UnitLevel 2Undergraduate

ATS2019 Beyond 'Primitive' Art: Understanding meaning and symbolism in Indigenous art

Faculty of Arts

ATS2019 Beyond 'Primitive' Art: Understanding meaning and symbolism in Indigenous art is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts. It isn't offered in 2026. It has no prerequisites.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2026
Not offered
Assessment
No exam
4 tasks
Workload
144 hours
per semester

This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.

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Requisites

Before ATS2019

No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.

After ATS2019

No unit lists ATS2019 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.

Enrolment rules

Prohibition: ATS3019, ATS2366, ATS3366

Prerequisite: Twelve credit points of first-year Arts units.

Overview

Indigenous 'art' is a highly visible and recognizable symbol of peoples' engagement with their cultural identity, history and traditions. In this unit, students examine early and recent forms of Indigenous visual traditions (e.g. rock-art, bark paintings, sculpture) to learn about their role and significance in Indigenous societies. Topics to be discussed include art's relationship to landscapes and seascapes, issues of interpretation, and how art reflects interaction with the 'other'. The unit combines anthropological, archaeological, and Indigenous approaches to understanding the production, meaning and symbolism associated with various images and objects created through time.

Offerings in 2026

The 2026 handbook lists no offerings for ATS2019.

Assessment

  • EssayWritten
    25%
  • EssayWritten
    30%
  • Exercise
    5%
  • EssayWritten
    40%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    Develop an appreciation and understanding of the cultural heritage value of Indigenous art in a global sense;

  2. 2

    Demonstrate sound knowledge of the major forms of Indigenous art, their antiquity and their social function;

  3. 3

    Demonstrate an awareness for how different forms of art act(ed) to construct and/or reinforce Indigenous identity;

  4. 4

    Compare, contrast, and critically analyse key interpretive frameworks and techniques through which Indigenous art is (and has been) perceived;

  5. 5

    Discuss and comprehend the changes to Indigenous artistic traditions that occurred through contact with the 'other' (e.g. Europeans, Macassans);

  6. 6

    Demonstrate an understanding of the historical development and social context of major Indigenous artistic traditions.

Workload and teaching

  • Lectures12 hours
  • Tutorials24 hours
  • Teaching approachActive learning

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Where it fits

ATS2019 is part of 4 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.

Contacts

Unit Coordinators
Associate Professor Liam Brady
Chief Examiners
Associate Professor Liam Brady

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for ATS2019?

ATS2019 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.

When is ATS2019 offered?

ATS2019 has no offerings listed in the 2026 handbook.

How much work is ATS2019?

The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.

Does ATS2019 have an exam?

No. ATS2019 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.

Which majors and minors include ATS2019?

ATS2019 is part of Archaeology and ancient history; and Indigenous studies.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
2
Study level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Arts
Organisational unit
Archaeology and Ancient History
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 4
Study abroad
Available