Faculty of Arts
Further information
For more information please contact the Faculty of Arts Student Office.
Brochures
Students studying the BCom, BDes or BSc will be able to choose a wide range of broadening units in Arts.
N.B. Information outlined here about Arts broadening units is mainly for non-BA students. BA students may study language units as broadening units as long as it is not your degree-specific major.
An exciting feature of UWA's new undergraduate courses is the introduction of broadening units. Broadening units are a requirement of all five bachelor’s degrees and will provide you with knowledge beyond the fields in which you choose to specialise. You will be required to take four broadening units from outside your degree area, including at least one with a global or cultural focus.
The new broadening requirements will give you the opportunity to study a diverse range of subjects as part of your degree. You may choose to study units that are of a particular interest to you or which add extra value to your primary degree area.
How does it work?
You will be required to take four broadening units that fall into two categories, A and B. At least one of the four units needs to be chosen from Category A. The Category A units focus on some aspect of the globalised and culturally diverse environment.
The remaining three units can be taken from either Category A and/or Category B units. Category B comprises an extensive range of electives from any discipline outside the degree for which you are enrolled (subject to meeting unit prerequisites). Units studied as part of a second major chosen from another degree can count towards your Category A and/or B broadening requirements.
You may take your broadening units at any time during your degree. When you enrol at UWA you will be provided with further information and advice to help you design your own study plan. This will help you determine where your broadening units will fit into your undergraduate course.
The Arts majors and study areas provide a huge choice
You can choose the Category A and B broadening units from the following majors or study areas:
- Anthropology and Sociology
- Archaeology
- Asian Studies
- Chinese
- Classics and Ancient History
- Communication and Media Studies
- English and Cultural Studies
- European Studies
- French Studies
- Gender Studies*
- German Studies
- History
- History of Art
- Human Geography and Planning
- Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage
- Indonesian
- Italian Studies
- Japanese
- Korean*
- Law and Society
- Linguistics
- Medieval and Early Modern Studies
- Music—Music Studies
- Music—Specialist Music Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science and International Relations
- Social and Applied Psychology
- Work and Employment Relations
* study areas
Category A and B broadening units
Languages
All language units are Category A broadening units and there are 9 different languages to choose from – Ancient Greek, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Latin. These can be studied at three different levels, beginners, intermediate and advanced. It is best to contact the relevant language discipline and ask them to determine your level.
Learning a new language or continuing your studies of a language can assist you in many ways in your travels, studies and career prospects. You not only learn language skills but you also study the literature and culture of the country.
For example:
- An Asian language complements geology, engineering science or commerce
- Latin assists with medicine, botany or law
- Italian is useful with music
- German with design
- Study abroad - learn the language of the country where you will study
Some interesting Category A broadening units
LING1901 Communications across languages and culture
This Linguistics unit will introduce you to the basics of cross cultural communication. We live in a multicultural and multilingual world and the opportunities in the global community depend on communication between people of different languages and cultures. Studying this broadening unit will give you the skills to navigate these cross cultural multilingual environments. More details about LING1901 can be found in the UWA Handbook. Watch a video about LING1901:
HIST1901 Environmental History
What factors have shaped human dealings with the natural world? How have people changed the environment? And how have different societies responded to environmental change over time? These are the questions at the heart of this unit, which offers an introduction to environmental history. For more information refer to the UWA Handbook on HIST1901.
EURO1101 Europe Now: Cultures and Contexts
The unit introduces students to the concept of 'Europe', the European Union, the European regions, and central topics of contemporary European society and culture including the question of Turkey's place in Europe and the challenges of European integration. Find out more about EURO1101 in the UWA Handbook.
GEND2902 Men and Masculinities in History
Students explore changing cultural assumptions about masculinity; the power relations that structure a range of masculinities such as hegemonic or subordinated masculinities; the intersection between masculinities, class and race; and historical changes in the relationship between masculinities and femininities. More information can be found about GEND2902 in the UWA Handbook.
Category B broadening units
Category B broadening units can be chosen from any of the Arts discipline areas outside those in your degree. For a list of available units please refer to the complete list of units taught in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in the UWA handbook.
Music broadening units
There are many opportunities with the broadening units for students to continue their study of music or simply enjoy participating in music ensembles or choirs - and it all counts towards your degree!
Category A
- Popular Music in Global Perspective (Level 1)
- Music in World Cultures (Level 2)
Category B
- Communication Skills in Music
- Music Language 1, 2 and 3*
- Western Art Music 1, 2 and 3*
- Music and Science*
- Music ensemble units**
- Music Ensemble 1
- Music Ensemble 2
* Unit subject to prerequisite
** Entrance to some ensembles is subject to audition
Pursue Arts units for pure interest
Category A
- Myths of the Greeks and Romans: Story, history and reinvention
- Music in World Cultures
- National and Transnational Cinemas
- European Utopias, Imagination and Modernity
- Popular Culture in Asia
- Great Moments in Art
Category B
- Reading Creatively, Writing Creatively
- The Vikings
- Great discoveries in Archaeology
- Indigenous Australia
For International students studying degrees other than Arts
- Australia: Myths and Realities
- Other units which focus on Australian history, culture, literature and film from the majors Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage, Anthropology, Archaeology, History, English and Cultural Studies and Linguistics
- International students will also be interested in the range of languages
For a list of available units please refer to this list of Category A broadening units.