Undergraduate - CourseBachelor of Letters

The Bachelor of Letters is a second undergraduate qualification that allows students to explore areas touched on in their undergraduate degree but not studied in depth, or to start studying in a completely new area of humanities and social sciences. Candidates can choose from the full range of arts disciplines and interdisciplinary programs taught by schools and centres in the Faculty of Arts.

Monash Arts students learn about the diverse world in which we live, and how we might live in the future. They are encouraged to think about cultural, linguistic and geographical difference and to ask how and why these variations have occurred over time. Studying Arts encourages students to take an innovative approach in tackling world issues and fosters a global perspective. Arts students think about how communication works, how people make themselves understood to others, and how they make meaning through artistic expression. Arts students have the ability to assess evidence, and the research skills to acquire information. They use these skills to find out why we are the way we are.

To do this, they need to think critically and creatively. Arts students are self-reliant researchers, seeking out a variety of resources in order to answer complicated questions. They are expert communicators who can convey complex ideas in speech and writing. They resist easy answers, or simplistic solutions.

Arts students strive to develop an ethical and intellectual framework within which they can understand what it means to be human, and how this changes over time.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 7, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 7, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

• critically analyse, apply and communicate an advanced level of understanding of the content, methods of investigation and theoretical frameworks that constitute the knowledge base of at least one discipline, and utilise the research skills gained from exposure to several disciplines
• 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 scholarship 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
• utilise the knowledge base and methodologies of the disciplines studied in order to find innovative solutions and provide authoritative advice, in a range of contexts and in a manner appropriate to the audience.

This course consists of a compulsory arts major, with additional studies chosen from a variety of arts disciplines.

Note that disciplines offered by other faculties, including psychology, are not available.

Students must complete one of the four following course models.

If selecting individual units not for a major or minor, suitable arts units can be identified using the browse units toolbrowse units tool (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/search) and indexes of arts unitsindexes of arts units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/index-byfaculty-arts.html) in the current edition of the Handbook. The level of the unit is indicated by the first number in the unit code; undergraduate units are those that commence with the code ATS and numbers 1-3. Students must be able to meet any unit prerequisites.

Model one

(a.) an arts major (48 points)

(b.) arts units (48 points)

Model two

(a.) an arts major (48 points)

(b.) an arts minor (24 points)

(c.) arts units (24 points)

Model three

(a.) an arts major (48 points)

(b.) an arts minor (24 points)

(c.) a second arts minor (24 points)

Model four

(a.) an arts major (48 points)

(b.) a second arts major (48 points)

Students can only complete 24 points at first-year level, of which 12 points will be gateway units within their major/s. Students must also complete at least 24 points at third-year level.

Majors

• Ancient cultures
• Anthropology
• Behavioural studies
• Chinese studies
• Communications
• Criminology
• English as an international language
• Film and screen studies
• French studies
• German studies
• History
• Human geography
• Human rights
• Indigenous cultures and histories
• Indonesian studies
• International relations
• International studies
• Islamic studies
• Italian studies
• Japanese studies
• Journalism practice
• Journalism studies
• Korean studies
• Linguistics
• Literary studies
• Music
• Philosophy
• Politics
• Religious studies
• Sociology
• Spanish and Latin American studies
• Theatre

Minor only

• Australia in the world
• Bioethics
• Holocaust and genocide studies
• Jewish studies
• Performance
• Ukrainian studies

Level-1 sequence only

• Modern Greek

Bachelor of Letters