1996 Swinburne Higher Education Handbook

articulate easily from previous tertiary study to
complete a degree program;
0 develop the personal qualities and attitudes needed for
professional success.
Course duration
The Bachelor of Social Science course is a three year fulltime
degree program. Students may undertake the Bachelor
of Social Science on a part-time basis, taking six years to
complete the course. Part-time study is currently only
available during the day.
Entrance requirements
The normal entry requirement for the Bachelor of Social
Science degree is successful completion of an
appropriate Victorian Year 12 or its equivalent, such as an
interstate or international Year 12 qualification. Students
v, must have passes in year 12 English with a grade of D or
. .
5. equivalent.
5- -
4 Consideration will be given to the full range of an
2 applicant's VCE studies and results, to the level of
performance in CATS, and to the student profile.
C.
< Special entry
g Applicants who do not satisfy the above requirements may
be selected after consideration of their employment and
a educational background. As a rule, there is a quota on
numbers selected in this category each year.
P
2
Advanced standing
Apart from established local and international pathways
where block credit arrangements exist, particularly for
TAFE students, students admitted to the degree may be
granted advanced standing for previous studies on a case-bycase
basis. All applications for subject exemptions should be
submitted on the appropriate form at the time of enrolment,
for consideration by exemption advisers, who make
recommendations to the Divisional Board.
Social Science specialisations
Media Studies
Media Studies at Swinburne offers a broad range of lively
subjects which are essentially analytical and critical in their
approach. During the later stage of the major, students can
acquire hands on skills in publishing and production
procedures.
Students undertaking the Bachelor of Social Science can
choose from seven subjects in Media Studies, but only six
subjects are required for completion of the Media Studies
major. Minimum requirements for the major in the Media
Studies are one stage one subject, two stage two subjects and
three stage three subjects.
The media field offers appealing employment and
community opportunities. Students who have graduated
from the BA with a major in Media Studies have been
employed in many related fields - commercial and public
relations and television, print journalism, radio production,
publishing, research, public relations, advertising and
telecommunications research and marketing. Many students
have found that, though not directly employed in a media
industry, the knowledge and communications skills acquired
in the course have many useful applications in their work
and life.
Psychology
The undergraduate psychology program provides students
with a broad introduction to psychology in all three stages.
In stage three, some attention is given to vocational skills
and knowledge relevant to applied fields.
The stage one course in psychology introduces students to a
range of topics in psychology and experimental design and
analysis. Students intending to major in the subject are
required to take LSYIOO Psychology 100 and LSYlOl
Psychology 101. Each of these subjects comprises lectures,
practical work and instruction in statistical analysis.
In stage two, LSY2OO Cognition and Human Performance,
LSY2Ol Development Psychology and LSY202 Social
Psychology are offered and for students wishing to major in
psychology SM278L Design and Measurement 2 must be
taken.
In stage three, subjects offered are LSY300 The Psychology of
Personality, LSY301 Psychological Measurement and LSY302
Psychological Foundations of Counselling. In addition, students
majoring in psychology must take SM378L Design and
Measurement 3.
It should be noted that the undergraduate psychology
program is sequential in nature; completion of the
prescribed subjects at one stage of the program is a
prerequisite for study at the next level. All subjects at one
stage of the program are prerequisites for students at the
next level. All subjects offered in this program are semester
subjects. Thus a student must complete both stage one
psychology subjects before enrolling in any stage two
psychology subjects, and must complete all stage two
psychology subjects before enrolling in any stage three
subjects. Details of these prerequisite arrangements are
shown in entries for all psychology subjects.
Students should note that each psychology subject is worth
one semester subject.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of people in groups ranging from the
family to whole societies like Australia. It is about how
individual and group behaviour shapes groups and society,
and in turn, how behaviour is shaped by society and its
institutions. A group may be as diverse as a large firm, a
school, a rock band, the public service, or a voluntary
agency like a sporting club or community housing
association. Important to sociology is an appreciation of the
different ways social group behaviour can be explained, and
the various methods which can be used to get a better
understanding of the social world.
Understanding group behaviour, being familiar with
different explanations for this behaviour, and being able to
gather data to explore aspects of the social world are
important skills, both for employment purposes and for