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.
International Relations is the study of the international political, social, cultural and economic system. You will explore the historical development of that system and gain a comprehensive understanding of the actors, institutions, and processes of international relations. The major focuses on territorial states that acknowledge no superior authority over issues vital to national interest. You will analyse the nature of this system—the rules and forces governing the behaviour of states, the factors that lead to military conflict or peaceful co-operation, and the current trends towards both a more globally integrated, and a more fragmented world. In your first year you will be introduced to the core theories, concepts and institutions in international relations, and the history of international system. The second and third year units progressively build upon these foundations, further developing your understanding of central issues, including international security, international organisations, international political economy, and international law. You will also explore the role that international institutions play in shaping policy decisions at the global level.
