Indigenisation of Curricula: Current Teaching Practices in Law

Abstract

In the context of legal education, the Indigenisation of the curriculum is essential in signalling to students that Indigenous-related content and perspectives are important in learning about the law. By integrating Indigenous material throughout the law curriculum, academics can shift the expectations of students and teachers regarding the intellectual boundaries of their fields of study, and challenge them to critique the relationship between the Australian legal system and Indigenous people. These actions can promote curricular justice for Indigenous students, and meet the wider responsibility of educating all students for equity, social justice and anti-racism. In this article, literature pertaining to the Indigenisation of curricula is reviewed. We consider the need to take a whole-of-curriculum approach to the treatment of Indigenous issues, and we examine the value of introducing Indigenous perspectives to unsettle assumptions embedded in the teaching of Anglo-Australian law. The literature review documents current research on the Indigenisation of tertiary curricula, particularly in law. Our analysis focuses on four areas; Indigenous issues, Indigenous perspectives, Indigenous law and Indigenous law students. Following this review, we present the findings of our exploratory study, which investigated the extent to which Indigenous-related content and perspectives are currently incorporated into the Newcastle Law School curriculum. Our study involved interviews with teaching staff, who reflected on the degree to which they deal with Indigenous issues, and the teaching methods used to convey Indigenous-related content. The findings raise some qualitative questions regarding the Indigenisation of curricula. These questions allow us to reflect on our responsibilities as teachers of Indigenous-related material, including the scope we have to make distinctive contributions to the Indigenisation of curricula and the ways by which we can enhance our capacities. As gatekeepers for student learning, we represent the Indigenisation of curricula as a key means of broadening the scope of student enquiry, and reinforcing the centrality of justice in teaching and learning about the law.