This five-year degree offers a comprehensive and flexible combined degree program that qualifies you as an accredited social worker, while also allowing you to enhance your qualification with majors and minors that complement the Bachelor of Social Work. While this combined degree requires a major or minor in Sociology, or a minor in Social Policy, you can choose another major or minor in various interest areas such as diversity studies, gender studies, Aboriginal Studies, or philosophy. You'll undertake integrated studies in social sciences, social policy and social work theory and practice, with a strong emphasis on Australian and comparative social welfare studies. In the last two years of the degree all students undertake the professional social work program, which includes two fieldwork placements supervised by highly skilled and experienced practitioners in a variety of settings. We develop field education learning expectations across the program and aim to develop values, skills and knowledge for levels from beginner to a practitioner capable of meeting the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Practice Standards.
In the Asian Century, the task of understanding the region is vital to the future. Understanding Asia relies on gaining a foundation in its major civilisational traditions, as well as in the issues of contemporary culture and society. This major will introduce and identify major cultural, historical, social and political trends and issues, including ethnicity and mobility (or diaspora); the major religions and belief systems (particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam); other trans-regional trends, including economic and political relationships between Asia and other parts of the world (for example forms of imperialism); major political and social developments and movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and their effects (e.g. nationalism, revolution, military rule, democracy); and mass or popular culture (including topics such as manga and K-Pop). These trends and issues are particularly taught in relation to China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Asian Studies is taught in English and draws on the cutting-edge research being carried out by the academic staff of the program. Language units of study cannot be counted towards the Asian Studies major, however you are strongly encouraged to study an Asian language in conjunction with Asian Studies units.
