount of work with contributors, designers and editors.
Aesop as imagined by Velasquez:
And Gert:
Visitor: Uncle Herb Patten came in to lecture in our first year subject. (Pictured with Odette Kelada and Fran Edmonds before the lecture.)
Afterwards he came back to our offices for a cup of tea with some of the students.
Looking forward to: A trip to Hobart to see Daniel Geale defend his world middleweight boxing title, and wondering about a visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). I’ve heard glowing reports, though I think that it may not be my cup of tea. http://mona.net.au/.
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