Bachelor of Arts

The course information on this page is for new students commencing their degree in 2016 only.

Students should follow the rules and requirements for the year that they commenced their course. The online course information for years prior to 2016 are available from the Archives link in the menu.

Students should also review current subject availabilities via the Subject Descriptions link in the menu.

Testamur Title of Degree:	Bachelor of Arts
Abbreviation:	BA
UOW Course Code:	702
CRICOS Code:	000612E
Total Credit Points:	144
Duration:	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Home Faculty:	Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts
Intake Session(s):	Autumn/Spring (Students eligible for credit transfer may begin in Summer Session if appropriate subjects are available).
Delivery Mode:	On-campus (Face-to-face)
Delivery Campus / UAC Code:	Wollongong / 753101 Bega / 753106* Batemans Bay / 753107* Southern Highlands / 753108* Shoalhaven Campuses / 753102*
Additional Information:	Course Finder

* The Bachelor of Arts offered at Bega, Batemans Bay, Southern Highlands & Shoalhaven Campuses is listed in a different page - Bachelor of Arts (Satellite Campuses).

Overview

A Bachelor of Arts degree is one of the more traditional and popular university degrees, though it has changed in shape and content throughout the years and from country to country. The BA today is made up of subjects with origins in the humanities; history, literature, languages and philosophy and the disciplines developed during the nineteenth century that we now know as the social sciences; cultural studies, sociology and politics. While universities package courses in a variety of ways, these and related disciplines are generally included in an Arts degree, even if they are not always located in the Faculty.

Entry Requirements

Academic requirements and English requirements are available from the Course Finder.

Course Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the Bachelor of Arts will be able to:

Evaluate complex issues and ideas about society and culture;
Apply disciplinary knowledge and skills in a variety of real-world professional contexts;
Communicate concepts effectively to a range of audiences;
Use digital and other technologies essential for careers and lifelong learning.

All BA students will be able to demonstrate these outcomes which are common to each BA major. Each major also has major learning outcomes that are unique to that major. Major Learning Outcomes are outlined under each major.

Course Structure

To qualify for award of the degree of Bachelor of Arts course code 702, a student must complete a total of at least 144 credit points as outlined in the table below:

Students must complete:
At least one BA major (outlined below) - 48 credit points (cp)
LHA101 Introduction to Arts and the Humanities - 6cp
A second major (minimum 48 cp and maximum 60cp) from within the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts (LHA) or A minor (minimum 24cp) from within LHA ;
Elective subjects offered in LHA or other faculties up to a cumulative total of at least 144 credit points.
Total - 144 credit points
Note: Of the 144 credit points students must complete:
At least 24 credit points of subjects at 300 level within the major must be at a pass mark or better
Not more than 60 credit points can be taken in 100-level subjects

LHA 101 Introduction to Arts and the Humanities

Introduction to Arts and the Humanities (subject code LHA101) is a compulsory 6 credit point subject that must be undertaken by each student during their first year, and ideally during their first session. Students will be introduced to key concepts including critical thinking, digital literacy, academic integrity, effective communication and degree and career planning.

This subject is designed to orient and support students during their first session of university and to provide students with the academic skills necessary to succeed in their first year. The subject will also assist students to understand the structure of their degree, to plan their study pathway and to plan for post-university careers.

Subject Code	Subject Name	Credit Points	Session(s)
LHA 101	Introduction to Arts and the Humanities	6	Autumn, Spring

Majors and Minors

Choosing a Major (Wollongong)

The Bachelor of Arts (702), is one of the more open degrees offered by the University. Rather than relying on a prescribed program of study, it offers students a range of choices. The degree offers majors in the disciplinary areas familiar from study at school, like English Literatures, History and Languages. Other disciplinary areas that might not be as familiar, include Philosophy, Sociology and Politics. 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.

The Bachelor of Arts also offers interdisciplinary studies. These are built around either a place (for example Australian Studies) or a theme (for example Indigenous Studies). These areas reach across disciplines to illustrate different ways an issue can be explored. Australian Studies relies on History and Indigenous Studies. Interdisciplinary study areas ask the students to step outside the comfort zone offered by disciplinary majors and offer challenging alternatives to traditional areas of study.

Most majors offered in the Bachelor of Arts require at least 48 credit points although some require more (for example, those taking a Language as a Beginner). All majors require at least a pass in 24 credit points at 300 level from the subjects offered for the major. All Bachelor of Arts majors include the 6cp subject LHA310 Capstone. As students are only permitted to cross count one subject in two majors, students who take two BA majors are advised to cross count LHA 301 in both of their majors.

The requirements for each major and minor are set out later in this Handbook.

Note:

A number of 200 and 300 level subjects have “First offered 2017” or “First offered 2018”recorded in the session of offer. This note means that these 200 and 300 level subjects have been reviewed and that the first time these new versions may be offered is 2017 for 200 level or 2018 for 300 level. However, some subjects are not on offer every year, therefore it is possible that the new 200 level version of the subject may therefore be run in 2018 or later, rather than 2017. Similarly for the new 300 level versions of subjects.

Choosing a Major (Bega, Batemans Bay, Southern Highlands & Shoalhaven)

For information on Bachelor of Arts majors offered at Bega, Batemans Bay, Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven campuses please see the separate entry on - Bachelor of Arts (Satellite Campuses).

BA Majors

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts within the Faculty must take at least one of these majors:

# The Cultural Studies major is currently under review. Students interested in this major should contact the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts prior to enrolling.

LHA - Second Major/Minors

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts must also take either a second major or, alternatively a minor within LHA.

Second Major

Students who wish to take a second major may choose from the list of BA majors.

Alternatively, students interested in taking a second major that is not a BA major, may like to consider the following:

Minors

Most minors offered in the Bachelor of Arts consist off 24 credit points and require at least 12 credit points at 200 level or higher.

Minor studies are recorded on a student’s transcript, but are not recorded on the testamur. To have a minor study recorded, students need to declare their minor study by submitting an Application to Declare or Change Intended Major/Minor.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (702) at Wollongong may choose from the following minors, with the details of each available on a dedicated minor page:

Ancient History
Art History
Asia Pacific Studies
Australian Studies
Chinese (Mandarin) for Character Background Students
Chinese (Mandarin) for Non-Chinese Background Students
Creative Arts
Creative Production
Cultural Studies
Design
Design History
Digital Media and Communication
English Language & Linguistics
English Literatures
Ethics
European Studies
French
Gender Studies
Global Media and Communication
History
Indigenous Studies
Indonesian*
Italian
Japanese
Journalism and Professional Writing
Media Arts
Music
Philosophy
Philosophy of Psychology
Photography
Politics
Science and Technology Studies
Sociology
Spanish
Technical Theatre
Theatre
Visual Arts

* Available by cross institutional study only

Internship and International Subjects

The Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts internship program provides students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their degree in a workplace setting. The internship subject ARTS302* is offered to all Arts students providing they meet the pre-requisites. Another popular internship facilitated by the Faculty is the Politics Internship. The Politics internship subject POL 305 presents interested students with the opportunity to be an intern at Washington, New York or Canberra. Read more about the Faculty Internship Program on our website.

Subject Code	Subject Name	Credit Points	Session(s)
Eligible BA Students that meet the pre-requisites may elect to enrol in one of the following internship or study tour subjects.
ARTS302	Arts Internship*	6	First Offered 2018
POL 305	Politics Internship	12	Spring First Offered 2018

* Subject is currently under review and not on offer in 2015. Students are encouraged to enrol in CRLP200 (6cp) whilst ARTS302 is under review.

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:

Subject Code	Subject Name	Credit Points	Session(s)
HIST273	Gallipoli Study Tour	6	First Offered 2017
HIST282	Western Front Study Tour	6	First Offered 2017

Honours

See separate entry for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours).

The Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts Honours Handbook can be accessed as a PDF document from the Faculty Honours Students page.

Dean's Scholars Degree or Dean's Scholars Double Degrees

In January of each year, the Faculty invites applications from high achieving students to apply to transfer into the Bachelor of Arts Dean's Scholars Degree or Dean's Scholars Double Degrees.

Selection Criteria

To be eligible to apply for a place in the Bachelor of Arts Dean's Scholars Degree or Dean's Scholars Double Degrees, applicants would normally meet the following criteria:

Currently enrolled in the BA 702 or any other degree;
Full-time student;
Have successfully completed two full sessions of study or 8 subjects;
Have a WAM (weighted average mark) of at least 82.

For more information including the full list of Dean's Scholars Degrees and to how to apply online visit the LHA Dean Scholars website.

Credit Arrangements

Credit and articulation arrangements are available from the Course Finder. Refer to UOW's credit arrangements for information on how to apply for credit.

Other Information

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

Last reviewed: 23 March, 2016