HUMA413 - Honours International Study Unit

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit requires students to extend their studies in advanced theory, methodology or scholarship in the field. This unit is required so that students can achieve the course learning outcomes relating to advanced knowledge of theories, concepts and methodologies in humanities, arts or social sciences while studying internationally.

Students will participate in a pre-departure seminar and an ACU overseas intensive study tour and will undertake assessment tasks that assess their ability to meet the learning outcomes of the unit in the context of their international study experience.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Articulate and apply advanced concepts relevant to the area of study, and major scholarly positions and theories in the literature (GA4, GA5, GA8)

LO2 - Critically analyse and evaluate complex debates and ideas in the field, by generating and transmitting sustained arguments in relation to them (GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8)

LO3 - Relate advanced discipline-specific cognitive, technical and communication skills to transform information and complete a range of activities (GA5, GA7, GA9, GA10).

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will be identified in the unit specification for the replaced unit.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Mode: Workshops, web consultation, seminars, field work or site visits, library tasks and presentations. Students enrol in an advanced coursework seminar to learn advanced scholarship in their chosen field, as well as to be in a rigorous discussion environment with other AQF 8 level students. Pre-departure seminars are normally held to introduce students to key contextual information, concepts and readings. Due to the intensive mode of teaching, attendance at pre-departure and off-shore classes, is expected.

This unit has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students should engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning. These may be adapted to suit the context of the international experience but will include both pre-departure classes to prepare you for the experience (online or face-to-face) and off-shore classes and experiences to facilitate your learning in an international context. Activities could include lectures, tutorials, field work, reading, reflection, discussion, research, preparing seminar presentations or assessment tasks for the unit, skills workshops, and assignments.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.

The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit and participate in all assessment tasks. 

In the first task, students will be required to keep a reflective journal that allows them to critically examine their overseas experiences and seminars in relation to the learning outcomes of the unit and the key concepts, debates and methods of their discipline. 

The second task is an oral presentation to their fellow students that requires an in-depth analysis, argument and evaluation of one aspect of their fieldwork, taking into consideration the complex debates and ideas in the field. Students will also be required to critically engage with the presentations of their fellow students.

The last task is a reflective essay. Students will prepare a reflective essay, relating their experience to some of the key concepts, debates and methods in their field.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Texts and references appropriate to the topics will be identified in the unit specification for the replaced unit.