Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Teaching

Students interested in these discipline areas should consider undertaking a Bachelor of Arts followed by a two year Masters Program in Education.

• can demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of selected fields of studies in the humanities, languages and social and behavioural sciences;
• can access and appreciate national and international debates in their areas of study;
• can demonstrate an independent approach to knowledge that uses rigorous methods of inquiry and appropriate theories and methodologies that are applied with intellectual honesty and a respect for ethical values;
• can apply critical and analytical skills and methods to the identification and resolution of problems within a changing social context;
• can act as informed and critically discriminating participants within the community of scholars, as citizens and in the work force;
• can communicate effectively an, in the case of those students undertaking a language major, are able to read, write and speak another language with fluency and appreciate its cultural context;
• qualify for employment in a wide range of occupations;
• have a continuing committment to learning;
• are proficient in the use of appropriate modern technologies, such as the computer and other IT systems, for the acquisition, processing and interpretation of data.

Arts majors

Students may complete an arts major in this course.

The descriptions of arts majors may vary from year to year. Students should refer to the structure of the major as defined in the year they commenced their degree.

The following arts majors are available to Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Teaching students:

250 points are required to complete the Arts component of the combined degree: 100 points of level one subjects, 75 points of level two subjects and 75 points of level three subjects.

The combined degree is usually structures:

First year

100 points at level one in arts subjects

Second year

75 points level 2 and 25 points level 3 in arts subjects

Third year

12.5 points of level 3 in arts

87.5 points (all compulsory level-1 subjects) from Bachelor of Teaching

Fourth year

37.5 points of level 3 in arts subjects

62.5 points (all compulsory level-2 subjects) from Bachelor of Teaching

All arts subjects undertaken in this BA must be from the following arts-approved study areas (see the individual area of study entry for full details):

all language subjects
American studies
Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
Anthropology
Art History
Asian Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
Australian Indigenous Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
Australian Studies
Cinema Studies
Classical studies and Archaeology
Creative Writing
Criminology
Cultural Studies
Development Studies (some non-art approved subjects included)
English Literary Studies
English as a Second Language
English Language Studies
Environmental Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
European Studies
Gender Studies
Geography
Hebrew and Jewish Studies
History
History and Philosophy of Science
International Studies
Islamic Studies
Linguisitics and Applied Linguistics
Philosophy
Planning and Design
Political Science
Psychology
Social Theory
Socio-legal Studies
Sociology
Theatre Studies

First year of the Bachelor of Teaching component

Students must have completed a minimum of 200 points of arts subjects before being able to proceed to the Bachelor of Teaching subjects

In addition to the subjects listed below students must also undertake ONE 12.5 point arts subject.

Second year of the Bachelor of Teaching component

Honours

Depending on your major area of study, you have the option of applying for an Honours year after completing the Bachelor of Arts, which will include a research project. For more information on entry to Honours, see the Arts webpage.

Coursework Masters

If you wish to continue your professional studies at postgraduate level, the studies you undertake in your major can provide a direct pathway to Coursework Masters Degrees in areas such as editing, media and communications, public policy and management, international studies, arts management, development studies and many more. Entry is based on academic merit and in most cases requires a Bachelors degree or equivalent in the relevant study area.

You will also be well-prepared to undertake a Melbourne Model Graduate Professional Degree in areas such as law, teaching and commerce.

For more information on entry into a coursework masters degree, see the Arts coursework programs webpage, or the University graduate programs webpage.

Research Higher Degrees

If you wish to undertake advanced research and explore particular study areas in more depth, there will be opportunities to proceed to a range of Research Higher Degrees at masters and doctoral level. For more information about research higher degree study in Arts, see the Arts webpage.

For graduate attributes for the Bachelor of Arts, see the course objectives.

For information on the Bachelor of Teaching, see http://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2008/547-AA

Arts students are encouraged to pursue their academic interests and professional aspirations by taking a variety of subjects in a range of different areas of study. All arts subjects provide students with transferable generic skills that prepare them for further study and the workplace.

As a result of attendance at scheduled classes, participation in planned activities and discussion groups, and timely completion of essays and assignments, arts graduates should acquire transferable generic skills in the following areas:

• research

  through competent use of the library, electronic databases, and other information sources, and the definition of areas of inquiry and methods of research;

• critical thinking and analysis

  through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;

• thinking in theoretical terms

  through lectures, tutorial discussion, essay writing and engagement in the methodologies of the humanities and social sciences;

• thinking creatively

  through essay writing, creative writing, tutorial discussions and presentations, conceptualising theoretical problems, forming judgements and arguments from conflicting evidence and by critical analysis;

• understanding of social, ethical and cultural context

  through the contextualisation of judgements, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and possibilities and by constructing an argument;

• communicating knowledge intelligibly and economically

  through essay writing and tutorial and seminar discussion;

• written communication

  through essay preparation and assignment writing;

• public speaking

  through tutorial and seminar discussion and class presentations;

• attention to detail

  through essay preparation and writing, and examination revision;

• time management and planning

  through managing and organising workloads for recommended reading, essay and assignment completion and examination revision;

• teamwork

  through joint projects and group discussions.