Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Communication & Arts School
This course develops knowledge and skills in cross-cultural communication through engagement with contemporary art by Indigenous people of the Australia Pacific region. Students learn how the art expresses Indigenous perspectives in ways that differ to, and often exceed, written communication. Lecture topics introduce the socio-political and cultural context of the modern Indigenous art movement in the region; theoretical approaches to cross-cultural aesthetics; and how Indigenous art has altered art institutions and markets around the world. Arts & Culture Sector professional skills are addressed in lectures and tutorials on understanding Indigenous cultural protocols, First Nations arts networks, and debates related to the Indigenous art industry and market.
The course takes a thematic approach to understanding how the work of First Nations artists from Australia and the Pacific expresses knowledges and socio-cultural, historical and political perspectives of their communities and their individuality. The course begins by reflecting on Indigenous Epistemologies and the positionalities of the voices behind the art as well as those who are the audiences of the art. It brings forth awareness of the role of the cultural standpoint of audiences and viewers when engaging with the art. We consider the Indigenous relationships within art, its contemporary movements to understanding sovereignties, cultural and global sustainability. Students consider the roots of cultural traditions sometimes spanning 40, 000 years and how artworks look to the future. One case study will consider the origins of modern art movements in the 1980s Desert Painting from Central Australia. We will also be looking at cultural tattoos and its use of motifs to engage between sacred knowledges and open knowledges. Artworks from regional and urban areas are studied, across a diversity of media and styles.
The course involves numerous visits to galleries and guest lecturers.
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course does not assume that students have any background in Art History or Indigenous Studies, but that they have completed at least one semester of University study.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
4 units of BA courses
Restrictions
Course offering may be cancelled unless a minimum of 20 students enrol
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Ms Dorell Ben
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Class Allocation
Whilst every effort is made to place students in their preferred activity, it is not always possible for a student to be enrolled in their tutorial of choice. If you require assistance, please ensure that you email timetabling.commarts@enquire.uq.edu.au from your UQ student email with:
- Your name
- Your student ID
- The course code
- A list of three tutorial preferences (in order of preference)
- Reason for the change – e.g. timetable clash, elite athlete status, SAP
Teaching staff do not have access to change tutorials or help with timetables; all timetabling changes must be processed through the Timetabling Team.
Aims and outcomes
The course in Australia PacificﾠIndigenous Art has three main aims:
- Familiarise students with the most significant concepts that Australian and Pacific indigenous peoples have expressed inﾠtheir contemporary artﾠ
- Provide students with a basic geographical and historical framework for the study of indigenous visual arts in the Australia Pacific regions.
- Assist students in developing ideas about how Australian Indigenous visual arts contribute to cross-cultural discourse,ﾠdecolonisation, reconciliation, social justice and human rights, the discipline of art history, and public and private art museums and industry practice
- Provide students with skills in ethical and cultural protocol approaches to cross-culturalism in arts discourse and the arts industry
- Provide students with skill in exhibition literacyﾠ and curatorship
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Apply a broad understanding of historical, geographical, cultural and socio-political contexts to Australian and Pacific Indigenous Arts
LO2.
Develop cross-cultural and global awareness that upholds indigenous cultural protocols and perspectives
LO3.
Articulate key ideas and themes about Australia Pacific indigenous arts in written and oral formats
LO4.
Conduct useful, relevant and innovative research in critical discourse about Australia Pacific indigenous arts for the discipline of art history and the arts industry
LO5.
Develop skills in exhibition literacy and curatorial development
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution, Reflection, Tutorial/ Problem Set |
Tutorial Assessment
|
20% 20 marks |
4/08/2025 - 20/10/2025
Each submission is due at the end of each tutorial. |
| Essay/ Critique | Research Essay | 40% 40 marks |
19/09/2025 4:00 pm
Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard |
| Creative Production/ Exhibition | Exhibition Proposal | 40% 2000 words |
10/11/2025 4:00 pm
Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Tutorial Assessment
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution, Reflection, Tutorial/ Problem Set
- Weight
- 20% 20 marks
- Due date
4/08/2025 - 20/10/2025
Each submission is due at the end of each tutorial.
- Other conditions
- Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
From Weeks 2 to 12 you will be given 2 marks (equals 2 percentage points) for each week that you:
Complete a writing task which is a response to a question based on that week's readings or lecture.
10 worksheets with short questions on aspects of the lecture and readings will be distributed at the beginning of tutorials across the semester. The worksheets with be completed individually during the tutorial and handed in at the end of class. Worksheets are graded as pass/fail. Hurdle requirement: a minimum of 6 of the 10 worksheets must be completed over the course of the semester in order to pass the course overall.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
Students must pass 6 out of 10 worksheets across the semester in order to pass the course. Students who fail to pass the 6 worksheets threshold will receive a (maximum) final grade of 3 for the entire course, regardless of performance in other assessment items.Submission guidelines
Submit your response to the weekly worksheet to tutor/lecturer at the end of each tutorial.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
This assessment task is to be completed in person. Students are NOT able to apply for an extension via the Unitask portal for this assessment item. If you are unable to come to class and need an extension for legitimate reasons, please contact your course coordinator and attach relevant documentation. Once the extension request is approved, the missed worksheet can be completed in class the week after the original due date.
Research Essay
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40% 40 marks
- Due date
19/09/2025 4:00 pm
Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Students must write one research essay of 2000 words on any one of the following questions:
1. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of artists, researchers, and institutions when engaging with Indigenous cultures and knowledge system through art.
Consider oral histories, land-based knowledge, and worldviews of Indigenous arts and use examples to illustrate how these carry meanings between artists, cultures and audiences. Reflect on the balance between innovation, protocols, cultural authorities and shared access especially in contemporary or globalised art contexts.
2. Examine how cultural narrative forms are reimagined in contemporary Indigenous art to address present-day struggles, identities, climate or land justice.
Consider the different ways Indigenous artists assert presence, modes of truth and cultural survival through art. How does visual language critique, protest or heal in response to systems. Reflect on the power dynamics of the (in)visible, heard or archived.
3. Discuss ways Indigenous art function as a sovereign archive of knowledge that resists, defines, interprets and transmits Indigenous cultures art histories – outside a museum or colonial frameworks.
Focus on how sovereignty is expressed not just through politics, but through visual, spiritual, and ancestral continuities in art. Reflect on the disruptions Indigenous art presents to linear timelines. Consider how motifs, methods, meanings are historical, embodied and evolving.
This essay should have a minimum of 8 references.
Word count does not include references or footnotes.
Use Chicago Style - footnotes and bibliography.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Please submit through TurnItIn as a Word doc only.
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial.
When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can:
- View the name of the submitted file
- View date and time of the upload
- Resubmit your paper (if necessary)
- Download your submitted paper
- Download digital receipt.
If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached.
Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Exhibition Proposal
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition
- Weight
- 40% 2000 words
- Due date
10/11/2025 4:00 pm
Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
ARTT2103 Exhibition Proposal Assessment Semester 2 2025
The exhibition proposal assignment requires you to apply the knowledge about Australia Pacific Indigenous art gained in the course to your own creative thinking and research contributions towards what you think may interest particular audiences in the context of an exhibition.
Exhibitions are the key platform of access and communication between artists and audiences. The curator’s role is to generate an engaging curatorial narrative that allows the art to be expansive in its expression and meaning whilst still giving audiences guidelines for how to engage with, and think critically about, the art.
In this assignment you are required to develop an exhibition proposal of 20 artworks that explore themes and ideas related to Australia Pacific Indigenous arts and culture. Your proposal will explain the key theme underpinning the curatorial narrative and why it is both significant and innovative in terms of audience engagement and art historical value. You will write an expanded label text of 50 words for 4 of your 20 selected artworks explaining how they contribute to the overall narrative of the exhibition. The proposal will also include a bibliography, rough floor plan, list of works, and exhibition title that all build on your research behind development of the proposal.
WORD COUNT: 2000. Bibliography is not included in word count.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial.
When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can:
- View the name of the submitted file
- View date and time of the upload
- Resubmit your paper (if necessary)
- Download your submitted paper
- Download digital receipt.
If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached.
Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
- Final grades will be determined by the aggregate of assessment marks and will be awarded in the form of 7 (85% +); 6 (75% - 84%); 5 (65% - 74%); 4 (50% - 64%), 3 (45% - 49%); 2 (25% - 44%); 1 (1% - 24%)
- Where fractional marks occur in the calculation of the final grade, a mark of x.5% or greater will be rounded up to (x+1)%. A percentage mark of less than x.5% will be rounded down to x%.ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
TurnItIn Receipts:
- Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and usingﾠTurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory onlineﾠAcademic Integrity Tutorial.
- When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can:
- View the name of the submitted file
- View date and time of the upload
- Resubmit your paper (if necessary)
- Download your submitted paper
- Download digital receipt.
- If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).
- If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).ﾠ
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached.
- Please visit this webpage for further advice onﾠhow to submit your TurnItIn assignment.
Marks Cannot Be Changed After Being Released:
Marks are not open to negotiation with course staff. If you wish to discuss the feedback you have received, you should make an appointment to speak with the Course Coordinator.
Assessment Re-mark:ﾠ
For information on requesting an assessment re-mark, please view the following page on my.UQ:ﾠhttps://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/academic-progress-and-final-results/querying-result.
Deferred Examinations (if applicable):ﾠ
The University recognises that on occasion a medical condition or other exceptional circumstances may impair your ability to attend an examination at the scheduled date and time. Depending on the circumstances, you may be eligible for a deferred examination, and be permitted to sit your in semester or end of semester examinations at a later scheduled time. For information for eligibility and application instructions please view the following page on myUQ:ﾠhttps://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/deferring-exam.
Integrity Pledge
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin. Before submitting any assignments for this course, you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
Withholding marks prior to finalisation of grades
Per ﾠthe Assessment Judgements section of the Assessment Procedures:
Results for all summative assessment items are to be made available to individual students through the eLearning Management System on completion of marking, with the exception of the final assessment item which is to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (28 Jul - 03 Aug) |
Lecture |
Week 1: COURSE OVERVIEW and INTRODUCTORY LECTURE Course Overview: Rationale, Schedule & Assessment Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Tutorial |
NO TUTORIALS THIS WEEK |
|
Week 2 (04 Aug - 10 Aug) |
Lecture |
Week 2 Lecture: ART and SELF-DETERMINATION LECTURE: This week we consider how cultural and political self-determination are key drivers of the contemporary Australia Pacific art movement for First Nations people. We explore Indigenous epistemologies, ontologies, and different Indigenous worldviews. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 2 Tutorial: ART and SELF-DETERMINATION Workshop and discussion IN TUTORIAL ROOM about understanding and applying Indigenous Standpoint Theory to principles of self-determination driving contemporary art of Australia Pacific peoples. We discuss the importance and significance of worldviews. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
|
Week 3 (11 Aug - 17 Aug) |
Lecture |
Week 3 Lecture: DESERT PAINTING ICONOGRAPHY LECTURE: This week we consider the case study of how the Central Australian desert painting movement impacts on art history's concepts of iconography. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Week 3: No tutorials EKKA No tutorials - Royal Queensland Show Holiday (Brisbane Region – St Lucia, Dutton Park and Herston campuses closed) – EKKA |
|
Week 4 (18 Aug - 24 Aug) |
Lecture |
Week 4 Lecture: INDIGENOUS RELATIONSHIPS This week's topic builds on Indigenous worldviews with Indigenous philosophies, responses in contemporary movements, oral literacies, and disruptions. We focus on the types of Indigenous relationships around communities and people. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Week 4 Tutorial: INDIGENOUS RELATIONSHIPS Student will meet at QAGOMA for discussion on art and exhibition to explore and understand Indigenous relationships through and with art.
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Week 5 (25 Aug - 31 Aug) |
Lecture |
Week 5 Lecture: CULTURAL MOTIFS This week we consider cultural motifs especially within Pacific tattooing and its significances to story sovereignties, body sovereignties and data sovereignties. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Tutorial |
Week 5 Tutorial: CULTURAL MOTIFS Tutorials held in TUTORIAL CLASS ROOM for discussion of cultural tattoo motifs. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 6 (01 Sep - 07 Sep) |
Lecture |
Week 6 Lecture: INDIGENOUS ART & ACTIVISM LECTURE: This week we will delve into Indigenous Activism across Australia and the Pacific regions, focusing on the way art is used to activate spaces for expression and reclamation. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Tutorial |
Week 6 Tutorial: INDIGENOUS ART & ACTIVISM Students will meet for a discussion on this topic in their NORMAL TUTORIAL ROOMS. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
|
Week 7 (08 Sep - 14 Sep) |
Lecture |
Week 7 Lecture: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS HISTORIES LECTURE: This week we explore the way art is used to reclaim Indigenous histories Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Tutorial |
Week 7 Tutorial: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS HISTORIES Tutorials will be on topic for the week. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 8 (15 Sep - 21 Sep) |
Lecture |
Week 8 Lecture: ART & ANTHROPOLOGY LECTURE: This week we will have a guest lecturer, Dr. Agapetos Aia-Fa'aleava, to consider Indigenous perspectives of academic disciplines of art history and anthropology - how do they differ - how do they overlap? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Week 8 Tutorial: Exhibition viewing @ UQ Anthropology Museum Students will meet for this tutorial in the UQ Anthropology Museum on the 1st floor of the Michie Building to discuss the current exhibition and this week's topic. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
|
Week 9 (22 Sep - 28 Sep) |
Lecture |
Week 9 Lecture: EXHIBITIONS & CULTURAL NETWORKS LECTURE: This week we view various exhibitions at the University of Queensland Museum to develop skills in visual analysis of Indigenous artworks and exhibition literacy. The viewing will occur during students' normal tutorial time. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Week 9 Tutorial: Exhibition viewing at UQM Today's tutorial will be held at the University of Queensland Art Museum for exhibition viewing of "to come together as water" at your normal tutorial time. Please meet at the entrance of UQAM. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
|
Mid Sem break (29 Sep - 05 Oct) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID SEMESTER BREAK: NO CLASSES THIS WEEK |
Week 10 (06 Oct - 12 Oct) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
WEEK 10: No lecture public holiday King's Birthday Public Holiday |
Tutorial |
Week 10 Tutorial: INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES ON CURATING Students will meet at the entrance of UQAM to have a class in Yuriyal Bridgeman's installation SUNA. We will have a guest curator to talk about SUNA - Jocelyn Flynn. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Week 11 (13 Oct - 19 Oct) |
Lecture |
Week 11 Lecture: FIBRE ART ENGAGING AUDIENCES LECTURE: This week we engage with a variety of fibres within art and art practices. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Tutorial |
Week 11 Tutorial: Fibre Art Engaging Audiences TUTORIAL: Students will meet to discuss this week's topic. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 12 (20 Oct - 26 Oct) |
Lecture |
Week 12 Lecture: EXHIBITIONS AND CULTURAL SEASONS We will focus on ideas of Indigenous cultural seasons and exhibitions related to these. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Tutorial |
Week 12 Tutorial: EXHIBITIONS AND CULTURAL SEASONS Students will meet in their NORMAL TUTORIAL rooms to discuss this week's topic and its relevance to the final assessment. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Week 13 (27 Oct - 02 Nov) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
WEEK 13: NO CLASSES - INDEPENDENT STUDY There are no classes as students pursue their research for the final assessment task. |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
Course guidelines
Communication Expectations
While you are a student at UQ, all communication must be conducted according to the UQ Student Code of Conduct. The UQ Library has a helpful Communicate and collaborate online module.
- Email is the primary way for you to send messages to, and receive information from, the School and our staff.
- You must use your UQ email address (not a private address) to communicate with staff.
- You should add a clear subject line, including course code, and a 2-3 word statement.
- You can send email at any time, however, please do not expect responses outside normal working hours (Monday to Friday from ~8am to ~5pm).
- Emails that constitute bullying, harassment or discrimination against staff contravene the Student Code of Conduct. Emails like this will be reported to the University, and the matter will be pursued as misconduct.