Treaties and Other Agreements
What you will learn
Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.
As Victoria and other Australian jurisdictions engage in the early stages of treaty negotiations, the parties involved must have a fundamental understanding of the treaty process.
This micro-credential explores the role that treaties have played, and might play, in relations between Indigenous peoples and contemporary settler societies.
It's ideal for people who will be involved in treaty negotiations, including professionals in the public, private and non-profit sectors, as well as First Nations.
Gain a deeper understanding of treaty and other forms of agreement-making
Develop a comprehensive understanding of what defines treaty, and contrast this with other forms of agreement-making between Indigenous peoples and settler states.
Examine treaty relationships historically and today
Draw on historical and international examples to explore the strengths and weaknesses of treaty relationships. Engage with current thinking about treaty, and consider the possibilities and limitations treaties present for transforming contemporary relations.
Understand emerging treaty processes in Australian jurisdictions
Discuss the emergence of the treaty processes in Victoria and other Australian jurisdictions. Consider the principles that should underly contemporary treaties, and how these could inform a treaty in Victoria today.
More from this series
Take multiple courses to deepen your knowledge or stack towards a full degree.
The Reshaping Australia’s First People-state relation series
This series covers the critical knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to develop meaningful relationships between First Nations and governments or organisations, with the goal of progressing and transforming treaty negotiations.
Explore more from the Reshaping Australia’s First People-state relation series:
- Indigenous and Other Sovereignties (Micro-credential)
- Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples (Micro-credential)
- Recognition, Reconciliation, Refusal (Micro-credential)
- Nationhood and Self-determination (Micro-credential)
- Stolen Generations, Truth-telling and Treaty (Micro-credential)
Course details
Want to know more about micro-credentials? Frequently Asked Questions
This micro-credential is ideal for public servants across all levels of government, as well as First Nations, and other private, public and not-for-profit sector professionals who will be engaged in treaty processes in coming years.
To enrol in this course, you need:
- A bachelor's degree
Or
- A minimum three years’ work experience (paid or voluntary) related to Indigenous politics and policy, or roles such as community and stakeholder management, or communications and public relations
Or
- To be an Indigenous person interested or engaged in the treaty process.
This course covers the critical knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to work at the interface between government and First Nations and self-determining Indigenous organisations.
It is delivered by the Australian Centre, which supports research that advances a critical examination of Australian society, culture and history, with an interdisciplinary focus on settler colonialism and its institutions.
Learning is tailored to the needs of those who are preparing to engage in the treaty process in the near future.
By the end of this course, you'll have a deeper understanding of the role of treaty in relations between Indigenous peoples and contemporary settler societies. You'll be able to:
- Compare similarities and differences between treaty and other forms of agreement-making.
- Critically analyse and reflect on different approaches to agreement-making and treaty settlements historically and internationally.
This micro-credential runs over six weeks.
Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:
-
6 hours of guided learning, including webinars and workshops
-
12 hours of self-directed study, including online exercises
-
12 hours reading
-
12 hours of assessment tasks.
Assessment:
- Why treaty?: Table or Venn diagram that compares treaty with other approaches to Indigenous-settler relations (40%)
- Making treaty today: Critical reflection analysing an international or historical example of treaty (60%).
Treaties and Other Agreements can be taken as a stand-alone course or complemented with any other micro-credential in the Reshaping Australia’s First People-State Relations series to deepen your knowledge and skills.
The series includes:
- Treaties and Other Agreements
- Indigenous and Other Sovereignties
- Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples
- Recognition, Reconciliation, Refusal.
It is recommended you complete this course as the first in the series, and then proceed to the rest.
The Reshaping Australia’s First People-State Relations series provides learners with a pathway into the Professional Certificate in Treaty.
Learners who have completed all four Melbourne MicroCerts in the Reshaping Australia’s First People-State Relations series, and the course Indigenous Governance Principles, will be awarded the Professional Certificate in Treaty.
This course includes both guided and self-directed learning, to provide both flexibility and support.
Learning activities include pre-recorded videos, panel discussions, and interviews, plus facilitated discussion through synchronous webinars. You'll be provided with essential reading and media that bring key concepts to life.
You'll also contribute to the online discussion board and receive valuable guidance and feedback from your course facilitator throughout the course.