Australian Identity Activity 1:

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Australian Identity Activity 1

• You have been asked to write a movie about the
  adventures of a typical Australian. Write a two
  paragraph description about what this character
  will be like. Include in your description
  Name, appearance, body language, behaviours, job,
  attitudes, values, and beliefs.
• You have 5 minutes. Silent Work.

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Australian Identity Activity 1

• Example
• Jack Smith is your typical Australian Bloke.
  Hes a battler he puts in a full days work
  driving his truck but never seems to catch a
  break. Hes not poor, but after paying for food,
  maintenance to his wife and drinking a few beers
  theres really not a lot left to go around. . .

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Australian Identity Activity 1

• In groups of four, read your answers and create a
  list of characteristics that at least two or more
  of you agree on from your paragraphs.
• Write your answers in the table on the board. If
  another group has already written your idea put a
  tick next to it.

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Australian Identity Activity 1

• 3. Class discussion where have you seen these
  ideas before? (Television, Movies, Adverts,
  Books, Family, Friends, School, Life . . .)
• 4. Copy the table and write down an example of
  where this idea has come from.

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Creating a typical Australian Character
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• Look at the class list of qualities of a typical
  Australian and create a new table.
• From the list try and identify stereotypical
  Australian identities
• Try and identify at least four identities.

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No One Type of Australian Identity

• When asked to describe a typical Australian,
  most answers fall within a limited number of
  identities.
• Each of these identities are discourses.

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Discourse and Identity

• A discourse is simply a complicated term for
  putting people into groups based on the way they
  ACT, THINK and USE LANGUAGE.
• Discourses are bigger than stereotypes because
  stereotypes usually only focus on one aspect, eg
  Blonds Dumb or people who play computer games
  nerds

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Australian Discourse Activity 1

• Spend two minutes writing a list of all the
  Australian discourses you can think of. They can
  be modern or historical identities. There is a
  prize for the person who can think of the most.

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Australian Discourse Activity 1

• Share your list in groups of four and as a group
  come up with the top three most common/typical
  ways to be Australian. (remember a discourse is
  simply a way of being)
• As a class decide on the most typical Australian
  discourse. It should be the one which springs to
  mind most easily for the majority.
• This will be the dominant discourse.

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Dominant Discourses

• A Dominant discourse is the discourse (way of
  acting, thinking and using language) that is most
  commonly associated with a particular group.
• Discourses are always competing, and over time
  dominant discourses change as the values and
  beliefs within society evolve.

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Discourses

• RECAP A discourse is simply a complicated term
  for putting people into groups based on the way
  they ACT, THINK and USE LANGUAGE.
• Behaviour Things the group does and doesnt do
  eat, their hobbies, skills, abilities, jobs,
  leisure activities, body language, how they walk,
  what they wear.

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Discourses

• Thinks The groups attitudes to the world and
  people. The groups values what is important to
  them. The groups beliefs about how the world and
  people work.
• Language Use The MOST IMPORTANT one when
  studying English. What sort of words do they use
  how do they use them. What words dont they use.
  When spoken how do they say them.

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Discourses
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Discourses
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Discourses
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Discourses
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Australian Discourse Activity 2

• Working independently, fill in the discourse
  table for the dominant discourse. Put at least
  10 items in each column. You have 7 minutes.
  Silent work.

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Australian Discourse Activity 2

• In groups of four, share your answers and create
  a discourse table of characteristics that at
  least two or more of you agree on.
• Write your answers in the table on the board. If
  another group has already written your idea put a
  tick next to it.
• Copy the class table.