Comparing European-Aboriginal Interactions

The assignment requires students to research and write an essay on how interactions between Europeans and Aborigines differed in exploration and urban settlement contexts. The essay should demonstrate analytical thinking, historical context, and use of primary sources. Students are encouraged to define key terms such as 'control' and 'violence', and focus not only on colonist agency but also Indigenous people's agency. The essay must be formatted according to Oxford referencing style, with no plagiarism.

Research Essay Question:
1. How did the interactions between Europeans and Aborigines differ in the different contexts of exploration
and urban settlement?
Marking Criteria
Your ability to develop your analysis in response to the question.
Your ability to answer the question in its historical context, and to highlight the debates over interpreting
the relevant theme in history.
Your work shows evidence of wide research, including the use of relevant primary documents as evidence.
Your writing shows that you are critically engaged with a range of ideas and interpretations of the
sources.
At least 12 appropriate academic,journal article sources in your bibliography(OXFORD REFERENCE
STYLE)
Your ideas are your own.
You show committment to thinking independently.
Your awareness of ethics, social responsibility and cultural diversity.
ANSWERING THE QUESTION:
Many of the questions require you to make up your own mind about key terms. ie.
what do we mean by ‘control’? What do we mean by ‘violence’? Defining these terms
will be part of your essay.
Some of the questions are quite general and you are welcome to choose a couple of
incidents, a particular time period or a geographic area on which to focus. However
your essay must be historical and deal primarily with the period we are studying in
this unit – 1788 until the early twentieth century.
‘Agency’ in the context of this unit means the capacity to make choices and/or act

according to those choices. It will be an important and useful term to use, whichever
question you are discussing. Make sure you focus not only on the agency of colonists,
but also of Indigenous people.
FORMATTING:
Make sure your essay is in 12 point font, at least 1.5 spaced and uses the Oxford
document-note referencing system PLAGIARISM:
You must not use the words or ideas of others without correct attribution. If you use
the words of others, you MUST use quote marks (not just a footnote). If you use the
ideas of others, you MUST provide a footnote.
You must not use material that you have presented for assessment in another unit.
This is treated as plagiarism and can result in you failing the essay or unit.
No Plagiarism at all