Bachelor of International Studies with Honours

Students undertake Honours in one of the majors they studied in their undergraduate degree.

They can thus specialise in an area of their choice such as Global Politics and Peace;

Societies (featuring sociology, development and religion);

or Languages.

This offers the opportunity for in depth study of topical issues significant to humanity and the future of our planet.

Honours comprises coursework and a dissertation on a topic of particular interest to the student.

The precise topic is determined in consultation with their supervisor.

This degree is flexible and can be studied both on campus and online.

Course Aims

To prepare students for entry to postgraduate studies and/or employment in fields relating to international policy and advocacy. These may include professions within government, inter-governmental and non-government organisations and the business sector.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: exhibit advanced knowledge, comprehension, analysis and critical thinking within a specialised area of international studies based on coursework and a dissertation; display high level research skills in relation to the collection and evaluation of information via traditional and electronic sources as well as adopt meticulous scholarly methods of referencing; demonstrate proficiency in generic written communication skills with regard to the presentation, fluency, style and clarity required of scholarly prose; compare, analyse and evaluate conflicting facts, arguments and perspectives to address international problems in relation to their specific fields of study; apply advanced understanding of diverse societies; and accompanying values; and demonstrate and apply an advanced knowledge of theories and concepts in a specialised field of international studies with intellectual independence.

Graduate Attributes

Knowledge of a Discipline Graduates will have obtained an in-depth knowledge of one or more cognate disciplines in their chosen majors. This will include an appreciation of the processes through which knowledge has evolved in these disciplines. They will also be familiar with transnational and multicultural approaches to the understanding of various issues. This knowledge is taught via lectures or podcasts, interactive discussion in class or online, set readings and assessments. Communication Skills Graduates will have developed good communication skills in their written work. They will have adopted a scholarly approach to research, presentation, writing and referencing. Assessment tasks foster these skills. On-campus students hone verbal skills in class. Problem Solving Many disciplines in this degree challenge students to apply their critical reasoning capacity to address real problems and dilemmas facing individuals, states, inter-governmental organisations and non-government actors. Graduates will have developed skills to compare, analyse and evaluate conflicting 'facts', arguments and perspectives with a view to finding solutions to problems. Information Literacy Graduates of international studies will have acquired skills in research and analysis, which in turn depend on the collection and evaluation of information from a range of sources. As many units are topical an ability to use up-to-date e-resources will have been mastered by graduates. Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility International studies have an inherent ethical dimension as it concerns the politics of who decides who gets what on a global level. That issue is addressed in assessment tasks and in class or online discussion. After completing this course graduates will be equipped to apply a spirit of enquiry, critique, ethics and analysis to daily life and current affairs. Lifelong Learning Graduates will have honed life-long learning skills in research, analysis, interpretation and exposition. Graduates will be able to critique values, policies and processes. This includes an ability to mount arguments by developing ideas, seeking evidence, assessing alternatives and drawing independent conclusions. Graduates will have learned to engage in a flexible and open-minded pursuit of knowledge. Independence and Collaboration Graduates will have developed skills in the independent study of international issues, in particular through autonomously researching and executing their assessment tasks. Teamwork is practised in interactive seminars and/or online discussion whereby students pose questions, communicate ideas and solve problems in cooperation with their peers and staff. Graduates will thus have learned to collaborate with others in a variety of contexts.