Areas of study by faculty: Arts

The interdisciplinary minor in African studies complements other areas of study within the Bachelor of Social Science. It aims to enhance students' knowledge and understanding of the African continent in areas such as literature, culture, geography and politics.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

Coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the ancient cultures honours coordinator.

Ancient cultures explores a diverse range of societies from around the world. It is multidisciplinary and incorporates approaches drawn from archaeology, ancient history and classics to show how we attempt to understand the ancient past and its relevance to the present, and reflects the research expertise of the staff at Monash. Core studies span 250,000 years of history and incorporate pathways that focus upon Indigenous Australia, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome while encouraging cross-cultural study. Major themes include the study of complex society in all its forms, materiality, visual and literary culture, and religious diversity; contemporary theory is used to elucidate these topics. Language study and text criticism focuses upon Latin, Greek and Egyptian.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will:

• have an ability to conduct and produce an independent research project in a written, visual or oral form, and in keeping with the methodological conventions of the disciplines
• demonstrate the capacity to present a sustained argument based largely on primary sources
• be a skillful team worker and have the ability to make informed oral presentations
• possess well-developed problem solving skills
• be aware of current philosophical, historical and cultural debates about the past
• be able to think reflectively about different forms or genres of representation
• be able to identify and reflect on the knowledge and skills developed in their study
• be familiar with at least three of the disciplinary fields and have developed one area of specialisation
• be familiar with the nature and complexity of cross-cultural interaction
• have acquired skills in combining different disciplinary methodologies in reconstructing and interpreting the ancient past
• where appropriate, have an extensive knowledge and understanding of Latin grammar and vocabulary, and specialised knowledge of style and genre
• have an understanding of the evolution of specific disciplinary knowledge.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis, and two compulsory coursework units.

The thesis topic is chosen in consultation with the anthropology honours coordinator.

Anthropology is the discipline within the University that is concerned with the study of specific cultures and their social organisation. All anthropology staff have intensive research experience in other societies and their cultures and bring to the units offered, whether they are about 'others' or 'ourselves', a distinctly anthropological perspective, and an understanding of and respect for cultural difference. The ethnographic expertise of the staff ranges through indigenous Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific to the study of minority communities and their cultures in Australia, incorporating a range of theoretical perspectives.

Research seminars are an important part of the graduate experience. Students are involved in seminars within the disciplines and the school to help them develop a range of research skills, receive feedback on their work, and share and learn with others in the intellectual community of the school. They are encouraged to organise and attend conferences, summer schools and enrichment programs, and to publish and present their work in a variety of forums.

Previous students of the school who have completed graduate degrees have won scholarships for study, travel and further research. Many have had the opportunity to conduct and speak about their research across Australia and around the world. All our postgraduate programs aim to provide students with a broad range of research skills and equip them for careers in social research, government, industry and the public service.

Anthropology is the comparative study of different ways of life - it seeks an 'insider' perspective on alternative ways of being in the world. To interpret human behaviour, anthropologists ask questions not just about what people do, but about why they do it, what they mean by it, what motivates them to do it and what people value in diverse societies and cultures. Anthropologists are playing an increasingly important role in the modern world: wherever human diversity is an issue, anthropologists are called upon to provide their expertise. In fields as diverse as journalism, climate change, mining, dispute-resolution and peace-building, social policy, indigenous issues and development aid, anthropologists are called upon to contribute their specialised knowledge and understanding.

Anthropologists generally gain this knowledge and understanding experientially, by immersing themselves in the lives of others. They usually select and approach a group of people following a distinct way of life with a collective identity of some kind, often based on religious, political, social or economic factors. Using a method known as fieldwork, anthropologists observe the lives of others by living with them, sharing in their experiences, and discussing their perspectives to gain a detailed understanding of their cultural world. The social contexts in which anthropologists conduct fieldwork are extremely varied, but what anthropologists share is a commitment to exploring and understanding different ways of life and diverse cultural perspectives, so as to illuminate these for others. Anthropology thus enables us to develop an understanding of cultural difference, but it also helps us reflect on our own cultural world from an altered perspective.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• critically analyse, apply and communicate an advanced level of understanding of the content, methods of investigation and theoretical frameworks of anthropology, and utilise the research skills gained from exposure to this and other disciplines
• advocate for the need to appreciate difference in problem-solving at all levels of social organisation
• demonstrate the critical ability to analyse truth claims and evidence, and utilise training and judgement to adapt skills and knowledge in different contexts
• engage responsibly in scholarhip or professional practice cooperatively with others, demonstrating a capacity to accommodate the world view of others and achieve agreed outcomes through the use of highly developed oral and written communication skills
• devise time management practices to manage competing demands, engage in professional development and demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning.

Research supervision is available in areas including language teaching and assessment, second language acquisition (including language learning and information communications technology), intercultural interaction, sociolinguistics and language planning.

The courses relevant to this area of study deal with applications of linguistics to professional and social contexts in which language plays a crucial role. They are particularly suited to teachers of English as a mother tongue, English as a second or foreign language and languages other than English, generalist primary school teachers, and those concerned with multicultural and language policies. Areas covered include the application of linguistics to the professional and social contexts in which language plays a crucial role, as well as other applications of linguistics such as in the media, business and industry.

See also the arts postgraduate areas of study entry for linguisticslinguistics (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/applied-linguistics/).

In today's information society, we are constantly exposed to 'research findings'. Each day when we read the newspapers or listen to the television news we are told 'Research shows that ...', or 'According to a recent study ...', or 'Studies generally agree that ...'. It is essential to have a certain degree of 'research literacy' to understand the flood of 'facts' we are exposed to on a daily basis. Research now also plays a vital role in the shaping of community and governmental policies.

Postgraduate study in applied social research aims to provide an understanding of the particular strengths and weaknesses of various research approaches and methodologies so as to make a critical and informed assessment of research findings. Applied social research is the application of the analytical tools of the social sciences to the social, political and economic policy issues in today's society. In this way, applied social research aims to develop a practical understanding of the design process, execution, and evaluation of social research projects which focus on immediate problems and their resolution.

The principal aim of the Centre for Archaeology and Ancient History is to expand students' engagement, through detailed research, with the culture and history of key civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean, especially Egypt. It encourages students to explore and consider the various means by which the ancient past can be approached through a combination of textual sources and material culture, and the ways in which it is both constructed and deconstructed.

The centre offers the only program in Victoria and one of only two in Australia that provides supervision of research degrees in Egyptology, especially Egyptian archaeology from the Predynastic to early Christian Period. It also offers supervision in aspects of the classical world, the Near East and regions extending to the Indian sub-continent.

Postgraduate study can be undertaken by research or a combination of research and coursework. Students are supported by a process of induction, training in methodology and theoretical approaches, and supervised project design. Regular seminars are held by staff, students and visiting academics. All postgraduate students are given the opportunity to participate in fieldwork in Egypt on one of the centre's various projects.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The honours program in art history and theory is administered by the Department of Fine Art and Design in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the art history and theory honours coordinator.

Art history and theory involves a critical engagement with all types of visual expression and communication in society, ranging from the traditional fine arts such as painting and sculpture to recent visual media such as photography, installation art, advertising, fashion, film, and digital-culture.

Various approaches are employed to explore the meaning of the visual. Some units emphasise the social and historical understanding of visual images, frequently drawing on the fields of recent gender or cultural studies, theories of ideology or postcolonial theory. Others consider the visual in the light of psychoanalysis or post-structuralism and methods of deconstruction pertinent to the discipline.

Students may complete single units, a major or minor in art history and theory towards the core arts component of their arts degree. Honours is also available.

Students wishing to undertake studio based units from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture must obtain written approval from that faculty before enrolling in units.

Asian studies comprises the interdisciplinary study of the region referred to as 'Asia'. Asia is usually regarded as starting to the west of Pakistan and extending to the western rim of the Pacific, including those countries in south, south-east and east Asia. The region contains two-thirds of the world's population and many hundreds of distinct cultures and languages. It is home to the world's two largest countries in terms of population and to the world's biggest democracy. It embraces some of the world's most sophisticated and developed economies, and some of the world's most impoverished and least developed countries.

East Asia in particular has been the engine for global economic growth over the last two decades of the 20th century. Many of the region's political, strategic and diplomatic issues have dominated world attention at the beginning of the 21st century. Research on Asia is undertaken across a wide range of disciplines at Monash. Much of it is interdisciplinary and relates to aspects of society, language and culture, politics, government, economics, industrial relations, business, health and nutrition, education and law. Accordingly, supervision of research student candidature is available in a wide range of fields.

What does it mean to be Australian in the twenty-first century? How does Australia sit in the region and the world, in terms of society, politics, trade and cultural traditions? The interdisciplinary nature of Australian studies allows students to draw on a range of scholarly traditions for a broader understanding of Australian cultures, lifestyles and societies. Subjects focus on social, cultural, political and economic aspects of the Australian experience within broad regional and global contexts. Individual units focus on Australian cultural history and contemporary popular culture (especially film and television, sport and travel), war and its aftermath, environmental issues, and Australia's connections with its region and the world. As a sequence, this minor builds an understanding of the ways in which the social and cultural spheres intersect with politics and the economy, and how Australia's domestic context interacts with its international connections.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

Coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the Australian Indigenous studies honours coordinator.

The Monash Indigenous Centre (MIC) has been offering Indigenous studies at the undergraduate level since 1978, and offers research programs at the master's and doctoral level.

Areas of research include:

• Indigenous education
• the history of colonisation of Australia
• Aboriginal rock music
• Indigenous performance
• racism and sport
• and public policy.

Australian Indigenous studies at Gippsland is an interdisciplinary major offering a range of units that are designed to introduce students to the historical, social and political aspects of Australian Indigenous society. The major will provide an understanding of the relationships between Indigenous Australians and the dominant society as well as enabling students to develop a sound knowledge and sensitivity to work within Indigenous communities.

The study program consists of units covering topics such as Australian Indigenous societies, issues in Indigenous education, art, literature, politics, human rights, and Indigenous women and international issues.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• understand the historical, social and political aspects of Australian Indigenous societies
• demonstrate an awareness of current Indigenous issues and debates on matters of national importance such as land rights and reconciliation
• understand the historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous Australians and the wider society
• demonstrate the skills and cultural sensitivity needed to work with Indigenous peoples, communities and organisations

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the behavioural studies honours coordinator.

Behavioural studies is concerned with a multidisciplinary (sociological, psychological and biological) examination of human behaviour and is also interested in exploring diverse interpretations of the nature and character of human development, personality, identity and relationships. This interest in behaviour has wide and varied applications into areas such as work and workplace relationships and identities, education, criminology, youth studies and services, intercultural communication and understanding, and medical and therapeutic contexts.

Staff are able to provide research candidates with supervision in a range of areas, theoretical orientations and methodological perspectives and are dedicated to promoting research which is theoretically informed as well as grounded in rigorous empirical research.

The school can offer research supervision in the following areas:

• critical sociologies of terrorism
• digital identities and behaviours
• dissociative disorders
• Foucault and governmentality studies
• globalisation and postmodernity
• health psychology
• impacts of terrorism on business
• migration and cross-cultural comparison studies.
• psycho-dermatology
• psychology of medical treatment compliance
• quality of life and disability studies
• social networks and virtual worlds
• terrorism and popular culture
• trauma reactions
• theories and studies of self and identity
• youth studies.
• Zizek studies.

In behavioural studies, we apply theory and empirical research to questions around human behaviour in the 21st century. With a particular focus on social behaviour, we offer studies in: identity development, health psychology, personality, multiculturalism, alcohol and drug use, criminal behaviour, quality of life, social identity, terrorism, social media and the Internet. The discipline draws on historical and emerging insights from psychological, philosophical, biological and cultural explanations of human behaviour.

A major in behavioural studies ensures graduates develop the skills most valued by employers, including interpersonal and communication skills, critical reasoning, and analytical and teamwork skills. Behavioural studies' unique graduate attribute is 'emotional intelligence'. Our graduates have developed insight into their own behaviour and motivations and those of others making them socially savvy and interpersonally effective employees.

This discipline offers an undergraduate program at the Clayton and Caulfield campuses and honours and postgraduate programs at the Caulfield campus.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• apply their understanding of key concepts in human and social behaviour to real world issues of importance to contemporary society, and critically assess current approaches
• apply their understanding of knowledge production in behavioural studies in a range of contexts relevant to behavioural studies (e.g. behavioural health interventions and social inclusion programs)
• critically evaluate theories and evidence of the psychological and sociocultural mechanisms underpinning behaviour
• offer and test creative solutions to contemporary real world problems by using inquiry-based empirical research methods
• apply principles of ethics in conducting research involving human participants.

The growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine, genetics and the biological sciences has led to a number of ethical dilemmas which perplex all of us, but especially those in the health care field. Does the fact that we can prolong the life of a patient in a permanent vegetative state mean that we should do so? Is destructive embryo experimentation justified by the prospect it offers of alleviating infertility? Should research designed to find 'gay genes' be conducted given that the results of such work might be used against homosexual people? Should we proceed with research trying to clone people? These and many other questions raise complex ethical and legal issues. The study, discussion and teaching of these issues has come to be known as bioethics - a field generally defined as covering the ethical issues raised by medicine, genetics and the biomedical sciences.

The Centre for Human BioethicsCentre for Human Bioethics (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/bioethics/) has academic strengths in the areas of:

• biopolitics
• biosecurity and bioterrorism
• ethical issues in patient care, especially involving autonomy and confidentiality
• ethics and genetics
• ethics and infectious disease
• feminist philosophy
• medical end-of-life decisions
• moral psychology and moral development
• reproductive ethics
• surveillance ethics
• the ethics of clinician accountability.

The centre's research also has a strong emphasis on ethical theory, especially virtue ethics and consequentialism, the relevance of emotions to ethics, partiality and impartiality in ethics, feminist ethics, and applied ethics and moral philosophy.

The growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine, genetics and the biological sciences has led to a number of ethical problems which perplex all of us, but especially those in the health care field. Is genetic enhancement of humans ethically justified? Is it unethical to select embryos for implantation on the basis of sex? Should research designed to find 'gay genes' be conducted given that the results of such work might be used against homosexual people? Is human embryonic stem cell research justified by the prospect it offers of alleviating some of the most debilitating diseases? Should we proceed with research trying to clone people? Does the fact that we can prolong the life of a patient in a permanent vegetative state mean that we should do so? Bioethics studies conducted by the Centre for Human BioethicsCentre for Human Bioethics (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/bioethics/) attempts to develop ethical thinking so as to keep pace with advances in biomedical technology, anticipate future developments and assess what might be done if and when these anticipated developments become a reality.

Honours studies in this area will advance students' knowledge and competencies in the discipline of child and youth development. The curriculum integrates theoretical knowledge, research competencies and applied skills including in the areas of research, analysis, writing and other forms of communication.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the child and youth development honours coordinator.

Child and youth development promotes and facilitates optimum development of children and adolescents with both normal and special developmental needs, ensuring that their effectiveness within all the contexts in which they function.

The developmental-ecological perspective adopted as the theoretical model of choice for this area of study emphasises the interaction between persons and the physical and social environments, including cultural and political settings. The value of such knowledge has become increasingly important both nationally and internationally as understanding of the importance of early life experiences to the later optimal development and well-being of the child becomes more apparent. Poor early life experiences can lead to deleterious outcomes from underachievement of potential to delinquency and deviancy.

Issues of major importance for the children and youth of South Africa and Africa include mother-to child HIV transmission rates, teenage pregnancies, access to medical treatment, child-run families, orphan status, adoption, poverty and abuse. In South Africa, the mean population age is young and this makes the need for adequately trained professionals to address the issues of children and youth even more of a national and international priority.

This area of study makes a significant contribution to the knowledge-base of child and youth care workers. The knowledge aims to prepare such workers for professional practice, which can focus on the infant, child and adolescent within the context of the family, the community and across the life span.

Professional practitioners promote the optimal development of children, youth and their families in a variety of settings, such as early care and education, community-based child and youth development programs, parent education and family support, school-based programs, community mental health, group homes, residential centres, rehabilitation programs, paediatric health care and juvenile justice programs. Child and youth care practice includes skills in assessing client and program needs, designing and implementing programs and planned environments, integrating developmental, preventive and therapeutic requirements into the life space, contributing to the development of knowledge and professions, and participating in systems interventions through direct care, supervision, administration, teaching, research, consultation and advocacy.

Students completing this major will have knowledge vital to the future development of South Africa and its neighbouring states. Such students will be sensitised to the developmental challenges facing the region and equiped to contribute to the betterment of its peoples while being sensitive to local cultures and beliefs.

Studies in child and youth development complement current majors offered at the Monash South Africa campus such as criminology and criminal justice, psychology, international studies, geography and environmental science, philosophy and sociology.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the supervisor.

Chinese studies and sinology have flourished in recent decades, in tandem with the economic and political rise of the People's Republic of China. As the world's longest continuous civilisation, China provides rich sources and case studies for a diverse range of research in the humanities and social sciences. At Monash University, graduate research in Chinese studies and sinology is focused on political, historical and cultural issues in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Several staff members also have strong interdisciplinary interests in Taiwan studies. In addition to individual supervision, the program runs graduate research workshops on theoretical and methodological issues of relevance to China research. Many of our graduate students also undertake field research as part of their candidature, supported with University, school or program funding. Several graduate supervisors in Chinese studies also have the experience and expertise to co-supervise students enrolled in linguistics and translation studies.

Research supervision is available in areas including:

• Chinese thought and intellectual history
• Chinese politics and foreign relations
• mainland and diasporic cultural issues
• post-Mao Chinese society
• Taiwan history and cross-strait relations
• Taiwan politics and foreign relations
• traditional and modern Chinese culture and literature (including Chinese culture in the digital age).

The Chinese program currently offers instruction in the Chinese language on the Clayton campus from several possible entrance levels, catering for students ranging from introductory to advanced proficiency. Students will be placed at the appropriate entry point according to their language ability and their previous language studies.

Once a student's entry point is determined, he or she will progress through the compulsory language units in a designated stream. At each level, students have the option to enrol in study abroad program units as part of their stream component.

As part of a major in Chinese, in addition to compulsory language units, students are required to complete one cornerstonecornerstone (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2014handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) and one capstone unitcapstone unit (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2014handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) specific to their stream of study.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the mainstream Chinese studies major, students will be able to:

• understand key features of modern Chinese intellectual history
• demonstrate library and web-based research skills relevant to modern Chinese studies
• explain issues in translation and cross-cultural communication
• demonstrate knowledge of the socio-political contexts of the evolution of modern Chinese thought in the twentieth century
• analyse and interpret China through textual sources (in Chinese or translation according to the language level of the student)
• identify and analyse the structure and understand the context of authentic, formal, written and spoken Chinese
• read translate or interpret a range of Chinese formal texts, video and audio broadcast programs at a pre-paraprofessional level
• critically examine views expressed in Chinese textual and media sources on a range of current social and political issues
• independently access, search and read Chinese media and academic resources on the internet for study, research or vocational purposes
• present the results of research on a set topic embodied in text (closed enquiry) and justify translation choices based on research of both the linguistic aspects of the text and the broader social/political/historical context of the topic and language encapsulated in the chosen text.

Upon successful completion of the Chinese translation stream major, students will be able to:

• understand key features of modern Chinese intellectual history
• demonstrate library and web-based research skills relevant to modern Chinese studies
• explain issues in translation and cross-cultural communication
• demonstrate knowledge of the sociopolitical contexts of the evolution of modern Chinese thought in the twentieth century
• analyse and interpret China through textual sources (in Chinese or translation according to the language level of the student)
• demonstrate linguistic skills in English-Chinese translation and interpreting
• explain a range of theoretical issues related to translation and interpreting
• demonstrate an enhanced ability to analyse various types of texts
• demonstrate an understanding of issues of comparative stylistics and a more developed sense of the richness of both languages.

Right of school to determine entry level and approve accelerated enrolment

The Chinese studies program convenor retains the right to determine the proper proficiency level for any particular student. Students are not permitted to accelerate their enrolment without first consulting the program convenor.

Non-arts students

Students who want to study Chinese as part of their non-arts course should consult the managing faculty of their course to determine the number and year level of language units for which they are permitted to enrol.

Language study abroad program

Students can take language study abroad in semester one, two or over a full year at approved partner institutions in the People's Republic of China or Taiwan. Students must obtain approval from the Chinese program convenor before enrolling in language study abroad units.

Areas of research specialisation in classical studies include:

• ancient comparative literature and religion
• ancient erotic mythology and ritual
• ancient Greek drama (especially Old Attic Comedy)
• Augustan literature and propaganda
• the interaction of the Greek/Hellenistic world with its Near Eastern neighbours
• the reception of classics in the Italian Renaissance and in contemporary Italy.

For up-to-date information about research areas, refer to the staff and research interest sections on the classical studies websiteclassical studies website (http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/classical/staff).

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the cognitive science honours coordinator.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

Coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the communications honours coordinator on the relevant campus.

The last decade has seen unprecedented changes in communications technologies and policy. The communications program is based around the need for a course which meets the academic and research needs of a discrete industry sector undergoing rapid change. The communications program also emphasises the need to maintain a critical literacy in information research, which increasingly requires the development of new skills in technological use and evaluation and an understanding of issues in information access.

In this context, 'communications' is broader than any one of its traditional constituent elements, including journalism, public relations, media studies, publishing and editing, and creative writing. A broader approach, which places these elements in a cultural and policy framework, allows a range of students to enter the program and to specialise as appropriate within it. The program supports students in examining topics relevant to those employed (or seeking employment) in communications and media industries (for instance, audience and internet user studies, electronic journalism, policy formation, public relations and tourism marketing).

Students come from a range of disciplinary and industry backgrounds, including those with undergraduate degrees in politics, journalism, science and fine arts, as well as those with extensive industry experience in areas such as print and radio journalism, public affairs, media liaison, public relations, and media or policy advisers to politicians and industry.

Supervision of research candidates is available, with particular staff strengths in:

• animation studies
• computer and video games
• cultural/communication theory
• graphic novels and visual fiction
• internet studies
• music studies
• national identity and communications policy
• new communications technologies
• philosophy of communication
• publishing studies
• sports media
• textual and discourse analysis of media texts
• travel writing
• war and conflict
• writing practices.

Caulfield and Clayton

On the Clayton and Caulfield campuses, the communications program focuses on new media and the dynamic changes in media and communication industries. We examine the organisation, processes and effects of traditional and new communications technologies such as print, television, film, electronic and digital media, and the complex relationships between audiences, producers and policy-makers.

Students learn to critically analyse the media and learn about the structure of communications industries and the relations between media, culture and power. Communications theory is an integral part of the discipline, coupled with an investigation of the practices, technologies and processes that make up modern media. The program offers an international approach, examining communications in national and international contexts. It prepares students to work across the public and private sectors, and a wide range of communications industries.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• articulate an advanced understanding of the historical and interrelated disciplines of communications and media studies
• apply core theoretical concepts of communications and media studies to specify debates in contemporary society
• demonstrate advanced skills in critical analysis, including the ability to synthesise theories and concepts from a range of research fields and materials
• demonstrate high-level skills in the presentation of ideas in both oral and written forms
• develop key research questions and successfully complete individual research projects derived from research interests.

Berwick, Gippsland and off-campus learning

Communications offers a range of units designed to equip students with specialised but flexible skills in describing and analysing the organisation, processes, diverse uses and effects of 'traditional' and 'new' communications technologies including print, broadcasting, cinema and the internet. Communications is interdisciplinary, drawing on literary and screen theory, social and political theory, media and cultural studies. The emphasis is on media as productive of the ways in which the social relations between individuals and social/political institutions are organised. Units in communications provide students with an understanding of the practical operation of communication media as well as the social and cultural dimensions, considering relations between the audiences, producers and policy-makers involved. Communications is complemented by the related disciplines of journalism, public relations and writing, as well as other humanities and social sciences.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the functions of media in contemporary societies
• understand the role of communications technologies in shaping our world
• analyse communications as both an object of study and a field of practice
• demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills
• utilise skills for analysing the media and communications from a range of theoretical perspectives.

South Africa and Malaysia

The communications program at Monash University Malaysia offers a professionally-oriented program with minors in writing and international studies.

At the South Africa campus, the program looks at interpersonal and organisational communication, the interplay between the media and culture, and the organisation, processes and effects of traditional and new communications technologies in the South African context.

The National Centre for Australian Studies (NCAS) offers an innovative, vocationally oriented graduate program in communications and media studies. It is focused particularly on challenges posed by the emergence of digital media, globalisation and increasing levels of cross-cultural exchange.

The last decade has been one of unprecedented change in communications and media content, forms, technology and policy with wide-ranging implications for business, politics, public administration and everyday life. The graduate program in communications and media studies examines these developments from a historical, political and theoretical perspective and seeks to further students' understanding of communications and media systems both locally and globally.

Community studies exposes students to current debates about the meaning, nature and outlook of communities. It engages with a range of issues, including an investigation of the cultural construction, representation and history of Australian indigenous societies; the ways in which communities safeguard their interests; and globalisation and citizenship. Students also explore how community histories are constructed, reflect on community building, innovation maintenance and failure, gain insights into community welfare work, and examine Australian social issues.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the community welfare and counselling honours coordinator.

Human services professionals working across sectors in various capacities are more and more required to demonstrate the higher order skills associated with post graduate qualifications to move into leadership and senior positions. In rapidly changing social, economic, cultural and political societies, professional leadership demands ongoing familiarity with emerging research , the capacity to evaluate competing knowledge claims and concomitantly, to provide sophisticated rationales for program or policy proposals to funding bodies or to decision makers. Participation in academic debates and knowledge exchange through conferences and seminars enables professional leaders' contribution to ongoing quality improvements and policy responsiveness.

Post graduate study at the School of Applied Media and Social Sciences (SAMMS) at Gippsland campus enables educational and skills development through exposure to contemporary national and international:

• political and social debate
• practice modalities and strategies
• research literature
• service models, programs, community initiatives, social movements and policy practices
• theoretical thought.

Students will also develop skills and capacities in

• research methodology
• evaluating research designs and the value of research data.

Students come from a range of disciplinary and industry backgrounds, including therapists, case managers, support workers and counsellors with various client groups, community development workers, local government planners, bureaucrats with program development or policy development responsibilities, middle managers in non-government organisations (NGOs) or government organisations, policy advisors, public advocates and activists, and health workers with cross-disciplinary backgrounds.

Supervision of research candidates is available, with particular staff strengths in:

• community development
• counselling skills
• cross cultural services
• developing practice based research and evaluation methodologies
• educational access and equity
• emancipatory and anti-oppressive welfare practice
• family violence
• homelessness
• human services management
• labour market policies and programs
• management
• men's behaviour change programs
• multiculturalism and race relations
• NGOs in developing countries
• personal construct theory
• program evaluations
• qualitative research methods
• regional social sustainability
• representations of women
• social and public policy
• social documentary photography
• social inclusion
• visual representation
• youth justice and child protection
• youth policy and services.

Community welfare and counselling is designed to provide students with an understanding of social issues as they relate to their personal, organisational and socio-political contexts. Students will develop the necessary skills and knowledge to equip them to work effectively in organisational and community contexts, and for bringing about change at personal, community, organisational and political levels. Skills and knowledge are developed for intervention across a range of practice fields, including (but not limited to) counselling, child protection, disability, family support, homelessness, community corrections, youth justice, community development, aged care and family violence.

The major is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Community Welfare and Counselling (and associated double degrees and dual awards). These students complete a 66-point major sequence chosen from the units listed below, including all first-year units.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the minor, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a beginning understanding of the theory and practice of welfare counselling with individuals, families, groups and communities at interpersonal, group, organisational and government levels
• apply critical reflection to, and a beginning understanding of, the literature in the field of community welfare and counselling
• demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the cultural and political differences inherent within communities.

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the theory and practice of welfare counselling with individuals, families, groups and communities at interpersonal, group, organisational and government levels
• apply critical reflection and advanced understanding to the literature in the field of community welfare and counselling
• demonstrate awareness and understanding of the cultural and political differences inherent within communities
• demonstrate clear and cogent argument in oral and written exposition in the application of community welfare theory and practice.

The courses in corporate environmental and sustainability management are designed to integrate environmental management concepts, issues and trends within a commercial context, through an understanding of the linkages between business practices and environmental outcomes. Students gain the analytical skills to identify environmental impacts in terms of product/service life cycles and to understand the synergies between business management theory and practice, and environmental management approaches.

The courses are suitable for corporate managers, business strategists, technical and environmental managers and others who wish to develop combined environmental and business skills.

The September 11 attacks, Bali bombings and home-grown operations in London and those thwarted in Australia, have increased the importance of understanding terrorism and political violence. Counter-terrorism studies offers a rigorous course of study that evaluates these multifaceted phenomena, providing an understanding of what terrorism is and how it is constructed and reproduced, and addressing the diverse and multifaceted factors involved in enacting and preventing terrorism and other security concerns. The range of studies includes units on terrorisms (religious, revolutionary and right wing); the political, theological and intellectual bases of terrorism; political violence and political movements; and country and regional studies. Theoretical and empirical units that examine the international processes and events that fuel and discourage terrorism provide further context for students. Counter-terrorism studies is designed for students who wish to pursue graduate study in these areas and professionals working in law enforcement, public service, defence and diplomacy.

Embedded in the English section of the school, creative writing offers candidates the opportunity to experiment with creative writing, or with creative non-fiction, and to theorise their writing process by engaging in self-reflexive scholarly critique of the genre, considering it on social, cultural, intellectual and linguistic terms.

This program provides doctoral (PhD) and master's by research candidates with the opportunity to focus on developing knowledge and expertise in their chosen subject, as well as developing professional skills that will support candidate's career ambitions.

Each candidate's research will be supported by the development of a range of skills that will help them to become more efficient researchers, ultimately improving the quality of the research and developing generic/transferable skills of value to prospective employers.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the criminal justice honours coordinator.

This area of study presents the application of criminal justice in a unique mixture of regional, urban and international crime-related contexts. Studies specialise in contemporary regional and international crime matters, crime prevention, policing in its generic sense, criminal behaviours and profiles, and alternative justice and corrections initiatives. A special feature is the opportunity for students of criminal justice to develop links with regional practitioners and, in some cases, utilise placements within the criminal justice and allied systems.

Criminal justice addresses the complex issue of crime and the way in which it affects the lives of us all. It provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the diverse nature of crime, to identify and evaluate stages in the criminal justice process, to critically assess its performance and to consider new and radical alternatives for dealing with crime. Students study issues that compare and contrast regional, state, national and international crime and crime prevention policies, including public safety and security issues. The major in criminal justice adopts an inter-disciplinary approach which includes psychological studies, sociology and Indigenous studies perspectives.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the minor, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of crime, causes of criminal behaviour, crime prevention strategies and the criminal justice process
• show a critical understanding of crime, causes of crime and the implications of criminal behaviour for individuals, groups and communities
• think independently, based on critical understandings and knowledge of crime and the criminal justice process
• evaluate the role of research and theory in the advancement of knowledge within the field of criminal justice
• analyse diverse arguments and debates about crime, crime policy and crime prevention
• draw conclusions, based on evidence, about what works in controlling crime and rehabilitating offenders.

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of crime, criminal behaviour, crime prevention and the criminal justice process
• analyse and evaluate traditional, innovative and radical alternatives for dealing with crime
• analyse and synthesise knowledge from a range of relevant sources
• evaluate the role of research and theory in the advancement of knowledge within the discipline of criminal justice
• apply critical understanding of personal, social and cultural understandings of crime and the ethical attitudes that underpin the study of crime
• demonstrate advanced skills of written and oral presentation, argument and analysis
• demonstrate the capacity to apply these studies in the changing circumstances of intellectual life and of the profession they are likely to inhabit
• apply a critical awareness of international crime and crime prevention in the context of globalisation and technological change.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two compulsory coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the criminology honours coordinator.

Crime, its causes and its consequences directly impacts on all public and private sector institutions and on every member of society. The discipline of criminology interprets, analyses and evaluates critical aspects of crime, social control and the criminal justice process.

This area of study is aimed at people interested in pursuing research into the criminal justice system and related criminological issues. All relevant research topics will be considered, subject to the availability of supervision. Joint interdisciplinary supervision can be arranged.

Current academic strengths relevant to the criminology discipline include:

• border policing and sovereignty
• causes of crime
• crime and human rights
• gender and the criminal justice system
• histories of policing
• people trafficking
• policing
• punishment and incarceration
• restorative justice
• state crime
• surveillance
• terrorism and counter-terrorism
• transnational crime.

Crime is an issue that all citizens and governments confront on a daily basis. The causes of crime, the crime problem and how it should be dealt with, are the subject of intense debate. The criminology major, which is offered on the Caulfield and Clayton campuses, provides students with the skills to understand the complexities of crime, to learn about the various stages of the criminal justice system, to critically analyse its workings and tensions, and to explore alternative strategies. Criminology students can combine an interest in areas such as policing, courts, punishment and prisons, transnational crime and international justice, criminological theory, crime and the media, crime and politics, crime prevention and victims of crime, in order to broaden their career options in criminal justice and allied areas.

Students learn to critically analyse issues of crime at the local, state, national, and global level. The first-year gateway units introduce students to various facets of crime and how it is dealt with by the criminal justice system. Second and third-year units build on this knowledge and offer students the opportunity to critically analyse and evaluate crime-related issues in greater depth.

Graduates with a major or minor in criminology may find employment in a wide range of fields, including police, courts, corrections, human services, attorney-general departments, departments of justice, law reform commissions, ombudsman offices, anti-corruption commissions, local government and the private sector.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• critically analyse and compare key local, national and international trends in crime and vicitimisation across a range of jurisdictions, informed by advanced theoretical concepts
• apply critical frameworks to the analysis of the state and non-state responses to contemporary challenges of crime control and justice
• identify and explain crime and crime control under conditions of globalisation
• demonstrate the capacity to formulate and develop their own research questions within key areas of criminology and translate these into a viable research project
• work independently and collaboratively to prepare and justify creative solutions to address a range of local, national and international challenges around crime and justice in oral and written form.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising of a thesis and research and theoretical units.

Crime is a fascinating subject. The number of books, movies and television programmes devoted to it attest to people's interest in the problem. So too does the extensive and often sensational coverage that crime receives in the media. But, as this subject reveals, crime is a complex issue. While studying towards a major in criminology and criminal justice, students will learn that it is considerably more complex than the superficial and romanticised portrayal it often receives in fictional writings and the media.

The study of criminology and criminal justice will equip students who have an interest in deviance, conflict, crime and victimisation - and communities in general - with the knowledge needed for creating and maintaining a safe society.

Crime and victimisation have severe consequences for the sustained development of a society, the economy and ecology. This subject provides expert knowledge to deal effectively with crime, conflict and victimisation and to promote a democratic and just society with a human rights perspective as set out in the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Critical theory is a term that has come to signify a number of contemporary approaches to textual and cultural criticism. Research interests include eco-philosophy and eco-feminism, cultural materialism, deconstruction, feminist critical theory, hermeneutics, and psychoanalysis.

The discipline of English is concerned with the richest and most varied of the world's literatures, reaching in time from Anglo-Saxon writings of the eighth century to contemporary genre fiction, and in geographical range across all the many nations in which English is a preferred medium for writing. English has also been the source of some of the most exciting theoretical and interdisciplinary advances of recent decades.

English at Monash has as its ideal a fruitful interaction of new energies and modes of awareness with the strengths of traditional scholarship and criticism. It offers studies in authors from the Renaissance onwards and in many thematic and theoretical fields. It is a world-recognised centre for the editing of scholarly texts, particularly from British literature pre-1800, classic Australian poetry and fiction, and postcolonial literature. Scholarly editions of Henry Handel Richardson and Mary Gilmore, and 19th-century Indian women's writing in English are among some of the section's recent productions. The Monash Library has particularly fine collections in the field of English literature 1660-1800 and owns a rare database, exclusive to Monash University, in postcolonial studies - Empire On-Line. The Rare Books library also has outstanding collections of Australian literature, children's literature, science fiction and ephemera.

Particular academic strengths in the section include:

• 17th and 18th-century writing and new literatures in postcolonial contexts
• Australian literature (including its regional and textual character)
• children's literature and discourses of childhood
• creative fiction writing
• discourse analysis
• law and literature
• literary and cultural theory
• literary and other biography
• literature and the history of ideas
• poetics and poetry
• postcolonial literature and discourse
• pre-1800 British literature
• the construction of canons and the newly emerging developments of English studies
• the history of authorship and editorial practice and theory
• Victorian literature
• women's studies and writing.

Berwick, Gippsland and off-campus learning

Offered by the School of Applied Media and Social Sciences

English offers a sequence of units focusing on English language as it is used for a range of communicative and cultural purposes. The approach is interdisciplinary (drawing on linguistics, philosophy, sociology, communications as well as traditional disciplines of literary criticism) and the range of texts studied is diverse (including contemporary and canonical literature, formal and academic writing, popular fiction, poetry and journalism). The emphasis is on the complex relations between the texts we read for pleasure or craft to communicate with others and the social and intellectual conditions which give birth to them. In this way, English combines a love of reading with a passion for thinking, to provide a chance to understand and debate the significance and purpose of communication and culture in its many varied forms.

The English minor may be of interest to students studying the humanities and seeking to improve their English literacy - an attribute increasingly valued by a range of employers. The English program aims to equip students with high levels of English language skills and cultural literacy, including developed aptitudes for the understanding and use of English for a variety of purposes, advanced skills in critical reading and interpretation, and an appreciation of the cultural and social history which has shaped the world we live in.

Outcomes

On completion of the English minor, students will have:

• general competence in the understanding and use of English for a variety of purposes
• a range of effective reading strategies, including strategies of evaluation, and advanced skills in close and critical reading
• an appreciation of the complex relations between cultural and material history and between literature, life and society
• an ability to debate the significance of literature and the various ways of engaging in literary interpretation
• detailed knowledge of the aesthetic form and social context of production of a selection of key works in literary history.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the supervisor.

English as an international language is a new and timely discipline that is concerned with all aspects of the spread and the use of English around the globe. This interdisciplinary area includes studies that deal with all areas of linguistics and applied linguistics that have implications for English as a language of international and intercultural communication.

The very rapid growth in the use of English and in the number of English speakers around the world in recent decades has had significant linguistic, socio-cultural, political and pedagogical implications and consequences for this global language, which deserve scholarly attention. The program of English as an international language provides a unique opportunity for master's and PhD students to undertake in-depth studies in this area that will equip them with knowledge and expertise that is highly needed in today's internationalised world.

Prospective students may choose to investigate topics from a wide range of sub-fields, including teaching and testing of English as an international language, intercultural communication, discourse analysis, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, and cultural linguistics.

English as an international language (EIL) is a timely and innovative discipline that offers a new perspective on the use of English in today's globalised and internationalised world. It also examines the implications of the global spread of the English language for intercultural communication. One of the important features of the units offered in this program is that students are encouraged to critically reflect on their experiences of using, learning, and/or teaching English in a variety of contexts and examine them in the context of the development of intercultural communication skills.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a high level of familiarity with different Englishes in the world (World Englishes)
• demonstrate a critical understanding of the complexity of the language-culture-identity relationship in intercultural communication
• demonstrate a high level of understanding of different models for teaching and learning English and the impact of ethnocentric teaching and learning materials or activities on learners and teachers of English
• demonstrate cultural and linguistic sensitivity towards speakers from different cultural backgrounds, and appreciate the diversity of cultural values and worldviews reflected in different Englishes
• develop critical views on the ideology behind the learning and teaching of English
• demonstrate a critical perspective on contrastive rhetoric and hegemonic models of writing in multilingual and multicultural contexts
• conduct English as an international language research projects competently.

Programs in environment and sustainability have been designed to prepare students for careers in environmental policy and analysis, planning, consulting, education, advocacy and management.

Geography and environmental science is concerned with understanding dimensions, complexities and relationships of the physical, human and environmental world. The school has an active research program that provides research training and the foundations for interactions across a range of government, non-government and industry sectors. There are a number of broad research strengths within the school including:

• urban and regional sustainability - associated with social, cultural, economic, environmental and political change across a range of scales (global to local); dealing with a range of activities (housing, economic development, resource management, sustainability) and contexts (Australia, Africa and Indo-Pacific Region)
• short and long-term changes in climate, vegetation and the physical and human landscape
• the socio-political structures shaping human interactions with the biosphere and the exploration of the community governance of environmental and ecological change at the local, national and international scale
• specialisation in the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait
• geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, with strong emphasis on scientific applications to environmental and resource management, GIS for mapping and modelling in local government, transport and land use planning applications.

The Monash European and European Union Centre provides a focus for multidisciplinary teaching and research in European and European Union (EU) studies. It gives particular attention to the European Union and its significance on the world scene, including in the Asia-Pacific. The centre is also committed to highlight Europe's cultural, social, linguistic and intellectual heritage as reflected in the diversity of its peoples. It promotes top-quality research on Europe and the European Union.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study including a thesis, a compulsory coursework unit and one elective coursework unit. Students may also be required to attend a short methodology course.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the film and screen studies honours coordinator.

Film and screen studies involve historical, textual and critical approaches to film and television, and related video and new screen technologies. Film and screen studies cover Australian, Asian and European national cinemas, earlier and contemporary popular Hollywood and its institutions, alternative film and video, documentary film, Australian television, popular television genres, online screen forms, and video practice.

Emphasis is given to a variety of historical, critical and theoretical methods of analysis appropriate to the study of the moving image, including formal, semiotic and psychoanalytic approaches, institutional, reception and cultural studies approaches, consideration of issues to do with the intersection of ideology and culture, the representation of gender, race and class, and questions concerning the relations between film and television and new technologies.

Students are encouraged to consider combining their film and screen studies with other relevant and compatible units and/or disciplines in the Faculty of Arts. Examples include:

• communicationscommunications (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/communications/)
• gender studiesgender studies (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/sociology/ug-arts-sociology.html)
• historyhistory (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/history/)
• literary studiesliterary studies (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/literary-studies/)
• theatretheatre (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/theatre/)
• and a range of relevant Asian and European languages.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• identify and evaluate screen theory and scholarly debates in relation to contemporary and historical screen media examples and methods (review/evaluation of critical debate or literature review)
• understand and apply advanced intermediate library and archival research skills (research essay)
• critically reflect on and synthesise screen theoretical approaches and communicate this in written, oral and audio-visual form (research essay and presentations)
• actively design collaborative modes of problem solving in a group project task (A/V response task/group work)
• undertake academically rigorous research, demonstrating skills in research project planning, design and writing, and production
• identify and describe a range of historical and new approaches and theories within the discipline of film and screen studies
• understand and apply a range of theoretical approaches to contemporary and historical narrative and non-narrative forms of film, television and online screen content such as psychoanalysis, queer theory, transnationalism and intermediality to a wide range of national cinemas and televisions in both scholarly and practical assignments
• critically engage with contemporary and historical practices of cinema and television criticism
• interpret and analyse forms of film and television critical and theoretical practices in the context of digital cultures.

Film and television studies offers graduate studies in:

• alternative film and video
• American film
• Asian film (Indonesian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Hong Kong, Indian)
• Australian film and television
• documentary film studies
• European film (especially French cinema)
• film aesthetics (form, style, narrative)
• film and television genre studies
• film history
• histories of film theory and criticism
• international film cultures and institutions
• teen film and television
• women and cinema
• women and television.

This program provides doctoral (PhD) and master's by research candidates with the opportunity to focus on developing knowledge and expertise in their chosen subject, as well as developing professional skills that will support candidate's career ambitions.

Each candidate's research will be supported by the development of a range of skills that will help them to become more efficient researchers, ultimately improving the quality of the research and developing generic/transferable skills of value to prospective employers.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the supervisor.

The French studies program is home to the 'Australian Journal of French Studies'.

Specific research strengths include:

• 19th-century French literature (especially Zola and the late 19th-century novel)
• contemporary poetry
• contemporary popular culture
• critical theory and practice
• film studies
• foreign language learning and classroom instruction
• French political philosophy and social theory
• literary translation and translation studies
• new technologies and language learning
• the contemporary novel
• writing in a foreign language and L2 writing instruction.

The French studies program is designed to enable students to develop a high level of communicative competence in the French language (including translation skills), and a critical understanding of fundamental areas of French studies: literature, film, cultural studies, philosophy, politics and social sciences. Students will develop reading, writing and research skills appropriate to their level and intended to facilitate increasingly independent research in French studies.

French can be studied from introductory level up to a level of near-native language competence (French Advanced 4). The French studies program has three entry points, each comprising a first and second semester unit. To ensure that students are placed in the most appropriate level in the light of their individual profile and the best outcome they can expect to achieve, all students, except beginners, are required to undertake placement testing prior to the start of first semester. For information on accessing, completing and returning placement tests, see the French Studies Program enrolment information pageFrench Studies Program enrolment information page (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/french/french-studies-enrolment-information/).

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• analyse the structure and understand the context of authentic, formal and complex language
• read and translate or interpret a range of French for social and professional use
• have a sophisticated and detailed awareness of a range of important themes and/or sets of texts relating to modern French and Francophone culture in their historical context from a selection of genres
• respond to these texts critically in written and spoken French
• conduct independent research in the area of French language, culture and literature
• use mostly discipline-specific language and appropriate genre to demonstrate knowledge and understanding within a field from a scholarly perspective and for a specified audience.

Right of school to determine entry level and approve accelerated enrolment

The French studies program convenor retains the right to determine the proper proficiency level for any particular student. Students are not permitted to accelerate their enrolment without first consulting the program convenor.

Non-arts students

Students who want to study French as part of their non-arts course should consult the managing faculty of their course to determine the number and year-level of language units for which they are permitted to enrol.

Language study abroad program

All students have the opportunity to participate in the Language Study Abroad program in France or the francophone world. The program includes exchange agreements with the University of Lyon III, the University of Paris III and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris allowing for semester-length study abroad. It also provides for summer semester study abroad outside the exchange program, especially for students who begin their French studies at entry point 1 or 2. For detailed information see the French Studies Program Study AbroadFrench Studies Program Study Abroad (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/french/study-abroad/) web page. Students must obtain written approval from the French Studies Program before enrolling. Grants for study abroad are available through Monash AbroadMonash Abroad (http://monash.edu.au/study-abroad/), to which applications should be addressed.

Gender studies is an exciting interdisciplinary field of inquiry broadly concerned with questions of gender, sexuality and culture. Gender studies is informed by the belief that all social processes are 'gendered' and studies in this area bring innovative theory and research techniques to the study of women's and men's lives, gendered status in society and the dilemmas and contradictions in gender relations and sexualities. Gender studies covers topics such as:

• how gender issues are represented in film, literature, popular culture, advertising and the media
• feminist and gender theory
• the relationship between gender and crime
• the connections between gender, consumption and marketing
• feminist research methodology
• how different cultures shape gender identities and sexualities
• shifting cultural and historical forms of femininity and masculinity
• how questions of sex or gender relate to questions of class and race
• cross-cultural feminism.

The undergraduate program is designed to introduce students to a variety of feminist models of analysis and to assist them in developing a range of methodological skills. Gender studies units also foster the development of transferable professional skills among students.

Geography and environmental science is concerned with understanding dimensions, complexities and relationships of the physical, human and environmental world. The school has an active research program that provides research training and the foundations for interactions across a range of government, non-government and industry sectors. There are a number of broad research strengths within the school including:

• urban and regional sustainability is associated with social, cultural, economic, environmental and political change across a range of scales (global to local); dealing with a range of activities (housing, economic development, resource management, sustainability) and contexts (Australia, Africa and Indo-Pacific Region)
• short and long-term changes in climate, vegetation and the physical and human landscape
• the socio-political structures shaping human interactions with the biosphere and the exploration of the community governance of environmental and ecological change at the local, national and international scale
• specialisation in the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait
• geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, with strong emphasis on scientific applications to environmental and resource management, GIS for mapping and modelling in local government, transport and land use planning applications.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the geography and environmental science honours coordinator.

Geography and environmental science, offered by the School of Social Science, is concerned with natural environments, societies, communities, economies, human-environment relations and environmental management.

Physical geography emphasises the systematic study of environmental processes, climate and climate change, landforms and geologic developments. Human geography focuses on development, cities and communities, economic processes and cultural studies. Many geography units include some field studies and trips which involve study of interesting landscapes, climatology, meteorology, cities, and environmental assessment of developmental activities.

Students gain an analytical and critical perception of the current state of the environment as well as global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development concepts, using state-of-the-art research methods and techniques such as geographic information systems.

Geography, climate and physical environments integrates the systematic study of environmental processes, landforms, soils, vegetation, climate and climate change, with human interactions and environmental management and policy. Students undertaking this area of study will develop analytical skills in geography and environmental science through practical and field-based learning and applied research. There are two streams within this area of study that enable students to direct their interests towards professional careers in environmental management, policy and education. The land, water and climate stream provides a pathway for students in the humanities and social sciences to enhance their capacity to work in interdisciplinary policy areas such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity and cultural heritage conservation, environmental activism, sustainable consumption and green economies. It provides students with a competitive advantage for working in environmental agencies and departments at national, state and local levels; private sector consulting firms; and local and international environmental non-government organisations (NGOs). The geographical studies stream provides an integrative approach for students interested in teaching geography at the secondary level or working in environmental education for local governments and public knowledge institutions.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• analyse and interrogate the key phenomena in geography and the interactions between humans and the environment across a range of scales and contexts, and recognise uncertainties in environmental systems
• evaluate, assess and integrate empirical data and be able to place this in the context of the current state of knowledge
• demonstrate spatial competency by successfully interpreting, applying and justifying geographical data across a range of scales and contexts to answer complex environmental problems
• work independently and in teams to produce innovative solutions by developing own skills, knowledge and practice, and transfer geographical and environmental science to a range of audiences.

This program provides doctoral (PhD) and master's by research candidates with the opportunity to focus on developing knowledge and expertise in their chosen subject, as well as developing professional skills that will support candidate's career ambitions.

Each candidate's research will be supported by the development of a range of skills that will help them to become more efficient researchers, ultimately improving the quality of the research and developing generic/transferable skills of value to prospective employers.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising either a 12-point thesis and 36 points of coursework units, or a 24-point thesis and 24 points of coursework units.

There is a strong expectation that students will complete at least one semester's study at a German university.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the German studies honours coordinator.

Areas of research specialisation in German studies include:

• applied linguistics
• comparative literature
• cultural anthropology
• cultural identity, migration and bilingualism
• discourse and text analysis
• German for special purposes
• German literature from the 18th century to the present (especially Weimar Classic, Romanticism, literature of the 19th century, contemporary literature)
• history and theory of German drama and theatre
• history and theory of mass media
• history of German philosophy
• literary aesthetics
• literary theory
• media studies
• poetics
• psychoanalytic theory
• rhetoric and cultural studies
• second language acquisition
• sociolinguistics
• sociology of literature
• travel literature
• visual culture.

German studies programs are designed for students wishing to specialise in German language, linguistics, literature and their relation to culture and society, and also for those seeking a broader outlook within the humanities and social sciences. At every level, students are required to engage in studies of German language and culture, practical language study and fundamental training in German culture and history as well as German linguistics. Elective units, offered at second and third-year levels, offer opportunities for diversification and specialisation in the fields of German literature and culture, media studies and German linguistics. These options are offered from level two (for linguistics) and three onwards.

The compulsory units are organised in streams, catering for different levels of language ability; from introductory (entry point 1) to proficient (entry point 3). Depending on the units taken at first-year level, the sequences may lead either to an introductory minor or major or to an advanced minor or major. Students may also undertake further studies at honours, master's and doctorate level in German linguistics, literature and cultural studies. Students should contact the coordinator for further advice.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• analyse the structure and understand the context of authentic, formal and complex language
• read and translate or interpret a range of German for social and professional use
• have a sophisticated and detailed awareness of a range of important themes in German culture and literature, including familiarity with the historical context
• demonstrate knowledge of theoretical frameworks for the analysis and interpretation of literary and other cultural texts, and apply research, analytic and interpretive skills from a scholarly perspective and for a specified audience.

Right of school to determine entry level and approve accelerated enrolment

The German studies program convenor retains the right to determine the proper proficiency level for any particular student. Students are not permitted to accelerate their enrolment without first consulting the program convenor.

Non-arts students

Students who want to study German as part of their non-arts course should consult the managing faculty of their course to determine the number and year-level of language units for which they are permitted to enrol.

Language study abroad program

The German studies program has ten active exchange agreements with German universities and cultural institutions. Students are encouraged to consider study abroad as part of a major and/or an honours degree in German studies, linguistics or comparative literature and cultural studies. Funding may be available through Monash AbroadMonash Abroad (http://monash.edu.au/study-abroad/) and the German Government. For detailed information contact the German studies programGerman studies program (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/german/).

Students must obtain written approval from the German studies program before enrolling.

This program provides doctoral (PhD) and master's by research candidates with the opportunity to focus on developing knowledge and expertise in their chosen subject, as well as developing professional skills that will support candidate's career ambitions.

Each candidate's research will be supported by the development of a range of skills that will help them to become more efficient researchers, ultimately improving the quality of the research and developing generic/transferable skills of value to prospective employers.

Students are required to complete 48 points of study comprising a thesis and two coursework units.

The coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the history honours coordinator.

Historical research is primarily concerned with interpretations of the past based upon the careful analysis of evidence and the critical assessment of other perspectives. History's questions are intrinsically fascinating: How can we know about the past? What can we know? Who speaks in the historical record, and who does not? If the past is written about in this way or that way, what are its consequences for interpretations of the present and the future?

The school's aim is to provide research and coursework students with the critical tools to undertake their own investigations of past worlds and to explore their own. Courses in the school also focus upon different approaches to the tasks of research, interpretation and writing, and encourage students to address questions such as the nature and status of different forms of historical evidence, the 'uses' of history in public debate, and the relationships between history and other ways of recording and remembering the past.

History offers postgraduate research supervision across a broad range of fields, along with coursework units and degrees which enable students to explore their own interests as well as key theoretical, interpretive and methodological questions about the nature of historical knowledge, research and writing. Research degrees in history combine detailed work in a particular area with broader training in appropriate research skills and in understanding of the changes within history as a discipline. Research students are offered regular research training and work-in-progress seminars, an annual one-day conference for the presentation of graduate research, and the opportunity to participate in editing Eras, a refereed online journal. Seminars, conferences and reading groups offered by the school, provide a supportive environment for all postgraduate students.

Specific research strengths in history at Monash include:

• American history, especially social and cultural history
• Australian social and cultural history, especially urban history, local history, oral history, public history and social welfare
• biography, autobiography, oral history, memory and life stories
• European social and cultural history, especially French history, German history, Renaissance studies, urban history, family history and the intellectual history of religion and belief in medieval and early modern Europe
• Indigenous history and the history of racial and ethnic relations
• Jewish history
• military history
• South and Southeast Asian history, Indonesian history and the history of imperialism, colonialism and post colonialism
• the history of gender and sexuality, especially in Australia, Britain and Europe during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

There is also considerable expertise in the area of historical biography.

For a full list of staff and research interests, refer to the history staff profileshistory staff profiles (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/history-studies/people/) webpage.

History is not simply about dates and facts. It is about ways to interpret and understand the past. History reaches broadly into different aspects of the human experience and considers societies and civilisations across a range of periods and continents. This makes history one of the most exciting and challenging disciplines to study at university. But history is not just about what has come before us. It also provides new ways to make sense of the world today. We cannot understand the current shape of societies and states across the globe, or issues facing individuals and social groups, without considering the past. For example, how did the notion of democracy arise? Why do most of us live in cities? How have ideas and experiences of family or sexuality changed? Why are certain countries and communities implacable enemies? History considers the origins of institutions and ideas that continue to shape our lives, and it explores how people have reacted to and sometimes reshaped the world around them. In so doing, it tells us where we came from, who we are and where we might be going in the future.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will:

• have an ability to conduct and produce an independent research project in a written, visual or oral form and in keeping with the methodological conventions of the discipline of history
• demonstrate the capacity to present a sustained argument which makes extensive use of primary sources
• be a skillful team worker and have the ability to make sophisticated oral presentations
• possess sophisticated problem-solving skills
• be aware of current philosophical, historical and cultural debates about the nature of history as a discipline and a discourse
• be acquainted with the various public uses and applications of history, including digital and online applications, and have the capacity to work with digital technologies in historical research
• be acquainted with how historians can shape the present and the future
• be able to think reflectively about different forms or genre of historical representation
• be able to identify and reflect on the knowledge and skills they have developed in their study of history
• be familiar with at least three historical fields, and have developed one area of historical specialism.