Rate My Professor Courtney Theseira

Courtney Theseira is a Lecturer in Aboriginal Studies in the School of Society and Culture at Adelaide University, part of the College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences. Of Ngarrindjeri and Malaysian descent, she is an early career researcher whose professional background spans secondary education and student wellbeing. She earned her Master of Education researching the actions schools can implement to better support the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne and previously served at the Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Engagement Centre at the University of Adelaide. Theseira's research focuses on Aboriginal wellbeing in educational contexts and Indigenous data sovereignty and governance at local and national levels. She is involved in the upcoming project 'Voices of TANDANYA: The Significance of Aboriginal Culture in South Australia’s Cultural Identity: Shaping the Future of TANDANYA' with the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute Inc., spanning October 2025 to April 2026.

Her teaching responsibilities include coordinating and delivering courses such as Aboriginal Cultures (INDG 1000), Indigenous Philosophies (INDG 1001), Space, Place and Belonging (INDG 2000), Law and Land (SOCU 5013), Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing (SOCU 5011), and Cultural Competency: Challenging Racism in Australian and Indigenous Contexts (SOCU 5018). Theseira has made notable contributions to educational literature as a co-author on several chapters in the open educational resource 'Teach, Design, Thrive,' including those on supporting students in distress, providing effective online feedback, and aiding linguistically diverse students. She has also published the personal essay 'The Australia of my youth was not diverse. It was medium-beige' on SBS Voices in 2020, selected for the anthology 'Roots: Home is Who We Are: Voices from the SBS Emerging Writers Competition.' Additionally, she participates in public engagement through events such as presentations on Indigenous data sovereignty with Healthy Development Adelaide and chairing literary panels on history, truth, and fiction.