Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts are required to complete the following compulsory courses in their first full-time or equivalent year of study.

HUMT11002 Approaches to Social Enquiry

HUMT11003 Introduction to Humanities

These courses will provide students with a broad knowledge of what constitutes Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines, which will assist students in planning their choices of what to study.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies draws upon a diverse range of disciplines including history, literature, anthropology, philosophy, politics, education and sociology. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of Australia's Indigenous past, the major issues faced by Indigenous people today, and what all this means for Australia's future. In so doing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies promotes respect for Indigenous cultures, encourages responsible custodianship of the land, enhances community spirit and advances reconciliation. Students who complete an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies plan often go on to enjoy careers in such areas as education, government, health care, social work or community development. The plan requires the completion of at least six courses from those listed below, normally two at Level 1 and four at Advanced Level.

Note: INDG19018 Indigenous Australians & Popular Culture is not available to students who have taken CULT12003 Race Issues and Indigenous Media.

The Geography and Environmental Studies Plan offers a diverse set of courses which range from ones that involve more traditional liberal studies Geography courses to courses that are aimed at developing industry-specific knowledge and skills.  Geography is a broadly-based, integrative discipline where courses may have a humanities, social science or natural science focus, or some combination of these approaches. Environmental Studies overlaps with traditional Geography but also deals with environmental issues that are more contemporary in nature and are aimed at improving our abilities to manage the environment more effectively. Geography and Environmental Studies students will develop a unique set of knowledge and skills that are not only useful in a wide range of careers, but can play important roles in helping students to make sense of the world around them, including current events and future trends.

Students wishing to complete a Geography and Environmental Studies Plan are required to complete 6 courses (normally 2 Level 1 and 4 Advanced) from those listed below. Students may complete as many additional courses from the Geography and Environmental Studies Plan as permitted by their 10 electives in the BA Structure. Students studying to be Geography teachers as part of an education degree will choose courses from the Plan as per the advice given as part of the structure of those programs. Students from all other programs are welcome to enrol in any course in the Plan provided they meet the pre-requisite for that course. Students who wish to include a research topic as part of their study should consult with a program advisor.  Geography staff can also advise students about their choice of courses for various career interests.

6 courses to be chosen from the following

History is both a body of knowledge and a method of inquiry, a way of understanding ourselves and the world around us. It strives to comprehend complex processes of continuity and change and provides insights into how the past influences the present and the future. Historians draw on the largest storehouse of information that exists about how human beings actually behave: the past. Doing History, students learn to identify, evaluate and interpret evidence, make informed judgements about its significance, debate their findings and clearly and cogently communicate their informed opinions; all while studying a subject they enjoy!

Students wishing to complete a History Plan are required to complete 6 courses (normally 2 level 1 and 4 advanced) from those listed below. Students may complete as many additional courses from the History Plan as permitted by their 10 electives in the BA Structure. Those studying to be History teachers as part of an education program will choose courses from the Plan as per the advice given as part of the structure of those programs. Students from all other programs are welcome to enrol in any course in the Plan provided they meet the pre-requisite for that course. Those who wish to include a research topic as part of their study should consult with the program advisor.

The Literary & Cultural Studies Plan brings together two distinct but complementary disciplinary approaches: literary studies where literature is read for its own sake and for the values it reveals in stories, poems and plays about our lived and imaginary experiences; and cultural studies where ideas and concepts derived from a broad study of culture are explored through a variety of texts including film, media, television, advertising and the like. Both disciplines examine the assumptions used to support the way that meaning is made across a range of texts and in a variety of contexts.

Literary & Cultural Studies students will be able to demonstrate advanced reading and writing skills; to apply critical thinking and advanced modes of textual analysis to a broad range of texts, genres and media; to communicate using cogent, discipline-based and context relevant research; and, to participate, both self-reflexively and ethically, in discipline critical debates.

Students wishing to complete a Literary & Cultural Studies Plan are required to complete 6 courses (normally 2 level 1 and 4 advanced) from those listed below. Students may complete as many additional courses from the Literary and Cultural Studies Plan as permitted by their 10 electives in the BA Structure. Students studying to be English teachers as part of an education degree will choose courses from the Plan as per the advice given as part of the structure of those programs. Students from all other programs are welcome to enrol in any course in the Plan provided they meet the pre-requisite for that course. Students who wish to include a research topic as part of their study should consult with the program advisor.

The primary purpose of this plan is to provide students with a broad knowledge of the discipline of psychology and its applications, including theoretical perspectives within the discipline.  In addition, they will have knowledge of the range of core research areas that make up the scientific discipline of psychology.

Sociology is the study of human life. It is about social transformation, social solidarity and understanding other people's ‘ways of seeing'. Sociology draws on a diverse skill set using critical thinking, research and social inquiry at many levels. These levels can be grounded in local communities, but can also be seen in the context of bioregions or modern world systems. Sociology is multi-disciplinary. It can draw upon political economy, the environment, health and medicine, tourism, rurality, Indigenous issues, gender, consumption, leisure and social ecology to prepare graduates ready to create a role for themselves in the globalised, multicultural world of the twenty-first century.

Sociology teaches you that nothing is what it appears to be, and how to find out what is really going on. This means how people, places and organisations are connected in ways not immediately obvious. However, it also gives an insight and understanding to the perspectives of others. This knowledge can then be applied in many contexts. In a globalised world, and in the face of pressing problems like climate change, terrorism, community decline or ‘triple bottom lines' for business, graduates will have a key role in the employment of the future.

Students wishing to complete a Sociology Plan are required to complete 6 courses (normally 2 level 1 and 4 advanced) from those listed below. Students may complete as many additional courses from the Sociology Plan as permitted by their 10 electives in the BA Structure. Students from all other programs are welcome to enrol in any course in the Plan provided they meet the pre-requisite for that course. Note: Students who wish to do honours in Sociology must take either SOCL11056 Australian Society or SOCL11058 Science Technology and Society, in addition to other courses marked with an asterisk (*).

This plan provides students with the opportunity to study welfare courses within the context of a multidisciplinary arts program.  The combination of a liberal arts context and welfare related courses combines the option of pursuing interests and outcomes that promote a broad based knowledge in the humanities disciplines. The ability to assess critically issues and dilemmas relevant to social and cultural life and promote creative solutions to existing situations is promoted as well as opening the possibility of working within the human services industry on completion of the degree. The plan offers the student the core courses required for the development of the knowledge skills and attributes for human services workers and includes the context of human services delivery. Courses in the welfare studies plan are available to those who do not intend to become professional welfare practitioners but who wish to integrate them with other studies, such as the helping and allied health professional study programs. Upon successful completion of the BA program and all the courses in the welfare studies plan, including fieldwork, graduates may become eligible for accreditation with the Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers (AIWCW)** (see note 6).  A submission for accreditation of the Welfare Studies plan will be made to AIWCW in 2011.  Students seeking further information on AIWCW accreditation are encouraged to contact the Institute directly. 

Note 1:

Students enrolling in the BA (Welfare Studies) plan in 2009 will transfer into the equivalent courses in the new Welfare Studies plan in 2011.

Note 2:

Students will be required to attend the relevant residential schools attached to courses*.  These courses include: SOWK11014 Contemporary Human Services , SOWK11015 Professional Communication in Human Services, SOWK13011 Community Practice,  SOWK12011 Social Group Work & Family Work, and SOWK12009 Casework & Case Management. There is also a five day residential attached to SOWK13009 Fieldwork Education 1.

Note 3:

Students are required to complete all Level 1 courses (SOWK11014 Contemporary Human Services, SOWK11015 Professional Communication in Human Services and SOWK11016 Human Services in Statutory Contexts) prior to enrolling in advanced level courses (SOWK12009 Casework and Case Management, SOWK12011 Social Group Work and Family Work and SOWK13011 Community Practice).

Note 4:

Entry into SOWK13009 Fieldwork Education 1 placement is dependent upon a satisfactory interview with the practicum coordinator and completion of prerequisite studies, as well as participation in a five day residential school at CQUniversity Rockhampton campus.

Note 5:

Students who wish to study a welfare plan but do not intend to pursue a career in human services are not required to complete SOWK13009 Fieldwork Education 1.

Note 6:

Completion of the welfare plan alone does not provide membership eligibility to the Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers (AIWCW).  In order to achieve such eligibility, students must complete the BA program which includes the whole of the Welfare Studies plan plus SOWK13009 Fieldwork Education 1.  For example, in the event that a student completes the whole of the Welfare Studies plan but elects to exit the BA program with a Diploma of Arts or a BA without completing the fieldwork component, the student will not qualify for AIWCW membership.

Writing is a discipline utilising creativity and imagination. It requires an understanding and appreciation of established and emerging literary genres and devices. Students undertaking a Writing Plan can expect to formulate their original ideas into tangible pieces of creative and/or professional work in diverse forms such as poetry, prose, creative non-fiction, and professional or experimental writing. Writing plan students are expected to develop their skills via engagement with materials of both a theoretical and practical nature. Students are required to complete two level one and four advanced level courses. Please check the prerequisites carefully.

Note 1:

Students wishing to complete WRIT13013 Writing Project are required to complete either WRIT11023 Creative Writing I: Fundamentals of Writing and WRIT12010 Creative Writing II: Writing Beyond the Page, OR COMM11007 Media Writing and JOUR12010 Feature Writing as prerequisites.

Note 2:

Students who have completed WRIT19015 Creative Writing I are not permitted to enrol in either WRIT11023 Creative Writing I: Fundamentals of Writing or WRIT12010 Creative Writing II: Writing Beyond the Page. Students who have completed WRIT19016 Creative Writing II are not permitted to enrol in WRIT13013 Writing Project.

10 electives from the Arts plans and/or from any other CQUniversity program