Bachelor of Arts

Course Description

The Bachelor of Arts (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702), is one of the more open degrees offered by the University of Wollongong. Rather than relying on a prescribed program of study, it offers students a range of choices. The degree offers two majors in the disciplinary areas familiar from study at school, English Literatures and History. Other disciplinary areas offered that might not be as familiar include Sociology and the interdisciplinary areas of Indigenous Studies and Community, Culture and Environment. The study of a discipline gives students a developing set of skills while they acquire a set of conceptual frameworks and a body of knowledge interpreted using those frameworks. For example, within the study of 'history', students learn how to research and write history, as well as how to read what historians have thought about the past.

Interdisciplinary areas are built around either a place or a theme (for example Indigenous Studies or Community, Culture and Environment). These majors reach across disciplines to illustrate different ways an issue can be explored. Interdisciplinary majors ask the students to step outside the comfort zone offered by disciplinary majors and offer challenging alternatives to traditional areas of study.(Bega, Batemans Bay, Shoalhaven & Southern Highlands).

Course structure

To qualify for award of the degree of Bachelor of Arts course code (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) a student must complete a total of at least 144 credit points from subjects listed in the Course Structures of the Bachelor of Arts offered by member units of the Faculty of Law, Humanities and Arts and other subjects as approved by the Faculty.

The 144 credit points shall include:

a) subjects from at least one major from the prescribed list of majors offered in the BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702;

b) 24 credit points of 300 level subjects within the major must be at grade pass or better;

c) To complete the credit points required for the degree, students can take another major, a minor or elective subjects offered by the Faculty or other faculties;

d) the balance of the credit points required to graduate, students can take any other subjects offered in the course program below, or subjects taken as cross-institutional study.

Assessment

Assessment in this course varies between subjects and programs, but typically can include a combination of essays, tutorial/seminar presentations, E-Learning exercises and, in some subjects, in-class tests and/or exams. Some subjects may have an additional practical component. The assessment requirements of each subject are set out in the individual subject outlines, which students receive in the first week of session.

Subject Delivery

Subjects are taught using different methods of delivery. For some subjects, lectures are edustreamed which means students can download the lectures. In other lectures, video conferencing is used where the lecturer talks to students in real time. Other subjects rely on online delivery which includes posting the lectures on the subject's website. In virtually all subjects, there are tutorials run on your campus.

Internship and International Subjects

The Faculty internship program provides students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their degree in a workplace setting. The internship subject ARTS301 is offered in autumn and spring sessions, all Arts students can enrol into ARTS301 providing they meet the pre-requisites.

One of the Faculty's aims is to encourage students to study in an overseas university. Students can study abroad for a full session taking three to four subjects, or can study abroad for a shorter period of time by taking a study tour. The Faculty's study tour subjects currently focus on War History and incorporate visits to Gallipoli and the Western Front. Both subjects are listed below:

Major study

The BA (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) offers five majors: Community, Culture and Environment, English Literatures, History, Indigenous Studies, Sociology. The majors aim to offer a comprehensive exposure to each discipline area but subjects offered under the BA (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) will vary from those available at the Wollongong Campus.

The subjects listed under each major and at each level will rotate on a yearly basis, ensuring that students will always have a selection of options that will count towards their majors.

Most majors offered in the Bachelor of Arts (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) require either 52 or 54 credit points. English Literatures and History majors are quite open in their requirements, allowing students to navigate their way through the program by meeting credit point requirements at each level. Others have core subject requirements to complete the major (for example Sociology and Indigenous Studies). All majors require at least a pass in 24 credit points (or three subjects) at 300 level from the subjects offered for the major. The requirements for each major are set out later in this Handbook.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) within the Faculty must take one of these majors:

• Community, Culture and Environment
• English Literatures 
• History 
• Indigenous Studies
• Sociology

Please refer to the South Coast Highlands Handbook for a listing of subjects required to complete the above majors.

Minor study

Minor studies are also available to students for course code BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702. They consist of a minimum of 28 credit points of which no more than 12 credit points are at 100 level. Students may not cross count subjects from a nominated minor into any other minor or major. Minors do not appear on the testamur but do appear on the transcript (i.e. the academic record). Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) may choose from the following minors:

• Community, Culture and Environment
• English Literatures 
• History
• Environmental Studies 
• Indigenous Studies
• Sociology

Please refer to the South Coast Highlands Handbook for a listing of subjects required to complete the above minors.

Honours

Honours is a fourth year of study that students can undertake provided they meet the requirements set out in the honours entry for this handbook. More details on honours can be found in the BA (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) handbook. See separate entry for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours).

Community, Culture and Environment

The theme of this major reflects its name, Community, Culture and Environment. Subjects offered by Sociology inform the theme of community, those offered by English, History and Cultural Studies inform the cultural theme and those offered by Earth Sciences and Science and Technology Studies inform the environmental theme. However, many of the subjects offered will often combine two of the themes listed in the degree, especially the Indigenous Studies subjects.

This major requires a minimum of 54 credit points and must include either AUST101 or AUST102, 24 credit points at 200 level and 24 credit points at 300 level from the schedule of subjects offered for the major listed in the table below.

A minor in Community, Culture and Environment will consist of at least 28 credit points from the subjects in the major and must include either AUST101 or AUST102. Not more than two subjects may be taken at 100-level. Students may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study.

English Literatures

The English Literatures major introduces students to a broad range of literary texts - novels, poetry, essays, drama, short stories, film, life-writing, diaries and letters - drawn from medieval to contemporary popular culture. Students read literatures written or performed in English from Australia, Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, the U.S. and the UK. They are encouraged to explore the aesthetic, formal, and ideological dimensions of literature. The English major enhances reading, writing and speaking skills, enabling students to analyse what they read, and articulate their response to reading with critical acumen and cultural sensitivity.

Within the major, students can study broadly across genres and literary periods, or they can follow streams of subjects in areas including Australian literature, Canadian/New Zealand literatures, gender in literature and literature by historical periods. English may be combined with any other approved Arts major.

A major study in English Literatures is made up of at least 54 credit points: 6 at 100-level, 24 at 200-level, and 24 at 300-level from the schedule of subjects offered for the major listed in the table below. Of the 54 credit points, at least 46 credit points will be in subjects having the prefix 'ENGL'.

A minor in English Literatures will consist of at least 28 credit points of subjects with the prefix 'ENGL' from the schedule of subjects listed in the table below. Not more than two subjects may be taken at 100-level. Students may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study.

History

History aims to understand and interpret the past. It is the subject that brings the past into the present. History is a dynamic discipline, since each generation returns to the past with different questions, based on their own experiences and concerns. Historical analysis brings together both facts and moral judgements to analyse the background to contemporary conditions. Perhaps more importantly, History can also help us to imagine the kinds of futures we want to live.

The History major consists of 52 credit points out of at least 144 credit points, with 24 credit points being at 300-level. Students taking a major in History can count up to 16 credit points from the subjects listed in the Politics major at Wollongong; as well as INDS150 and  INDS203.

A minor in History will consist of at least 28 credit points in subjects from the schedule of the History major (see above). Students may not take more than two subjects at 100-level and may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study.

Note: students enrolled in a double major may only cross-count one subject.

Career Opportunities

History graduates follow many employment paths. They work in Federal and State government departments, in private enterprise, as researchers, in the media, in travel, marketing and tourism, as teachers at primary and secondary schools, institutes of technology and universities, as well as finance and service industries. The History course builds a solid foundation for future study through developing the students' capacity to inquire, analyse and communicate information, ideas, and concepts. This is extremely helpful to the graduate in terms of taking postgraduate courses. 

Indigenous Studies

Indigenous Studies is an interdisciplinary major which links together INDS subjects and a number of subjects offered by the Faculties of Law, Humanities and the Arts and Social Sciences, to provide Indigenous and non-Indigenous students with a coherent program in the study of Indigenous Australia.

A major in Indigenous Studies requires the completion of a minimum of 52 credit points, consisting of at least 12 credit points are at 100 Level, 16 credit points at 200 Level and 24 credit points at 300 Level. The major must include INDS130 or INDS150, INDS203 and INDS300 and INDS360. The major consists of four core and other elective subjects offered by the Indigenous Studies Unit together with a choice of subjects offered by other participating Faculties. Students are advised to consult with the Indigenous Studies Unit about available subjects prior to enrolment.

A minor in Indigenous Studies will consist of the three core subjects ( INDS130 or INDS150, INDS203 and INDS300) and one other subject from the subjects prescribed for the major (see Study Program below). Students may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study. Non-core subjects can be taken from the electives listed below. A typical program of study might be INDS150 + EESC104 at 100 level, INDS203 + INDS201 at 200 level, and INDS300 and INDS360 at 300 level and one from INDS301 and HIST350.

Sociology

Sociology is the study of social life, cultural and social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour. By acquiring sociological skills students develop the ability to analyse a wide variety of social processes, institutions, causes of social change and the structures of groups and societies. Specific areas of study include social policy; social theory and methodologies; gender, sexuality and the body; class; crime and punishment; race and ethnicity; family, welfare and education reform; everyday interaction; social movements; social change in Asia; media and entertainment; and youth and popular culture. In a rapidly changing world, sociology provides distinctive methodologies and perspectives that offer solutions to complex problems arising from social inequality, globalisation, criminal justice and racism. Sociology is an exciting discipline with expanding opportunities for a wide range of career paths.

A major in Sociology consists of a minimum of 54 credit points including 6 credit points of Sociology at 100- level in either SOC103 or SOC104, at least 24 credit points at 200-level including SOC203 and SOC231 and at least 24 credit points at 300-level in Sociology subjects from the schedule of subjects offered for the major listed in the table below.

A minor in Sociology will consist of at least 28 credit points from the schedule of the major. It will include SOC103 or SOC104, as well as SOC203 and SOC231. It must not include more than two subjects at 100-level. Subjects in the minor may not be cross-counted with any other minor or major study.

Double Majors

Students can undertake a double major in their degree from the majors offered in this degree, for example History and Indigenous Studies. Where a double major is taken, both shall meet the requirements of the majors as prescribed by the Faculty. A candidate for course code BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702 who has registered for two major studies, may choose two majors with common subjects. Students can count one subject twice towards the majors but cannot count the credit points twice towards those required for the degree. Majors are noted on the student's testamur awarded at graduation.

Cross Institutional Study

Many students in the BA (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) take subjects from other institutions as cross institutional study. Before enrolling in cross institutional study, students need to be aware of the conditions attached to taking a subject offered by another university.

Cross institutional study is limited to a maximum of 48 credit points.

The credit points allocated take one of two forms: unspecified or specified credit. All applications for cross institutional study must be approved by the Sub Dean before the subject is taken and must be accompanied by a subject description that indicates both content and the level of study.

For more information on cross-institutional study please see the BA (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) Handbook.

Other Information

Further information is available at:
UOW Course Finder
Email: lha-enquiries@uow.edu.au