I was pretty disappointed with this class. I really wanted to learn more about the Aboriginal culture, philosophies, and just about the way of life of these people (ie spiritually, family structures, migration, etc.). This class is more centered around how the native people, today, are living in society, and how they combated discrimination throughout their lives. It all really focuses on post-colonial contact.

I found in this course everything I was hoping for. It was presented in an easy to follow format and ran together very well. Being from Canada and having such similar issues with our Indigenous Peoples I wanted to see if your country was the same after being colonized by the British and that has been most definitely confirmed. To see two regions on this Earth of ours and thousands of miles apart it makes one stand up and take notice as to how the Europeans operated and conquered Land and all the vast resources for wealth and power was all it was about. Now the tide has turned and the Authorities can no longer ignore issues as everything going on has worldwide attention and more and more people want to know.

This was an extremely interesting course and brought into focus many things about our first people of which I was only vaguely aware. The readings were well chosen to highlight the various themes and reinforced by the videos which featured pertinent oral history.

Module Six especially made me realise the struggles Indigenous People have suffered. These travails are still happening.

Recently, Rio Tinto destroyed an important First People’s cultural site estimated to be 46,000 years old and then ironically ‘Sorry Day” was celebrated. The view expressed by Jenny Coe Munro was correct - the government talks a good story but nothing changes.

This course gives a very diverse insight in Aboriginal Sydney. I particularly enjoyed the fact that most people speaking in the course are experts by experience, telling their own particular, very interesting stories. The readings support the very diverse range of subjects and were well doable in a week (for me anyway). The assignments made me think about my own environment and its meanings, which made the course very inclusive- it is not only about a far away country and an alien people but can be applied to all of us. I would like to compliment the designers of the course on this specific aspect. Thank you!

As a British citizen who has lived in Sydney for three years, this course was educational, thought provoking and humbling. I am extremely pleased to have had the opportuntity to learn more about the city and country I've decided to make a home in, and now feel like I have a stronger connection to the country and it's people - whichever walk of life they come from. I cannot wait to continue on this journey of discovery and will continue to educate myself on the treatment and experiences of indigenous Australians.

To me, it was short, new but so interesting ! By the way, you should create others MOOCS on the same topic, exploring the different ways of life of the others Aboriginals peoples and Torres Strait Islanders all around Australia and make a real certificate with all the MOOCS completed.

This course provides an introduction to colonial and contemporary issues which Aboriginal Australians face today (visibility, displacement, etc), while providing a view to look at its 60,000 year history afresh. It is intended to provide anyone to consider their First Nations role in shaping their land today. I can see this course being used as a short course before a semester where a student will be working with Indigenous Australians.

Those looking for an introduction to Australian Indigenous culture will be left wanting more, as it doesn't focus on any understanding of even Aboriginal Sydney culture. The reasoning why hidden in the videos and readings is for the student to reach out and speak to Indigenous people (either directly, or via a tour) and to understand them on their terms, but it is not part of the course structure. (I also believe USyd has a series of short videos called the Kinship Module which provide an overview of traditional Aboriginal kinship structures)

This course, developed by the University of Sydney, potentially outstanding and fairly solid in terms of learning design, might be improved in two ways: ensuring that all hyperlinked resources (readings) work and by carefully reviewing the accuracy of some video content that might be considered as inaccurate in relation to some neighbouring Aboriginal Nations.

Readings/links that do not function: Week 1 - NSW Department of Health (2004); Week 2 - Karskeus (2011); Week 3 - Gilbert (1988); Week 4 - Smith (2009) & Stolen Generations Testimonial Foundation (2017); Week 5 - Attenborough (2009) & Troy and Walsh (2009); and Week 6 - Aboriginal Legal Service & Taffe (2014).

Thank you. A very well presented course that opened my eyes to the cultural practices of Aboriginal people in Australia. It was encouraging to see the tenacity and fortitude demonstrated by leaders and I am hopeful that change within government and society is underway.

Not sure I believe a very caucasian looking "aborigine" got picked on in school.

I found the Course invaluable in its teachings and I would recommend the course without hesitation to any person who wanted to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Straight Culture. I can not impress upon you the amount of Knowledge and respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island People I have through doing this course and the assistance and encouragement I was given. This is not the end of my journey but just the beginning. My warmest wishes to everyone who made this course available and thank you again. Anthony Henderson.

This course is essential for understanding the impact of invasion on the Aboriginal peoples of the Sydney region. It provides historical context, describes sites of cultural and spiritual significance, explains the activist movements of the past and those within the arts and community activist organisatons currently. There is a range of interviews, video clips and readings to expand existing knowledge, and plenty more to build upon one's own responsibilities for action to justice. Always was. Always will be.

Exposés très intéressant voire bouleversant apportant paradoxalement une vision de renaissance de ces cultures!!! mais même si c'est probablement représentatif de l'état de la culture Aborigène, il serait intéressant d'avoir une vision plus large des autres régions et cultures Aborigène de tout le continent Australien... a l'image des Natifs Inuit Métis nord Américains …. chaque culture nous enrichi d'une autre vision ....

BR

Pierre

This course is usefully well designed. The learning exercises and assessments are thought provoking and some are eye opening. I very much appreciate the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal cultural competency from people in the community. Also appreciate being able to complete this certificate online, self-paced. Bonus that the certificate is from University of Sydney.

This was an excellent course, easy to study and allowed me to learn more about the Aboriginal people of Sydney since before colonization, their history, their struggles, their achievements with the voice of the Aboriginals themselves and the commitment they have to contemporary Aborigines, his activism and leadership and also has a very good bibliography.

One of the best courses at coursera.Simply awesome.The explanation and the videos were so interesting.This is also a very important course to bring awareness about the plight of Aboriginals and Torres strait Islanders of Australia.This course must be promoted to the highest level and those who have interest in this field must definitely do this course.

I expected just to learn about first nation peoples in Australia, but actually via the assessments I also learnt a great deal about British history, and about new cultures settling in my region of the UK. I found out new information about new settlers and their emerging cultural infrastructure in my town. A very thought provoking course, many thanks.

This is a wonderful course and a valuable catalogue of some incredible knowledge and individuals who have been at the forefront of history and social change. The richness of contemporary aboriginal Sydney has inspired me to explore my local community, its history and history of social change. Thank you for putting this together

This Course was highly enjoyable. The content and the speakers were clear and informative, and the assignments were very relevant. This made me reflect deeply on how important it is for me to become involved in the struggle for rights and recognition of Aboriginal people. Thank you!

I enjoyed every module of this course and would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in first nations people, colonisation and resilience, truth and impacts of generational trauma.

It would be wonderful to see this course for all the states and territories of Australia

Well constructed course with thoughtful lessons and themes. Really enjoyed getting to know more about Sydney, my adopted city, and the incredible history and culture, particularly in my area of the Inner West. Thanks for a great course, will recommend to others!

Loved this course, which I started during its first iteration. Highly recommend for those seeking to understand colonization and indigenous impacts, in Australia but also globally since so many harmful practices were already “perfected” in the Americas.

This was a great course, really valuable, insightful and important. Thanks so much for making this material available, we completed as a group of colleagues and all took a lot from it. I will definitely recommend it to others to complete.

Very interesting approach to examining the urban Aboriginal community with lots of input from people with diverse experience. Focussed but comprehensive; an extensive reading list offers the chance to broaden each module if desired.