Global Utilities

La Trobe University
University Handbook 2008

Single degrees

Bachelor of Creative Arts (ABCA) – Melbourne (Bundoora)

This three-year degree consists of 360 credit points, 120 credit points at each year level for full-time study. Part-time is also available. Students choose units from those listed and can choose to focus their degree around one of the areas of creative writing, writing for the screen and the media, criticism or performance and production; or may combine units from several of these areas.

First year (120 credit points)

In their first year students study five units (75 credit points) from the following list of first year units. The remaining three units (45 credit points) are Elective units and may be selected from this list or from other university units.

Teaching period Unit title Unit code
TE-SEM-1 Introducing Literature: the short story ENG1ILS
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Film Analysis CST1IFA
TE-SEM-1 Screen Narrative: television, film and video games1 CST1SNT
TE-SEM-1 Screenplay Analysis1 CST1SCA
TE-SEM-1 Theatre Knowledge and Practices DRA1TKP
TE-SEM-2 Introduction to Screenwriting CST1ITS
TE-SEM-2 Making Sense of the Movies CST1MSM
TE-SEM-2 Process-based Performance DRA1PBP
TE-SEM-2 Text, Criticism and the Visual ENG1TCV
TE-SEM-2 Writing your Own Life ENG1WYL
  • Key: 1 Not available in 2008.

Second year (120 credit points)

Students select four units (80 credit points) from the second year units listed below. The remaining two units (40 credit points) are Elective units and may be selected from this list or from other university units.

Third year (120 credit points)

Students select four units (80 credit points) from the third year units listed below including the compulsory core unit CST3CIP Creative Industry Research. The remaining two units (40 credit points) are Elective units and may be selected from this list or from other university units.

Students should check individual discipline listings for availability of the following units.
Unit title Unit code
Advanced Performance Making DRA3APM
Advanced Screenwriting CST2ADS/CST3ADS
Australian Drama from 1955 to the Present Day DRA3AUD/DRA3AUD
Broadcast and Electronic Journalism MST3BEJ
Creating Non-Fiction HUS3CNF
Creative Industry Research 2 CST3CIP
Drama Performance Making DRA2PEM
English: a user’s guide LIN2EUG/LIN3EUG
Screen Criticism CST2FCR/CST3FCR
Group Production DRA3PRO
Intercultural Performance DRA2IPF/DRA3IPF
Introduction to Video Practice CST3VID
Media Ethics PHI2MET/PHI3MET
Modern Drama A DRA2MOA/DRA3MOA
Narrative Analysis A ENG2NAA/ENG3NAA
Publishing and Editing MST3PAE
Re-thinking Jane Austen ENG2RJA/ENG3RJA
Screenplay as Narrative Form CST2SCN/CST3SCN
Script Development CST3SED
Shakespeare in Adaptation ENG2SIA/ENG3SIA
Shakespeare in Performance DRA2SIP/DRA3SIP
Storytelling and the Cinema CST2SAC
Theatre and Theory DRA2TAT/DRA3TAT
Theatre Production DRA2TPR/DRA3TPR
Writing and Editing for Multi-Media MST3WEM
Writing Autobiography ENG3WAB
Writing Fiction ENG2WFI/ENG2WFI
Writing for Radio MST2WFR/MST3WFR
Writing for Video MST2WFV/MST3WFV
Writing Poetry ENG2WRP/ENG3WRP
Writing, the Internet and Performance DRA2WIP/DRA3WIP
  • Key: 2 Core unit.

Honours

The honours program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop skills, which will prepare them for further academic study or for work in specific fields involving creative writing, screenwriting, writing for the media and theatre production.

Students are selected into honours at the end of their third year. Prospective students should make their interest known to the Creative Arts Honours Coordinator by November for commencement in semester one or early June for commencement in second semester.

The normal requirement for selection is consistently high performance (at least a B average) in the creative arts units.

The Bachelor of Creative Arts honours year allows students to:

  • incorporate more than one discipline i.e., Creative Arts 4, or
  • concentrate on one discipline i.e., Cinema Studies 4, English 4 or Theatre and Drama 4.

Creative Arts 4

The course consists of:

  • two fourth year units offered by the cinema, English, media studies or theatre and drama programs
  • a thesis which consists of a negotiated practical project in script writing, creative writing, performance or production which explores a research question, and
  • a 5000-word exegesis to support the thesis.

Students wishing to concentrate on one discipline should check the requirements for honours in the Cinema studies, English or Theatre and Drama sections of this Handbook.

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