Bachelor of Arts | 2018  

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702), is one of the most popular degrees at University. Students who are passionate and curious about humanity and society enjoy the flexibility of the Bachelor of Arts degree. It allows students to specialise in up to 2 majors or do a combination of majors and minors in different discipline areas such as English Literatures, History, Sociology and the interdisciplinary areas of Indigenous Studies and Community, Culture and Environment. The degree will allow you to hone your skills of interpretation (nothing is ever just black and white), and you will gain experience in analysing and synthesising complex ideas; skills that are essential to real world problem solving and highly valuable to a wide range of employers. Every ‘real world’ problem today has a cultural and social dimension that can be understood using the skills you will gain doing a Bachelor of Arts degree, whichever major you choose.

Entry Requirements & Credit Arrangements

Information on academic and English language requirements, as well as eligibility for credit for prior learning, is available from the Course Finder. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes are statements of learning achievement that are expressed in terms of what the learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do upon completion of a course. Students graduating from this course will be able to demonstrate:

1. Evaluate complex issues and ideas about society and culture.
2. Apply disciplinary knowledge and skills in a variety of real-world professional contexts.
3. Communicate concepts effectively to a range of audiences.
4. 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 unique major learning outcomes which are outlined under each major on this page. 

Course Structure

To qualify for award of this degree, a student must complete a total of at least 144 credit points, comprised on the following:

1. At least one major available in the Bachelor of Arts, outlined below (minimum 48 credit points and maximum 60 credit points);
2. LHA 101 - Introduction to Arts and the Humanities (6 credit points). This subject is undertaken in the first session and is designed to provide students with the academic skills necessary to succeed at University. LHA 101 assists students to understand the structure of their degree, plan their study pathway, and plan for post-university careers. It introduces students to key concepts including critical thinking, digital literacy, academic integrity, effective communication and degree and career planning;
3. A second major study (minimum 48 credit points and maximum 60 credit points) from within the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts (LHA)*, OR, a minor study (minimum of 24 credit points) from within LHA*;
4. Elective subjects offered in LHA, or other Faculties, to bring the total credit points to at least 144.

Note:

• At least 24 credit points of subjects completed at the 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.

*Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) can select from the 5 majors and minors offered at their campus. Alternatively, students who wish to undertake other majors or minors may wish to consider undertaking these at the Wollongong campus.  

Majors and Minors

Students construct their Bachelor of Arts degree by selecting majors and minors. The degree offers majors in the disciplinary areas familiar from study at school, like History and English Literatures. Other disciplinary areas that might not be as familiar include Sociology, Indigenous Studies and Community, Culture and Environment. The study of a discipline gives students skills 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 and Environmental Humanities). These areas reach across disciplines to illustrate different ways an issue can be explored.
Students undertaking the BA (BA702, BB702, BE702, SH702 or MV702) will choose either two majors, or a major and a minor. The five available majors and minors are:

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

The majors and minors aim to offer comprehensive exposure to each discipline area, however subjects offered will vary from those available at the Wollongong Campus.

Majors require 48 credit points and at least a pass in 24 credit points at 300 level from the subjects offered for the major, and students taking two majors are  permitted to cross count a maximum of one subject in both majors.

Minors consist of a minimum of 24 credit points of which at least 12 credit points will be at 200 level or higher. Minors appear on the transcript (i.e. the academic record), but do not appear on the testamur. To have a minor study recorded, students should to submit an Application to Declare or change Intended Major/Minor.

Community, Culture and Environment Major

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

Major Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this major students will be able to:

1. Develop knowledge of how the concept of identity is understood in a range of disciplines;
2. Critically evaluate a range of theories relevant to the study of Community, Culture and the Environment;
3. Demonstrate understanding of how an interdisciplinary approach is able to enhance knowledge of and research into Community, Culture and the Environment

A major in Community, Culture and the Environment is made up of at least 48 credit points as outlined in the table below.

A minor in Community, Culture and Environment will consist of a least 24 credit points as outlined below.

English Literatures Major

The English Literatures major introduces students to a broad range of texts - novels, poetry, essays, short stories, film, diaries and letters - from medieval times to the modern.

The major in English Literatures teaches you to analyse what you read with sharp critical skills and cultural sensitivity, and to articulate your response with power and precision.

A strong international focus underpins our subjects and our ways of teaching them: you will be encouraged to enquire into the politics of the writing and reception of texts, and to understand aesthetics and the value of literature within a range of cultural contexts.

The core subjects within the degree ensure a grounding in the historical development of English Literatures at 200 level and an engagement with literary theory at 300 level.

Major Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this major students will be able to:

1. Acquire knowledge of literary texts from a range of periods and places, and an understanding of the importance of social, historical and geographical contexts;
2. Understand and deploy changing theories, methods and concepts in literary studies;
3. Read, understand and interpret complex literary texts;
4. Locate, assess and use appropriate scholarly resources;
5. Construct coherent arguments and communicate them effectively in oral and written form;
6. Apply relevant skills and knowledge to recognise and reflect on the significance of literary texts in imagining and interpreting the social world.

A major in English Literatures is made up of at least 48 credit points as outlined in the table below.

A minor in English Literatures will consist of at least 24 credit points from the Course Structure of the English Literatures major. At least two subjects must be at 200 level or higher.  

History Major

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.

Major Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this major students will be able to:

1. Evaluate historical processes using examples from a variety of periods and places;
2. Appraise present-day global affairs from an historical perspective;
3. Utilise different types of evidence to demonstrate an understanding of historical change;
4. Critically review how Historians produce different interpretations of the past.

The History major consists of at least 48 credit points, as outlined in the table below.

A minor in History will consist of at least 24 credit points in subjects from the schedule of the History major. At least two subjects must be at 200 level or higher.

Indigenous Studies Major

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.

Major Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this major students will be able to:

1. Identify how Indigenous Studies has developed as a discipline and how it relates to other areas of study;
2. Evaluate the ideologies and paradigms that continue to shape both popular and scholarly understandings of Indigenous peoples;
3. Analyse, both critically and reflectively, Indigenous peoples’ understandings of themselves and the world;
4. Evaluate the major social and political influences that have underpinned the history of colonisation and resistance.

A major in Indigenous Studies consists of a minimum of 48 credit points as outlined in the table below.

A minor in Indigenous Studies will consist of at least 24 credit points as outlined below. At least two subjects must be at 200 level or higher.

Sociology Major

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.

Major Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this major students will be able to:

1. Understand and critically access core ideas in Sociology and related studies of society;
2. Design and report on independent sociological research projects, using appropriate qualitative and quantitative research methods;
3. Critically assess and apply contemporary sociological theories to important current social issues.

A major in Sociology consists of a minimum of 48 credit points as outlined in the table below.

A minor in Sociology will consist of at least 24 credit points as outlined in the table below.

Timetables

Click on subject codes in the above major structures for information on sessions of offer for each subject.

To find out specific information on timetables, tutorials, and classes, visit the Timetable page.

Subject Delivery

Subjects are taught using different methods of delivery. For some subjects, lectures are edu-streamed 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.

 Work Integrated Learning

Undertaking a work integrated learning (WIL) experience during your university education is now a significant contributor to being competitive in securing employment in your field of choice when you graduate from UOW.

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.

Some Majors will have a specific internship subject available for students. Otherwise, students can consider CRLP200 (6cp). CRLP200 includes a quality assured workplace internship or industry project to give you that competitive edge by developing your professional skills through authentic learning in a real world context. You will focus on your career goals and receive career direction guidance, strengthen your resume and gain skills to navigate the rapidly changing world of work, develop your communication skills and begin to build a professional network.

Honours

Honours is a fourth year of study that students can undertake provided they meet the requirements set. See the handbook page for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) for more information.

Other Information

For further information email: lha-enquiries@uow.edu.au