MAORI 202 : Decolonising the Screen in Aotearoa

Arts

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

An in-depth examination of the socio-cultural and political impact of New Zealand films foregrounding Māori, both in front of and especially, behind the camera. The course looks primarily at how Māori filmmakers have used cinema as a means to reassert cultural identity and tino rangatiratanga, from its activist beginnings during the Māori Cultural Renaissance in the 1980s, to the present.

Course Overview

“… the Maori filmmaker carries the burden of having to correct the past and will therefore be concerned with demystifying and decolonizing the screen” – Merata Mita, "The Soul and The Image"
“How do indigenous people use the camera once they come to have some control over it? Perhaps it is on our own shoulders to rework the well-established rules … so that the way of creating images slowly becomes more comfortable for our cultures”
- Barry Barclay, Our Own Image
The course looks primarily at how Māori filmmakers have used the medium of cinema as a means to reassert cultural identity and autonomy or tino rangatiratanga, ie. to “decolonize the screen”. We trace the theory and practice of indigenous 4th cinema in Aotearoa, from the activist documentaries (eg. Bastion Point: Day 507, 1980; Patu, 1983) and first features (Ngāti, 1987; Mauri, 1988; Te Rua, 1991) of pioneering practitioner-theorists, Merata Mita and Barry Barclay, during the Māori Cultural Renaissance in the 1970s and 80s, to the present.
In addition to the above, key films will include the following: Lee Tamahori’s controversial adaptation of Alan Duff’s incendiary Once Were Warriors (1994) the post-millennium wave of contemporary dramas (Matariki, 2010; The Pā Boys, 2014; Mahana, 2016; Waru, 2017; Cousins 2021); the playful, eclectic, internationally acclaimed dramatic comedies of Taika Waititi (eg. Boy, 2010). Documentaries like Poi E, 2016 and Merata: How Mum Decolonized the Screen, 2018) and fiction features directed by non-Māori (eg. The Whale Rider, White Lies, The Strength of Water) will also help answer the central question: What is Māori Cinema? What is its relationship to cultural identity formation and indigenous sovereignty? (How) can / does it “decolonize the screen”? Or not…
As well as providing a socio-historical overview, each of the lectures will introduce and discuss the key cultural, political, ethical, theoretical and aesthetic issues, such as post-colonial theory; kaupapa Māori film theory and 4th cinema; representing otherness; intersections of Māori Cinema and European Art Cinema; theories of gender & sexuality; realism vs “myth” and fantasy; Māori film and/as oral “History”; literary adaptation; language revitalisation; the subversive power of laughter.
The course also introduces and develops knowledge of the basic tools of film analysis, for example, shot scale and angles, mise en scène, editing techniques, and the role of film music.
Weekly seminars provide students with opportunities to work together in order to refine and extend knowledge via group discussion. Regular and varied assessments encourage and reward active engagement with course content (films, lectures, seminars and readings), with teaching staff and each other, to develop a broad range of transferable skills: written and oral competency; working individually and collaboratively, in small groups; fostering tuakana-teina relationships; providing and receiving constructive feedback; meeting deadlines, as well as research and analysis. All students will have opportunities to peer review Stage 3 oral presentations.

At Stage 2 level, by the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of individual films (on aesthetic, socio-cultural & political levels) and to articulate their place and relevance to the central kaupapa of “decolonizing the screen”. Students will begin to integrate theoretical issues and bibliographic references into their work. 
 

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 60 points at Stage I or approval of Academic Head or nominee Restriction: MĀORI 303

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Situate Maori cinema within a very broad understanding of kaupapa & tikanga Maori, Indigenous 4th Cinema and/or New Zealand cinema. (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of how aesthetics (film form and style) constructs meaning in Maori cinema. (Capability 3 and 4)
  3. Communicate in an informed, engaging and persuasive manner, personal interpretations and arguments about individual films, in order to illuminate key issues in Maori cinema. (Capability 6, 7 and 8)
  4. Research individual films and filmmakers effectively, in order to support analysis and arguments. (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
  5. Analyse individual films critically, in terms of their socio-cultural and ideological significance, their relationships to industrial, historical and socio-cultural practices, and theoretical concepts eg. Realism; 4th Cinema. (Capability 4, 6 and 8)
  6. Relate course content to one's personal and social situation. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4)
  7. Work individually and collectively, with classmates, to develop understanding and openness, and to refine and exchange ideas. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  8. Reflect honestly and constructively on one’s own performance and/or the performance of others. (Capability 4, 6 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework 100% Group & Individual Coursework

Module

Māori and Indigenous Knowledges

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend a total of 140-150 involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.
There is no final exam so students should devote to it 10-12 hours per week over the 12-week semester and mid-semester break. Time will be divided been 3 hours of lectures and seminar x 10 weeks, 6-8 hours viewing, reading and/or class assignments x 10 weeks, and a total of 30-40 hours on essays, presentations/peer reviews and/or tests.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

This course is NOT available for students studying remotely, outside Auckland or offshore in 2024.

All timetabled live lectures will be recorded and available via Canvas.

Attendance is required at scheduled tutorials / seminars / discussion classes to receive credit for some components of the course.

Due to their interactive nature, the above sessions will not be available as recordings.

Some course activities may be delivered on-line.

Attendance on campus is required for tests.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Course Readings Provided.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student feedback from previous years has guided changes to student workload and assessment details. For example, more time has been given for submission of short assignments and the number of written assessments required has been reduced.

Other Information

Course Co-ordinator, and Lecturer: Associate Professor Deborah Walker-Morrison
https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/people/profile/d-walker
Of mixed European and Māori ancestry, my primary iwi affiliations, through our father and paternal grandparents, are to Ngāti Kahunungu ki Te Wairoa, Raakai Paaka of Nuhaka and Mahia, Ngai Te Ipu of Whakakī, and Ngāti Pahauwera of Mohaka. We also have ancestral links to Ngai Tamanuhiri/ Tahupō of Maraetaha, Turanganui-a-Kiwa.
I have published several articles, supervised research and delivered lectures on Maori Cinema in Aotearoa, France, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Canada.
I am currently Chair of Kaporangi Kiriata Film Arts Trust and have been a co-director of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival since 2018. http://www.kiaora.tv/

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 07/11/2023 11:08 a.m.