| Over the past year, we have reorganised the Faculty to bring like minded disciplines
together under one roof. As a result, Arts and Social Sciences is now home to five
schools: Education; English, Media and Performing Arts; History and Philosophy; Languages and Linguistics; and Social Science and International Studies. |
| The new Faculty structure allows us to offer degree courses with greater disciplinary depth allied to structured interdisciplinary study. This approach will better prepare graduates for employment in today’s world in which flexible work patterns and changing career directions are increasingly the norm. |
| In the new look UNSW Bachelor of Arts, on which we have been working for more than two years, traditional disciplines remain the cornerstone and will be complemented by a range of majors and minors that cover the ‘new Humanities’ (such as Film and Media Studies), interdisciplinary and contextual studies (such as Americas Studies, Asian Studies and Environmental Studies). |
| A range of more vocational offerings, such as Economics, Human Resource Management and International Business support the traditional generalist degree skills of critical analysis, self reliance and good communication. |
| Our internship program ensures that students have access to practical experience in their field to complement their academic studies. As always, any support that you and your organisation may be able to give here would be much appreciated, and if you would like to offer placement for our students please indicate on the attached questionnaire and we will contact you. |
| The highly competitive Bachelor of International Studies, which includes a year of funded overseas study, continues to satisfy a growing demand for graduates equipped to meet the challenge of work in a rapidly changing global market place. A revised Bachelor of Media focused on contemporary media and their social contexts will in particular develop new media knowledge and skills. |
| The updated Bachelor of International Studies starts in 2008, the new BA and BMedia will be available in 2009 – and we have more plans for 2010! |
| The established Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Social Science, and also the combined degrees with Education, will continue to be offered. |
| We are proud to have within the Faculty some of the country’s leading Social Research Centres. These shape public and government perceptions of some of society’s most challenging issues. |
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The widely-recognised Gifted Education Research and Information Centre is the only centre of research into gifted education in Australia. Every year it equips the nation’s future and established teachers with the skills to nurture and support gifted children. It also provides on-campus programs for gifted students from kindergarten to Year 10. |
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The National Centre for HIV Social Research develops social understandings of HIV, Hepatitis C and other communicable diseases. This complements the work of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical research, also at UNSW, which addresses the disease from a medical viewpoint. Together, the two approaches deliver a far greater impact in understanding this debilitating disease than either could alone. |
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The Social Policy Research Centre explores economic and social inequality and evaluates labour market, health and community service policies. Recent research has changed approaches to the provision of housing for the mentally ill – and also the Chinese Government’s policy on orphans. |
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A new Journalism and Media Research Centre combines disparate research interests including extensive work on new media communication. |
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The Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, directed by the Centre for Gender- Related Violence Studies and The Centre for Refugee Research continue to provide valuable resources to their respective sectors. |
| In addition to these research centres the Faculty works closely with other faculties within the University on common areas of major research and teaching strengths such as the Environment and Climate Change. An Arts and Social Science perspective again complements a scientific approach by showing how social, economic and technological systems mediate human interaction with the environment and by explaining some of the forces that shape policy agendas. |
| Thank you for taking the time to read this letter; I hope that you have found the news about the Faculty of interest. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date with events and developments here. Equally, we are interested in knowing more about you as part of the wider UNSW Arts and Social Sciences community. Understanding the career paths – and the opinions – of our alumni will help us to ensure that our programs stay relevant, as well as providing valuable links between the student and graduate experience. |
| I would be most grateful if you can take the time to fill in the attached
questionnaire. All completed questionnaires will be entered into a draw for a
pair of tickets to the fantastic dance production ‘Three Works’, by Spain’s most
celebrated dance company, Compañia Nacional de Danza, part of January’s Sydney
Festival. The draw will take place on 21 December, 2007. Just go to this link below. FASS Alumni Questionnaire » |
| I am also pleased to announce that, on Thursday 21 February next year, I shall be hosting a function for alumni at UNSW in order to launch the new academic year and new-look Faculty. I would be delighted if you could attend. If you are interested in receiving a formal invitation please let me know by marking the relevant section on the questionnaire. If you have questions or would like further information I shall be happy to hear from you. You can contact me on: artsdean@unsw.edu.au or by telephone on (02) 9385 1739. |
| Yours sincerely |