Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation

at University of Wollongong - Wollongong Campus Australia

Acting as both a bridge to advanced research and an in-depth project, Honours is an optional year that follows the successful completion of a three-year undergraduate degree.
While your Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation degree introduced you to a wide range of themes and issues, an Honours project provides you with the opportunity to focus your interest on a topic of choice, exploring it in greater depth and detail to find answers. Honours project topics are various and negotiable, and you’ll be encouraged and supported to pursue your specific interests.

Whatever topic you choose, prospective employers will value your ability to achieve a complex goal, meet deadlines, investigate independently, use resources effectively and write coherently.

What you will study
The Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation (Honours) consists of 50% coursework and 50% research work. The research component of this degree takes the form of a 15,000-word research thesis completed under the supervision of an academic employed in the School of Liberal Arts.

Studying Honours is about:

• Learning research and navigation skills across a variety of information systems (archives, the library, databases, electronic research networks);
• Articulating complex ideas orally and in writing;
• Working closely with a supervisor on a project with firm deadlines;
• Devising, researching and writing an individual topic of study, with an extended argument or thesis.

Exercise scientists look at the effect of exercise on human performance. They design, implement and evaluate exercise and physical activity for a wide range of people within the community. They provide programs for improving general health, the prevention of chronic diseases, health promotion and enhanced sports performance.

You will study anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology, exercise prescription, nutrition, neuromechanics, and biomechanics as part of your core subjects. You will gain a basic understanding of the anatomical and physiological basis of human motion and the effect of exercise on human performance in sport, industry, aging and in healthy living.

This degree also includes a workplace experience component that requires 140 hours of placement in a community, sporting, scientific or commercial exercise setting. Completion of these hours is required in order to graduate. This experience is an essential part of the learning process and will allow you to put into practice what you've learned in the course to ensure that you are work-ready as an exercise scientist. The course will prepare you for a career in sporting organisations, community health units, workplaces, and gymnasium

UOW has experts encompassing the entire breadth of the underlying sciences, IT, engineering and mathematical methodologies in the ICT industry. Working closely with industry partners we ensure all programs remain relevant to industry trends and developments. Students study real-world projects and interact with and learn from industry professionals to ensure their job-readiness upon graduation.

The Bachelor of Information Technology provides foundation knowledge of organisational areas in IT, including:

• Database management
• Programming
• Information systems analysis and design
• Communications and networks
• Security
• Project management
• Web-based technology
• Professional practice in IT

Throughout your degree you will study a common core of subjects that links our computer science, IT and information systems degrees. There is an opportunity to specialise in a major at the Wollongong campus from your second year of study by choosing one or both the following majors:

• Network Design and Management
• Web Design and Development

For students who do not wish to specialise with a major, you will complete advanced subjects providing you with specific knowledge while also instilling you with professional knowledge and skills in information technology.

The Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Dean's Scholar) is for high-achieving students seeking a challenging but comprehensive education in science within a chosen specialisation. There are five major discipline areas to choose from: Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Conservation Biology, Geology, and Physical Geography.

The flexible structure of the majors and electives allow you to design a study program to meet your particular interests and abilities. You can combine your chosen science major with a second major chosen from another discipline, or with a range of elective subjects.

Honours is built into the fourth year of the course when you will undertake a substantial piece of supervised research in your major discipline, together with other required seminar and/or coursework.

As a Dean's Scholar you will be invited to participate in networking and mentoring opportunities and, after the first year, develop a close association with an appropriate member of one of the faculty’s research teams. You will also have the opportunity to undertake individual research subjects. The degree includes practical laboratory and/or fieldwork and you will take advantage of the superb local opportunities and environments.

A major in Environmental Humanities will equip you with the tools to analyse, critique and engage with contemporary debates about the environment. You will acquire a deep and critical understanding of the social contexts through which we experience environmental issues and problems such as climate change, species loss, adaptation, exploitation and natural disasters. You will gain a clear understanding of the role of cultural forces (histories, narratives, cultural values and ethics) that influence and shape relationships to the environment.

What you will study
You will investigate the works of key humanities thinkers in environmental debates, and how these manifest in policies, solutions and conflicts. It will explore ideas for alternative futures, Indigenous conceptions of country, and also how relationships with nature and other animals have been historically and culturally produced. The Environmental Humanities major brings together subjects from International studies, Philosophy, History, Indigenous Studies, Cultural Studies, Sociology, English, Contemporary Arts and Geography. All of the strengths of Humanities research and teaching (critical and creative thinking, questions of social justice, ethics and cultural engagement) will be brought into the domain of the environment. The development of Environmental Humanities is in response to 21st Century environmental crises of climate change; depletion of natural resources, species extinctions, mass migration, natural disasters, global inequalities and climate refugee crises.

Combining a Bachelor of Journalism degree with a Bachelor of International Studies will allow you to explore global issues as you develop the skills needed to effectively research and communicate these stories on a global scale, across national, cultural and linguistic barriers.

The Bachelor of Journalism provides in-depth hands-on training in journalism, converging media (radio, TV, web, phone, tablet), digital communication and multimedia storytelling. It has a strong professional focus, with an emphasis on practical learning with studio-based studies in multimedia content production. You will learn to research, produce and present entertaining and timely stories through video, audio, print and digital technologies including podcasting and webcasting, working both independently and collaboratively.

International Studies is the analysis, appreciation and understanding of the diversity of the global community. It examines the relationships of politics, society, culture, language, and history in a range of countries.  From climate change and global inequalities to international conflict and the movement of refugees, we understand global challenges mainly through journalism and the media.

What you will study

You can choose one major from the Bachelor of International Studies - International Relations, or Global Sustainable Development. As part of the degree, you will also study a language minor, choosing from Mandarin, French, Italian, Japanese or Spanish.

The Bachelor of Journalism has a prescribed set of core subjects, as well as the opportunity to use electives to complete a major or two minors from a multi-disciplinary list.

Medical and radiation physicists work in many different fields related to human health in order to improve quality of life. They are familiar with aspects of ionising and non-ionising radiation used for radiation medicine. They are familiar with various forms of therapeutic radiation oncology as well as different methods of diagnostic radiation imaging, and the mechanisms of how such radiation interacts with the human body. They are also familiar with exciting new radiation medicine technologies being developed for the continued improvement in the treatment of human diseases.

This degree
The Bachelor of Medical and Radiation Physics is very hands-on with large practical components in all subjects studied to complement the underlying theoretical physical principles.
To ensure the highest level of industry engagement, professional medical physicists from major hospitals and keynote speakers from industry will deliver key lectures and practical work, as well as co-supervise research projects.

In second year, you will gain hands-on experience in photon, neutron and charged particle physics in the undergraduate physics laboratories, as well as make field trips to accelerator facilities such as the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). In third year, you will also gain practical experience, particularly in electron and X-ray related medical physics at cancer treatment centres and through ANSTO.

You will graduate with a strong background in physics as well as specialist theoretical, practical and programming skills in radiation medicine that are necessary to find employment in hospitals, research laboratories or related industries. If you continue your studies to an Honours or Master degree, you will learn about Nuclear Medicine, Radiobiology and Radiation Protection in hospitals.

What you will study
You will learn where medical physics matters most: in hospitals, clinics and nuclear science research facilities. In this course you will gain knowledge in areas relating to nuclear medicine, radiotherapy physics, radiation transport physics modelling, detector and instrumentation physics, and data analysis.

The Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation will expose you to ideas that have been inspiring people since their inception — in Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the Modern Era. You will have the unique opportunity to directly engage with a carefully curated selection of some of the most influential works in the Western tradition of thought and art.

This degree also offers thirty generous scholarship opportunities valued at up to $30,000 per annum across the full course of study, as well as an opportunity to engage in a bespoke scholarly experience.

What you will study
You will philosophically reflect on questions about art, literature, science and religion while also investigating such topics as the nature of selfhood, truth, reason and wisdom. You will discover how great ideas and art can shape us - our understanding of ourselves and the world - and how ideas can make a difference for good or ill.

You will develop informed and reasoned views about significant contemporary concerns, such as the value of democracy, benefiting from your acquired knowledge of the history of ideas. You will become acquainted with diverging perspectives from within various Western traditions of thought and art as well as under-represented voices and perspectives from outside of those traditions.

You will choose one major from the following: Archaeology and Ancient History; Creative Writing; History; Indigenous Studies; Languages; Sociology; English Literatures; Philosophy; Politics; International Relations; Global Sustainable Development.

The Bachelor of Information Technology (Dean's Scholar) offers a challenging and enriched educational experience for high-achieving students who want to perform above the level normally expected. As a Dean's Scholar student, you will also be encouraged to continue your studies through the completion of Honours and research programs. You will complete the normal course requirements for the degree, and receive special privileges as you study, such as accelerated learning and academic mentoring.

You can major in:

• Network Design and Management
• Web Design and Development

This degree
The Bachelor of Information Technology provides foundation knowledge of organisational areas in IT, including:

• Database management
• Programming
• Human computer interaction
• Principles of eBusiness
• IT project management
• Management Information Systems
• Knowledge and Information Engineering

Places are limited each year. Current students who have achieved a weighted average mark (WAM) of 80 at the end of one year of full-time study in a relevant degree may apply to transfer to the Dean's Scholar degree.

What you will study
You will be able to choose your major in your second year after studying a common core of subjects that links our computer science, IT and information systems degrees. Find your strengths and interests as you study the fundamentals of computer science and IT: programming, problem solving, network and communications, web technology, data management, system analysis, human–computer interaction, and project management. You’ll also complete a final-year capstone team project.

International History aims to contextualise global issues through a historical perspective. What explains the rise and fall of powerful states and empires? What lessons can we learn from past conflicts and challenges that might prepare us better for the future? How did the social and economic networks that connect people around the world evolve and change over time?

International History will help students interested in world politics, conflict, diplomacy, religion, and political ideologies to understand the contemporary world.

This degree
The Bachelor of International Studies examines the relationships of politics, society, culture, language, and history in a range of countries. You will analyse national and current global issues, focusing on the way global forces and interactions increasingly influence domestic politics. You will also be encouraged to study abroad or undertake a study tour.

What you will study
You will undertake core subjects that introduce you to key concepts in international studies, as well as building out your major through a wide range of subjects covering international history such as modern dictatorships, Australian foreign policy, model United Nations, and empires of the east and west.

A core component of this degree is completing a language minor, with a choice between Mandarin, French, Italian, Japanese or Spanish.

You will have additional elective credit that will allow you to turn your language minor into a major, or take an additional major or minor from within the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.