Overview
In exploring the foundations of First Nations peoples and community wellbeing in Public Health, you will examine how colonisation, cultural disruption, and resilience shape health outcomes today. You will learn about cultural determinants of health and develop skills in cultural safety, cross-cultural relationships, and systems thinking. Through case studies, adapted yarning circles, and immersive learning activities, you will reflect, connect, and apply your knowledge in meaningful ways.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Course Plan
No changes needed.
This unit will no longer be offered to students, and no changes will be made.
- Assess the ongoing impacts of colonisation for First Nations peoples, including cultural disruption, resilience and integration
- Analyse community and institutional strategies and resources that enable cultural integration and support cultural safety in public health
- Examine personal assumptions and biases in relation to colonisation, cultural disruption and resilience, including your own positioning in cross-cultural contexts
- Evaluate how relational accountability and systems thinking contribute to developing and maintaining respectful cross-cultural relationships.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Presentation - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Computer - ability to access study materials, access Zoom application for meetings and view instructional videos.
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.sorby@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Country, Culture and Positionality
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Culture, History and Contemporary Realities
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Relational Practice, Cultural Humility and Ethical Accountability
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Country, Communication and Community-led Practice
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Assessment 1
Positionality Reflection Due: Week 4 Friday (3 Apr 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Colonisation, Racism and Intergenerational Trauma
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Cultural Safety, Trauma-Aware Practice and Working with Social and Emotional Wellbeing
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Vacation
Chapter
No Class
Events and Submissions/Topic
NIL
Module/Topic
Ethical Community Engagement, Relational Accountability and Working with Elders
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Decolonising Public Health Systems, Sovereignty and Systemic Transformation
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Assessment 2
Cross-Cultural Public Health Analysis Due: Week 8 Friday (8 May 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Strengths-Based Practice, Community Control and Aboriginal Public Health Innovation
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Cultural Evidence, Ethical Evaluation and Governance
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Indigenous Futures, Community-Led Innovation and Systems Transformation
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Module/Topic
Integration and Consolidation
Chapter
Check Moodle for reading materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture
Tutorial
Assessment 3
Culturally Responsive Public Health Poster and Commentary Due: Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
This assessment invites you to reflect on who you are in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, and wellbeing. Before you can work effectively in cross-cultural public health settings, it is important to understand your own cultural lens, the assumptions you bring, the histories that have shaped you, and the responsibilities you carry.
Over Weeks 1–3, you will explore positionality, identity, colonisation, and relational accountability through lectures, readings, discussions, and yarning activities. This assessment builds directly from those experiences.
For this assessment, you will write a 1000-word reflective piece that examines your positionality in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, and wellbeing. You are asked to reflect on how your background, worldview, experiences, and assumptions shape the way you understand colonisation, cultural disruption, resilience, and cross-cultural public health practice. Your response must be grounded in your own experiences and class engagement. To complete the task, you must draw on:
· Your Week 1 Activity (completed in the Week 1 tutorial)
· at least one tutorial activity (e.g., yarning, identity activity, reflective prompt discussions)
· at least six required references
· Ideas from Weeks 1–3 lectures
This assessment helps you identify your own assumptions and potential blind spots early in the study period so you can engage more respectfully, ethically, and confidently in the rest of the course.
Your Positionality Reflection Assessment Must Include:
1. Introduction (100 words)
2. My Positionality and Identity (Approx. 200 words)
Using your Week 1 Activity responses, describe key aspects of your identity, cultural background, worldview, family story, values, and experiences that shape how you see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing.
Suggested prompts:
What cultural influences or life experiences shape your worldview?
What parts of your identity feel most relevant to this work?
How does your positionality influence how you understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities?
2. My Understanding of the Ongoing Impacts of Colonisation (Approx. 200 words)
Draw on Weeks 1–3 lecture content and at least one required reading. Briefly describe what you currently understand about colonisation and its ongoing impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, and wellbeing.
Suggested prompts:
What have you learned about how colonisation continues to shape health and community outcomes?
What ideas challenged or shifted your previous understanding?
3. My Assumptions, Biases, and Blind Spots (Approx. 200 words)
Refer to at least one tutorial or yarning activity from Weeks 1–3. Reflect on what you discovered about your own assumptions or biases.
Suggested prompts:
What assumptions or gaps were revealed to you?
Which tutorial/yarning activity helped you recognise them?
Did anything surprise, unsettle, or shift your thinking?
4. Implications for My Professional Practice (Approx. 200 words)
Explain how your positionality, assumptions, and learning so far shape your responsibilities and actions in cross-cultural public health practice.
Suggested prompts:
How does your positionality influence your approach to future work?
What does cultural humility mean for you?
What commitments will you make going forward?
Conclusion (100 words)
Reference List (APA 7th ed.)
List all readings, lecture materials (if cited), and any other sources used. This section is not included in the word count.
Level of GenAI use allowed on Assessments 1: Level 1 NO AI. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Week 4 Friday (3 Apr 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Please submit your assessment before due date/time via Moodle
Week 6 Friday (17 Apr 2026)
Feedback provided
This Positionality Reflection will be marked against the following criteria:
1. Critical Reflection on Positionality and Identity
2. Understanding of the Ongoing Impacts of Colonisation
3. Identification and Analysis of Assumptions, Biases and Blind spots
4. Implications for Future Cross-Cultural Practice
5. Substantiating Evidence through Literature
6. Structure, Clarity, Academic Writing and APA 7th ed. referencing
- Assess the ongoing impacts of colonisation for First Nations peoples, including cultural disruption, resilience and integration
- Examine personal assumptions and biases in relation to colonisation, cultural disruption and resilience, including your own positioning in cross-cultural contexts
- Evaluate how relational accountability and systems thinking contribute to developing and maintaining respectful cross-cultural relationships.
2 Written Assessment
In this assessment, you will apply what you have learned about cross-cultural engagement, relational ethics, and community-led public health practice to a realistic First Nations public health scenario. You will choose one of the three case scenarios below from the week 4 activity and write a structured analytical essay. This task develops your ability to apply relational, ethical, and culturally responsive public health principles to a realistic situation. You will analyse your chosen scenario, identify key cultural and relational issues, evaluate the practitioner’s (your) approach, and propose culturally safe, community-led strategies grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worldviews. This assessment builds on your self-awareness and positionality work from Assessment 1 and prepares you for the knowledge translation focus in Assessment 3.
Case Scenario 1 - Rapid fire questioning in practice
Case Scenario 2 - Story versus task
Case Scenario 3 - Silence misunderstood
You will write a 2000 word analytical response to an Assessment 2 Case Scenario. Your analysis must address the following sections:
1. Introduction (200 words)
2. Identify the Key Issues in the Scenario. Describe and analyse the cultural, relational, ethical, communication, governance, or community engagement issues present in the scenario. (300 words)
Possible prompts:
What is happening in this situation, and why does it matter?
What cultural protocols, community dynamics, or relational factors are at play?
What are the implications for trust, safety, and wellbeing?
3. Evaluate the Practitioner’s Approach. Identify what the practitioner did well and where issues emerged. (300 words)
Possible prompts:
Where were strengths or respectful actions shown?
Where did the practitioner miss key relational or cultural cues?
How did their approach impact the community or individuals involved?
4. Apply Course Concepts (Weeks 4–7) (400 words)
Use ideas from readings, lectures, tutorials, and yarning activities to analyse the scenario.
You must use at least 3 readings and 2 tutorial/yarning activities from Weeks 4–7.
Possible concepts to draw on:
Relational accountability
Community-led public health principles
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance models
Strengths-based practice
Ethical practice frameworks
Deep listening (Dadirri)
Protocols for engagement with Elders and communities
Cultural communication principles
5. Consider Your Own Positionality. Briefly integrate how your own worldview, background, values, and prior learning shape how you understand this scenario. You may refer to your Assessment 1 Positionality Reflection. (200 words)
Possible prompts:
How does your positionality influence the way you interpret this situation?
Are there assumptions, biases, or blind spots you must be aware of?
6. Propose Culturally Safe, Community-Led Strategies. Suggest actions the practitioner or organisation should take next that align with Indigenous worldviews, relational ethics, and community leadership. (400 words)
Possible prompts:
What strategies would prioritise self-determination and community voice?
How can relational trust be repaired or strengthened?
What would a culturally safe response look like?
How can the practitioner apply values such as respect, accountability, reciprocity, and humility?
Required Inclusions
7. Conclusion (2000 words)
To meet the assessment requirements, you must include:
At least 3 course readings (Weeks 4–7)
At least 2 tutorial or yarning activities
Lecture content from Weeks 4–7
A brief reference to your positionality (Assessment 1)
Analysis of the provided scenario
APA 7 ed. referencing
Level of GenAI use allowed on Assessments 2: Level 2 AI Planning. You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 8 Friday (8 May 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Please submit your assessment before due date/time via Moodle
Week 10 Friday (22 May 2026)
Feedback provided
This Cross-Cultural Public Health Analysis will be marked against the following criteria:
1. Identification and Analysis of Key Issues in the Scenario
2. Evaluation of Practitioner’s Approach
3. Application of Course Concepts
4. Substantiating Evidence Through Literature
5. Integration of Positionality
6. Culturally Safe and Community-Led Strategies
7. Academic Writing, Structure and APA 7th ed. Referencing
- Assess the ongoing impacts of colonisation for First Nations peoples, including cultural disruption, resilience and integration
- Analyse community and institutional strategies and resources that enable cultural integration and support cultural safety in public health
- Evaluate how relational accountability and systems thinking contribute to developing and maintaining respectful cross-cultural relationships.
3 Presentation
Effective public health practitioners need to communicate complex ideas clearly, think innovatively, and work collaboratively. This task gives you a chance to apply what you’ve learned to design culturally safe, forward-thinking health strategies. Assessment 3 is your opportunity to communicate a key public health message in a culturally respectful, accessible, and visually engaging way. For this assessment, you will create a public health poster that communicates a culturally respectful message related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, health, or community engagement. You will also write a commentary (1000 words) explaining the cultural, ethical, relational, and design decisions behind your poster.
This task gives you the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the course, especially from Weeks 8–11, to produce culturally grounded, strengths-based communication.
Part 1: Poster (Visual Artefact)
Your poster must:
- Communicate one clear public health message for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, or practitioners
- Align with principles of cultural safety and relational accountability
- Be grounded in Indigenous worldviews and community-led perspectives
- Be visually engaging and accessible to your intended audience
- Be your own original design
- Avoid cultural stereotypes, deficit messaging and inappropriate symbols.
Possible topics (choose one):
- Cultural safety in public health
- Community-led health strategies
- Relational ethics in practice
- Strengths-based health promotion
- Holistic wellbeing
- Respectful engagement with Elders
- Cross-cultural communication principles
You may use PowerPoint or similar tools.
Part 2: Written Commentary (1000 words)
Your commentary should explain your:
A. Message and Audience (approx. 150 words)
What is the main idea you are communicating?
Who is the poster for (e.g., young people, community members, practitioners)?
Why is this message important?
B. Rationale for Your Topic (approx. 150 words)
Why did you choose this theme?
How does it relate to First Nations public health priorities?
C. Cultural Safety, Indigenous Worldviews and Design Decisions (approx. 250 words)
How did cultural safety principles guide your design?
How did you ensure your message was strengths-based and culturally respectful?
Which cultural protocols or considerations did you keep in mind?
What symbols, colours, or images did you choose or avoid, and why?
D. Influence of Your Positionality (approx. 150 words)
How did your identity, worldview, or prior learning shape:
- your message
- your design
- your communication choices?
You may draw briefly on Assessment 1.
E. Course Concepts and Evidence (approx. 150 words)
You must reference:
At least 4 course readings (Weeks 8–11)
At least 1 tutorial/yarning activity
Relevant lecture content.
Explain how these informed your:
- message
- visual choices
- communication approach
- understanding of community-led public health
- Use APA 7 ed referencing for all citations.
F. Ethical and Relational Accountability (approx. 150 words)
How does your poster reflect relational accountability?
How would you ensure your communication avoids harm and supports community voice?
How does your design demonstrate ethical practice?
Formatting Requirements:
Poster: PDF, PNG, or JPEG
Commentary: Word
APA 7 reference list at the end of the commentary
Word count: 1000 words (10% leeway allowed)
Poster section: Level of GenAI use allowed on Assessments 3: Level 1 NO AI. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Commentary section: Level of GenAI use allowed on Assessments 3: Level 2 AI Planning. You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Please submit your assessment before due date/time via Moodle
Vacation/Exam Week Friday (19 June 2026)
Feedback provided
The Culturally Responsive Public Health Poster and Commentary will be marked against the following criteria:
1. Poster Message, Audience and Clarity
2. Cultural Safety, Indigenous Worldviews and Design Decisions
3. Application of Course Concepts
4. Substantiating Evidence Through Literature
5. Integration of Positionality
6. Ethical and Relational Accountability
7. Academic Writing, Structure and APA 7th ed. Referencing
- Analyse community and institutional strategies and resources that enable cultural integration and support cultural safety in public health
- Examine personal assumptions and biases in relation to colonisation, cultural disruption and resilience, including your own positioning in cross-cultural contexts
- Evaluate how relational accountability and systems thinking contribute to developing and maintaining respectful cross-cultural relationships.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
