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Auth: S Steele, ITS Web and Internet Facilities
Copyright © Monash University 1999 - All Rights Reserved - Caution
The School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences is located on
the Gippsland campus, which is in the township of Churchill, about 140
kilometres east of the Clayton campus. The school offers a range of
undergraduate courses, enabling students to choose a program which suits their
specific interests, needs and career goals. The academic programs offered range
from the broad, generalist Bachelor of Arts to the more specifically vocational
programs such as the Bachelor of Social Welfare and BA (Journalism).
The school also conducts an extensive distance education program via the Centre
for Learning and Teaching Support. The university's commitment to distance
education means that the same opportunities can be offered to students who
cannot attend on-campus lecture programs because of work or family commitments
or because of location. The aim of the distance education program is to provide
students with the necessary resources to complete a major part of their
coursework off-campus. This involves the provision of (a) course material
especially designed for independent study; (b) opportunities for effective
lecturer-student and student-student interaction; and (c) access to any
necessary facilities, eg library, computers, audiovisual material etc.
The School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences employs about 50
academic and general staff, and has an enrolment of about 1300 students.
Within the school are six sections: mass communications/writing, journalism,
history-politics, Indonesian, sociology and social research, and social
welfare. Each section has a head who is responsible for administrative and
academic issues relating to the one or more disciplines taught by section
staff.
In addition to the sections, the school has two centres: the Centre for
Gippsland Studies and the Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies. The Centre
for Gippsland Studies has a large archive of information on Gippsland,
maintained by the executive officer, which is accessible to anyone researching
issues related to Gippsland. The Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies,
serves to promote increased participation in tertiary education by members of
the Koorie community through its Diploma of Koorie Studies and also has
involvement in research in areas related to Koorie studies and the Koorie
community generally.
Graduates of the school will:
Graduates of the school will have:
Graduates of the school will:
Australian studies is an interdisciplinary minor available within the School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences. The minor includes subjects from a range of disciplines within the school, enabling students to develop a broad understanding of Australian cultures, lifestyles and societies. Students wishing to complete an Australian studies minor will undertake four of the following subjects:
Students should note that prerequisites may be required for second-level subjects.
This is a minor sequence of interdisciplinary subjects introducing students to community issues in postmodern contexts. These subjects aim to expose students to current debates about the meaning, nature and outlook of communities. The minor consists of GSC2701 (Community studies) and a further three subjects to be selected from the list below.
Scholarship
concerning gender as a social construct has become an established field of
study over the last 20 years. The analysis and critique of culturally shaped
attributes and behaviours have been successfully developed and expanded into
the humanities, communications and social sciences curriculum largely through
the work of feminist scholars, in courses developed from a woman-centred
perspective. The multidisciplinary major and a minor sequence in gender studies
evolves from this scholarship to offer a developing critique and understanding
of both masculinities and femininities. Drawing on feminist, malestream and
post-structuralist theorising of gender, the subjects offered investigate
gender relations as a collective social issue.
Particular attention will be paid to gender and power in social, historical,
political and representational frameworks as they are understood through
differences in class, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
The major and minor sequences consist of a designated multidisciplinary group
of subjects drawn from a pool of designated mass communications,
history-politics and sociology subjects. Students will use and analyse feminist
and comparative gender critiques of traditional areas and objects of study. The
individual subject outlines describe the specific approach taken and indicate
the significance of gender issues to the curriculum presented. The final
interdisciplinary subject, GSS3101, is compulsory for the major.
Students completing a gender studies major should choose subjects to complete 12 points at first level, 16 points at second level and 24 points at third level, including the compulsory subject GSS3101. As this major is interdisciplinary, it is highly recommended that students undertake at least 24 points at first level. Students wishing to complete a minor must undertake two second-level subjects and two third-level subjects including GSS3101.
*
COMPULSORY FOR MAJOR AND MINOR.
Students should note that prerequisites may be required for second and
third-level subjects.
The
major provides students with a structured program of study of history and
politics. The subjects are designed to build up, in a systematic way,
significant bodies of knowledge on the history and politics of Europe,
Australia, Asia and the major world powers. Students are provided with a
systematic development of learning skills - including skills in reading,
information retrieval, oral and written communications, and methodological
approaches and research techniques.
The application of knowledge of political systems and structures is developed
in public and social policy studies for students in the Bachelor of Arts and in
other courses. The history-politics major provides a stimulating course which
will give students a high level of academic competence in the study of
continuity and change in human society and a deeper understanding of the nature
of the past and the modern world. GSC1503, GSC1504 and GSC3504 are compulsory
for the major sequence.
Students completing a history-politics major should complete 52 points,
comprising 12 points at first level, 16 points at second level and 24 points at
third level. To complete a minor, students should complete two subjects at
first level and two subjects at second level.
Students may opt to enrol in GSC2806 (Koorie archaeology) as a second-level subject.
History:
Politics:
The
study of Indonesian is both the study of a culture through its language, and
the development of more generalist skills used in the acquisition of a new
language. The sequence aims at developing a tolerance for difference and an
interest in alternative ways of expressing the world while providing a language
framework from which students can communicate with the people of the world's
fourth-most-populous nation. From bargaining and negotiating appointments in
the early levels to producing a student magazine and radio program in the
specialist sequence, the emphasis is on practical language skills while
understanding that even the simplest of tasks can provide something which is
both culturally and linguistically challenging.
Students at all levels are encouraged to be involved with community activities
and events related to Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In doing so, students will
have the opportunity to integrate these experiences into assignments and
activities during their study. In-country study is also encouraged through
accredited courses at Indonesian universities, and this study is supported
through language and general study abroad scholarships.
Students completing a major sequence in Indonesian must complete 52 points,
including 12 points at first-level, 16 points at second-level and 24 points at
third level. Students wishing to complete a minor sequence must complete 28 to
32 points), including 12 points at first level and 16 points at second level,
or 16 points at second level and 16 points at third level.
There are three streams in Indonesian language: (a) beginners stream, for those
who have no previous knowledge of Indonesian; (b) post-VCE stream, for those
who have completed the second language stream of VCE Indonesian or equivalent;
and (c) background speakers, for those who have studied in Indonesian or Malay
medium schools.
Students completing a post-VCE stream must include an elective from the following to complete the Indonesian major sequence:
* OFFERED BY DISTANCE EDUCATION.
The
journalism major will equip students with a range of journalism skills and
knowledge appropriate for flexible application in a variety of employment
settings.
The skills and knowledge developed are those required by journalists (or those
using journalism skills) for the future. Graduates will possess well-developed
literacy skills to work in a variety of media. They will be able to contribute
knowledgeably and in socially responsible and ethical ways to the particular
communities they find themselves in, drawing on an informed intercultural
awareness and an understanding of the professional and ethical codes and
responsibilities of journalism. Graduates will also be equipped to adapt
themselves to accommodate the rapid developments in mass communications
technologies and their social consequences.
The major sequence in journalism listed below is available only to students
enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Journalism). Students in other degrees
seeking to complete a journalism minor should complete:GSC1902, GSC1903 plus
two of GSC2903, GSC2905, GSC2906, GSC2907, GSC3901 or GSC3903.
* ON-CAMPUS SEQUENCE.
SUBJECT QUOTAS MAY APPLY FOR GSC2905 AND GSC2906.
_ DISTANCE EDUCATION SEQUENCE.
Koorie studies is an interdisciplinary major offering a range of subjects that are designed to introduce students to the historical, social and political aspects of Koorie society. The major will provide an understanding of the relationships between Indigenous Australians and the dominant society as well as developing students with a sound knowledge and sensitivity to work within Aboriginal communities. Students completing a Koorie studies major must complete 52 points including 12 points at first level, 16 points at second level and 24 points at third level. Students wishing to complete a minor will normally complete two first-level subjects and two second-level subjects.
Mass
communications is an interdisciplinary major offering a range of subjects
designed to equip students with specialised but flexible skills in describing
and analysing the organisation, processes, diverse uses and effects of
'traditional' and 'new' mass communications technologies (print, electronic,
film and digital) as these are integral components of modern societies. The
emphasis is on how media are a part of the way the social relations between
individuals and between groups are organised and pursued, rather than on media
as picturing these relations and related issues. The major will provide an
understanding of the practical operation of mass communication media as well as
their social and cultural dimensions, considering the audiences, producers and
policy-makers involved. Students will be equipped with skills in utilising
language, and media delivery systems to communicate effectively.
Students completing a mass communications major should complete 52 points,
including 12 points at first level, 16 points at second level and 24 points at
third level. To complete a minor, students should complete four of the
compulsory subjects including either two subjects at first level and two
subjects at second level, or two subjects at second level and two subjects at
third level.
* COMPULSORY FOR MAJOR.
Students should be aware
that prerequisites may apply to certain complementary subjects.
A focus on mass communications in marketing can be chosen by taking
complementary subjects from the School of Business and Electronic Commerce.
The
course is designed to provide academic and vocational education for students
wishing to become welfare workers. It will qualify and equip them for
employment in government and non-government welfare agencies and community
development organisations. It combines a sound intellectual and experiential
grounding in social welfare with practical experience of field situations.
Students in the Bachelor of Arts degrees may enrol in GSC1301(Social welfare
issues), GSC1306 (Understanding human behaviour) and GSC1307 (Human behaviour
across the lifespan).
Sociology
is the study of people and the relationships they enter into as members of
various social institutions. Sociologists study a range of social issues that
are important in contemporary Australian society. The sociology major offers
subjects which draw upon various areas of sociological endeavour.
In addition to standing as a major area of study in the Bachelor of Arts,
sociology is an important supporting discipline in other courses. Sociology
subjects form an integral part of the welfare and nursing courses and may be
taken as an appropriate component in the preparation of both primary and
secondary teachers in the School of Education. Sociology subjects may also be
taken by students enrolled in courses in the schools of Applied Science,
Business and Visual Arts.
The sociology major is designed to meet a range of student needs. Some students
want only a basic introduction to sociology and the first-level subjects are
designed to meet this need. Other students want to study a number of
substantive areas related to their vocational interest and they may select from
the range of upper-level subjects offered. Students who want to obtain a
specialist qualification in sociology complete the full major. To meet the
requirements of a major in sociology, students should complete 12 points at
first level, 16 points at second level, and 24 points at third level. A minor
in sociology should include either two subjects at first level and two subjects
at second level, or two subjects at second level and two subjects at third
level.
The two introductory subjects in sociology (GSC1201 and GSC1202) are taken as a
first-level humanities and social science sequence. The substantive subjects
selected are taken at second and third level. The compulsory third-level
subjects (GSC3201 and GSC3202) may only be taken after completing the
first-level sequence and two second-level subjects. It is highly recommended
that students complete the two social research subjects (GSC1601 and GSC1602)
before taking GSC3201 and GSC3202.
An honours program has been introduced. Subject details are found in the
section on the fourth-year honours program.
Sociology subjects are designed to prepare graduates for a range of occupations
where sociological skills are relevant to employment. These include
administration, planning, social research, health, welfare, community services
and equal opportunity.
Two
subjects are offered in social research - one dealing with basic statistics and
computing for social sciences and the other with methods of social research
(GSC1601 and GSC1602).
The first introduces students to published data - for example, the monthly
unemployment rate. The subject explores how the data is collected, the
calculation of basic statistics and what the formulae mean, and the use of
computers to analyse real data.
The second subject presents an overview of the methodologies available to
social researchers and calls on students to apply these techniques in a
selected project, working within a small team. The subject has proved of great
value when career moves are being planned, eg a new job or graduate study, as
the techniques learned cover many areas which appeal to supervisors, eg working
cooperatively in teams, verbal and written skills, computing, and the ability
to solve problems.
One
subject is currently offered in this area - GSC1611 (Understanding university
learning). The subject offers an introduction to the scholarly techniques
required in humanities, communications and social sciences. It introduces
students to the skills, knowledge and qualities included in the school's
general objectives.
This subject may be undertaken in the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor of Arts (Administrative Studies), Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and
Humanities), Bachelor of Arts (Journalism), Bachelor of Arts (Communication).
It may also be undertaken in a number of double-degree programs.
The
writing major provides a sequence of subjects which will enable students to
gain an understanding of a range of contemporary writing practices in the
context of mass communications, cultural and media studies, materialist and
feminist frameworks, and analyses of literary and other media forms. Students
will become familiar with different kinds of contemporary writing, especially
prose forms (eg prose fiction, feature articles, travel writing, autobiography,
biography and the essay), and acquire detailed knowledge of a range of
techniques associated with contemporary cultural production. At second level
and, more fully, at third level, students will be able to reflect critically
upon their own practices while developing and applying skills and techniques
through individual and collaborative projects.
Students completing a writing major will complete 52 points, including 12
points at first level, 16 points at second level and 24 points at third level.
Students wishing to complete a writing minor will complete 28 to 32 points,
including GSC3421 (Writing 1: techniques).
Students must complete at least two of the following subjects:
wwwdev@monash.edu.au
Thu May 25 16:42:33 EST 2000