Global Utilities

La Trobe University
University Handbook 2008

Single degrees

Bachelor of International Relations (ABIR) – Melbourne (Bundoora)

The degree of Bachelor of International Relations may be awarded either as a pass degree or as a degree with honours and can be studied on a full-time or part-time basis. The pass degree requires completion of 360 credit points and, if taken full-time, can be completed in three years with students completing 120 credit points at each year level. It has been designed to allow students to gain an overview of international relations, and provides the opportunity to specialise in a particular area (e.g., East Asia) or in a particular field (e.g., diplomacy, economy, or legal studies).

First year (120 credit points)

In first year, students study:

  • 30 credit points of the compulsory core units listed below,
  • 30 credit points from List A below,
  • 30 credit points from List B below and
  • 30 credit points of Electives
Teaching period Unit title Unit code
Core units (30 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 States, Nations and Security: world in transition POL1SNS
TE-SEM-2 Economy, Environment and Human Rights: world in transition POL1EEH
Electives A (30 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 Culture and Globalisation: introduction to anthropology ANT1CAG
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Asia: Japan and Indonesia AST1IJI
TE-SEM-2 Australia and Beyond: introduction to sociology SOC1AAB
TE-SEM-2 Introduction to Asia: China and India AST1ICI
Electives B (30 credit points)
TE-SEM-1 Art from Rembrandt to Warhol: constructing the modern ARH1ARW
TE-SEM-1 or 2 Foundations of Management MGT1FOM
TE-SEM-1 or 2 Introductory Macroeconomics ECO1IMA
TE-SEM-1 or 2 Introductory Microeconomics ECO1IMI
TE-SEM-1 Law and Society LST1LAS
TE-SEM-1 Long-term Economic Change ECO1LEC
TE-SEM-1 Modern Europe A: from monarchies to nations 1760-1890 HIS1MEA
TE-SEM-2 The Archaeology of Ancient Civilisations ARC1AAC
TE-SEM-2 Crime and criminology LST1CCR
TE-SEM-2 Globalisation: the rise of the modern world HIS1DEV
TE-SEM-2 Greece and the Balkans in the Twentieth Century EST1GAB
TE-SEM-2 Modern Europe B: the twentieth century HIS1MEB
TE-SEM-2 Windows on Contemporary Europe: cultures in transformation EST1WEA

Second year (120 credit points)

In second year, students study:

  • 20 credit points of the compulsory core unit listed below,
  • 40 credit points from List A below,
  • 20 credit points from List B below and
  • 40 credit points of Electives

Second year Core unit (20 credit points)

Teaching period Unit title Unit code
TE-SEM-1 International Public Policy POL2IPP

Third year (120 credit points)

In third year, students study:

  • 20 credit points of the compulsory core unit listed below,
  • 40 credit points from List A below,
  • 20 credit points from List B below and
  • 40 credit points of Electives

Third year Core unit (20 credit points)

Teaching period Unit title Unit code
TE-SEM-2 Professional Competence: transition to workplace POL3PCW
List A
Students should check individual discipline listings for availability of the following units.
Unit title Unit code
Asian-Pacific Cities SOC2APC/SOC3APC
Australian Foreign Policy POL2AAW/POL3AAW
Comparative Social Movements SOC2CSM/SOC3CSM
Development, Globalisation and Culture ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC
Displacement, Flight and Refuge ANT2DFR/ANT3DFR
Ethics and International Relations POL2EIR/POL3EIR
Ethnicity and Identity: social and political approaches SOC2EAI/SOC3EAI
International Law and International Organisation POL2ILO/POL3ILO
International Relations: the Cold War and the great powers POL2INR/POL3INR
International Relations of the Middle East POL2IME/POL3IME
Introduction to American Politics POL2IAP/POL3IAP
Nations and States POL2NAS/POL3NAS
Peace and Change POL2PAC/POL3PAC
Political Change and Development in the Third World POL2DDA/POL3DDA
Politics in the Twentieth Century POL3HON
Politics of Economic Regions POL2PER/POL3PER
Politics of Non-violent Activism POL2PNV/POL3PNV
Post Colonial Identities: New Works LAS3PCI/LAS3PCI
Postcolonial Perspectives ANT2PCP/ANT3PCP
Sociology of the Environment SOC2SOE/SOC3SOE
South-East Asian Politics: change and conflict POL3SEA/POL3SEA
Theories of World Politics POL2TWP/POL3TWP
List B
Students should check individual discipline listings for availability of the following units.
Unit title Unit code
Archaeology of the Middle East ARC2AME/ARC3AME
Archaeology of the Modern World ARC2AMW/ARC3AMW
Asia in the Modern World Economy (15 credit points) ECO3AWE
Cross-cultural Communication LIN2CCC/LIN3CCC
Cultural Interactions (15 credit points) THS3CUI
Ecological Philosophies PHI2ECP/PHI3ECP
Economic Growth and Development (15 credit points) ECO2EGD
Ethnic and Civil Conflict in South-eastern Europe and Cyprus EST2ECC/EST3ECC
Europe Transformed HIS2EUT/HIS3EUT
The European Union HIS2EUU/HIS3EUU
Genocides and Holocaust: Nazi Europe, central America, Africa HIS2GAH/HIS3GAH
Global Environmental Issues (15 credit points) ECO2GEI
Global Trading Issues (15 credit points) ECO2GTI
Human Rights Law (15 credit points) LAW2HRL/LAW3HRL
Imaging Contemporary Greece: cinema, song and text EST2ICG/EST3ICG
International Business Environment (15 credit points) ECO2IBE
International Business Law (15 credit points) LAW2IBL/LAW3IBL
International Management (15 credit points) MGT3IMG
International Monetary Economics (15 credit points) ECO3IME
International Tourism (15 credit points) THS3INT
International Trade (15 credit points) ECO3ITR
Language in Asia LIN3LIA/LIN3LIA
Latin America Today 2 SPA2LAT/SPA3LAT
Law of the European Community LAW2LEC
Media Ethics PHI2MET/PHI3MET
Modern World Economy (15 credit points) ECO2MWE
Nazi Germany and Europe HIS2NGE/HIS3NGE
Public International Law (15 credit points) LAW2PIL/LAW3PIL
War and Peace PHI2WAP/PHI3WAP
The World Since 1945 HIS2WOR/HIS3WOR
  • Key: 2 Taught in Spanish.

In addition to these units, students will be expected to participate in six workshops in the first year, five workshops in the second year and six workshops in the third year, which are part of the requirements for POL3PCW. Each workshop will be of two to three hours.

Honours

Entry into the honours year is by application at the end of the student’s third year of full-time study. Students considered for admission will normally have at least a B average result for their second and third year units and will have completed either POL3HON Politics in the Twentieth Century or POL2TWP/POL3TWP Theories of World Politics.

The Bachelor of International Relations honours year includes two coursework units, one of which has an International Relations focus. Suitable units will be indicated in the Honours Handbook. Students may choose one other fourth year unit from the offerings in the School of Social Sciences or another school at La Trobe University, provided that the unit has a strong international relations focus. As well, students will undertake a minor thesis of 12000 to 15000 words on a topic relevant to the study of International Relations. Either of the Bachelor of International Relations Coordinators, Professor Joseph Camilleri, or Dr Tony Jarvis must approve choice of units and thesis topics.

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