Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies)

There's some freedom of choice in what to study in a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) degree, but there are a few requirements that you will have to follow. These requirements are listed here and explained in detail below.

Let's go through what each of these requirements mean in turn.

What are credit points?

• Students doing an Arts degree are able to choose to study in a wide range of subject areas - for example, History, English, Japanese etc.
• A semester-length component in a particular subject area is called a 'unit of study'.
• Each unit of study is worth a certain number of 'credit points', depending on the level at which it is taught and the amount of work required. From 2006, all units of study are worth 6 credit points each.

How do I get 144 credit points?

• Most people studying full-time take three years to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree.
• Full-time students usually earn their 144 credit points by taking units of study worth a total of 48 credit points per year (usually 24 credit points per semester) over the three years of their degree, that is:
  48 credit points x 3 years = 144 credit points!

What are 'junior' credit points?

• You start your degree by taking 'junior' units of study. They form a foundation for more advanced 'senior' units of study. Junior units of study are worth 6 junior credit points each. They are sometimes called 1000 level units because their unit of study codes all have the form 1XXX, eg. CHNS1101, LNGS1005 etc

How would I get 48 junior credit points?

• Most full-time students take units of study worth 48 junior credit points in their first year (generally 24 credit points in each semester). It is important to remember that 48 credit points is also the maximum number allowed in the first year.
• To make up your 48 credit points in your first year, most students take four 6 credit point junior units in each semester, for example:

• If you wish to, you may take up to 12 junior credit points from some other faculties as part of your Bachelor of Arts degree. If you're aiming to complete your degree over three year, just remember to make sure that you earn 48 credit points over your first year, including the junior prerequisites for your two majors, one of which must be an Asian language from the designated Asian Studies subject areas.

Why can I do no more than 48 junior credit points

• While junior units give you an excellent introduction to the subject, and function as a foundation for further study, they aren't, in themselves, sufficient to provide you with substantial expertise in a subject area. Junior units of study are necessary, but not sufficient, for a Bachelor's degree!

Could I do less than 48 junior credit points?

• Yes, but....for two reasons, it's not a good idea to skimp on them!
• Firstly, remember that junior units form a foundation for further study. In some cases, this is a necessary foundation for more advanced study in a particular subject area. In all cases, junior units provide an opportunity to work at developing the skills and ways of thinking that you will need for more advanced learning at the tertiary level.
• Secondly, junior units of study offer you the chance to sample a range of subject areas and gain a variety of learning experiences, even in subjects that you may not go on to specialise in.
• If you are studying part-time, it is usually recommended that you do a minimum of 18 junior credit points in your first year.

What are 'senior' credit points

• 'Senior' units of study build on the foundation of learning established by junior units. From 2006, senior units of study in the Faculty of Arts will be worth 6 senior credit points each. Senior units in Arts are sometimes called 2000 or 3000 level units because their study codes all have the form 2XXX or 3XXX, e.g. SPAN2601, JCTC2606.

How would I get 96 senior credit points?

• You can't start taking senior units of study until you have the appropriate foundation of junior units in place. In many (but not all) cases this means that you have to take junior units in the same subject area, as prerequisites for your senior units. You'll need to check the Faculty of Arts Handbook in print or online.
• Most full-time students in the BA program will start to take senior units of study in their second year. At this stage many students narrow down the range of subject areas in which they are studying, to include the two required majors for Asian Studies (at least one of which must be an Asian language).

At least one of your two compulsory majors must be an Asian language. The other major can be a second Asian language or a major from the list of designated Asian Studies subject areas.

The designated Asian Studies subject areas for the Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) are:

• Arabic Language and Literature
• Arab World Islam & the Middle East
• Asian Studies
• Chinese Studies
• Hindi Urdu
• Indonesian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Korean Studies
• Sanskrit

What is a 'major' in the Faculty of Arts?

• To earn a major in a subject area (from Part A from the Table of Units of Study) in the Faculty of Arts, students will normally complete 36 credit points in THAT subject area. Of course, you may need to have appropriate junior (1XXX) prerequisites in place before you can do these senior units of study.

What is 'Part A' in the Arts Table of Units of Study?

• The 'Part A' bit refers to the units of study that are listed in the Faculty of Arts Handbook, Table of Units of Study: Part A.
• All Part A units come from subject areas taught within the Faculty of Arts
• All Asian Studies subject areas are in Part A

Here is an example of how you might put together 96 senior credit points over your second and third years and complete the requirements for your two majors:

• 48 senior credit points in Year 2 and a further 48 senior credit points in Year 3 add up to 96 senior credit points.
• When you sum the credit points earned in Years 1, 2, and 3, you can see they add up to 144 credit points......i.e. your Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) degree!!

Could I do more than 24 credit points per semester?

• You might want to take more than 24 credit points in one semester - perhaps to make up for a unit of study that you have failed or to try to get through your degree more quickly.
• You will be permitted to do up to 30 credit points per semester in your second and third years. However, be aware that 30 credit poins in a single semester is a very heavy load. It's unlikely that you'll be able to do your best in each unit you take (and very unlikely that you'll have a life while you do it!!)

• You can't do more than 18 junior credit points in any one subject area. This means that you can't overdo the introductory units in one specific subject.

Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) Overview page