Faculty of Arts Cultural studies

 Search : Index : Faculty of Arts

Faculty of Arts

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Requirements for a major
3. Cultural studies subjects
    3.1. First year
    3.2. Core subjects
    3.3. Optional subjects
4. Honours entry
5. Honours requirements
    5.1. Pure honours
    5.2. Combined honours
6. Career opportunities
7. Further study
8. For more information
Subject Lists
    Fourth year subjects

Convener: Brett Farmer (Department of English)

Cultural studies at the University of Melbourne offers students an exciting and productive environment in which to acquire and develop essential skills in critical reading, analysis, and communication. The program is taught by the Department of English and has developed from its inception in 1994 to become one of Australia's leading centres for cultural studies teaching and research. Academic staff are leaders in their field and dedicated to maintaining the program's international reputation. Students will benefit directly from the highest standards of research excellence and the commitment of staff to the development and use of innovative teaching practices and technologies such as multimedia. Cultural studies is particularly relevant for students interested in pursuing careers in the media, education, arts policy, advertising, creative arts, multimedia and other related fields. Students interested in expanding their interests and knowledge in cultural studies are provided with an articulated structure of higher degree options to continue their study at the University of Melbourne.

Cultural studies is the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between popular, national, and contemporary global cultures and subcultures as they are experienced in everyday life. A diverse range of subjects address a distinctive set of concerns that include the production and consumption of cultural texts, the social impact of cultural power and its role in the formation of identities.

1. Prerequisites

The cultural studies program commences in second year. The general prerequisite for entry is the completion of 50 points of first year study. These must include 25 points of first year study from anthropology, art history, cinema studies, criminology, English, history, history and philosophy of science, linguistics and applied linguistics, philosophy, political science or sociology.

Students wishing to undertake subjects as part of a major in cultural studies are not required to fulfil the usual departmental prerequisites for second/third year subjects if they have completed 25 points of first year study in one of the departments listed above.

Students planning to undertake a major in cultural studies are strongly advised to complete both 106-001 Contemporary Culture and Media and 106-005 Contemporary Culture and Everyday Life in their first year. These subjects are offered in the Department of English in Semester 1 and 2 respectively. The completion of these subjects is not, however, a formal prerequisite for the second/third year component of the cultural studies program.

2. Requirements for a major

A major in cultural studies usually consists of nine 12.5 point subjects, totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two first year subjects in anthropology, art history, cinema studies, criminology, English, history, history and philosophy of science, linguistics and applied linguistics, philosophy, political science or sociology (25 points), and;

• seven second/third year subjects (87.5 points), which must include:

  • 106-064 Contemporary Cultural Studies, the program's compulsory subject (12.5 points) and;

  • at least four subjects from the list of core subjects below and;

  • the remainder from the list of core subjects or the list of optional subjects below.

3. Cultural studies subjects

3.1. First year

Students are recommended to take the two following subjects offered in the Department of English as part of their cultural studies major.

3.2. Core subjects

Students must take at least four of the following core subjects toward their cultural studies major in addition to the program's compulsory subject 106-064 Contemporary Cultural Studies

3.3. Optional subjects

Students must take no more than two of the following optional subjects toward their cultural studies major.

You must consult the relevant area of study entries in this Handbook to make sure that you meet the prerequisites, if any, for entry to these subjects. Existing prerequisites may be waived for students undertaking an interdepartmental program. If you do not meet the existing prerequisites, please consult the relevant subject coordinator for permission to enrol.

General enquiries about optional subjects as they relate to the cultural studies program should be directed to the cultural studies convener in the Department of English.

4. Honours entry

The prerequisites for entry to fourth year honours in cultural studies are:

• completion of all the requirements for the BA;

• completion of a major in cultural studies;

• an average grade of H2B or higher over the second/third year subjects within the major.

Entry to honours must be approved by either the English honours coordinator or the convenor of cultural studies and the Faculty of Arts honours course adviser. A departmental application for both pure and combined honours is available from the Department of English as well as the Honours Handbook (available in mid-October). Applications are to be lodged with the Department of English by 16 November. If the student intends to enrol in a cultural studies honours thesis, then the application must include a 200 word thesis proposal. Prospective honours students will be interviewed by the departmental honours coordinator in the Department of English between 3-7 December, 2001. Mid-year entry applications must be lodged during the same period. An interview period for prospective mid-year honours entry students will announced in 2002.

5. Honours requirements

5.1. Pure honours

Students undertaking pure honours in cultural studies must complete:

• 106-511 Cultural Studies Thesis or 106-512 Cultural Studies Thesis (MYE) (37.5 points) and;

• 106-401 Research Principles and Practices (12.5 points) and;

• four honours subjects in cultural studies (50 points) from the list below.

5.2. Combined honours

Students undertaking combined honours in cultural studies and another area of study must complete:

• 106-511 Cultural Studies Thesis or 106-512 Cultural Studies Thesis (MYE) (37.5 points) and;

• two honours subjects in cultural studies from the list below (25 points), including 106-401 Research Principles and Practices (12.5 points) and;

• three honours subjects in the combined area of study (37.5 points).

or

• honours thesis in the combined area of study (37.5 points) and;

• two honours subjects in the combined area of study (25 points) and;

• three honours subjects in cultural studies from the list below (37.5 points), excluding106-401 Research Principles and Practices.

6. Career opportunities

A degree with a major in cultural studies is an excellent preparation for careers in the arts, in the media, and in cultural policy.

7. Further study

There are a number of graduate diplomas and degrees at different levels offered in the area of cultural studies. These include Graduate Certificate in Arts (Cultural Studies); Graduate Diploma in Arts (Cultural Studies); Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Cultural Studies) as well as an MA by thesis and a PhD. Students wishing to apply for entry into the MA program should have an H1 or H2A honours degree (or equivalent) in a related discipline. Details of these courses are available in the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Handbook and from the Department of English.

8. For more information

Brett Farmer
Department of English
Second Floor, John Medley Building
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010
Tel: +61 3 8344 5506/7/8
Web: http://www.english.unimelb.edu.au

Fourth year subjects

106-511 Cultural Studies Thesis
106-512 Cultural Studies Thesis (MYE)

Search : Index : Faculty of Arts

Status:                   Official 2002
Last Modified:            Tuesday May 07 22:10
SGML to HTML Conversion:  Information Technology Services
Authorised by:            Academic Registrar
Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au