Global Utilities

La Trobe University
University Handbook 2010

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 subjects 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, performance and production; or may combine subjects from several of these areas.

First year (120 credit points)

In their first year students study

  • one core subject HUS1PWR,
  • four first-year subjects from List A below,
  • three first-year electives which can be selected from List A or from other university subjects.
Teaching period Subject title Subject code
TE-SEM-1 Professional Writing: words in action HUS1PWR
List A
TE-SEM-1 Introducing Literature: the short story ENG1ILS
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Film Analysis CST1IFA
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

Second year (120 credit points)

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

Third year (120 credit points)

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

Students should check individual discipline listings for availability of the following subjects.
Subject title Subject code
Australian Drama from 1955 to the Present Day DRA2AUD/DRA3AUD
Broadcast and Electronic Journalism MST3BEJ
Creating Non-Fiction HUS3CNF
Creative Industry Research 2 CST3CIP
Drama Performance Making DRA2PEM
Drama Project: group production or individual research DRA3PRO
English: a user’s guide LIN2EUG/LIN3EUG
Modern Drama and Acting Identity DRA2MOA/DRA3MOA
Multi-platform Storytelling MST2MPS/MST3MPS
Publishing and Editing MST3PAE
Re-thinking Jane Austen ENG2RJA/ENG3RJA
Screen Criticism CST2FCR/CST3FCR
Screenplay as Narrative Form CST2SCN/CST3SCN
Screenwriting Project CST2ADS/CST3ADS
Script Development CST3SED
Shakespeare in Performance DRA2SIP/DRA3SIP
Theatre Production DRA2TPR/DRA3TPR
Theatre,Stages and Spaces DRA2TSS/DRA3TSS
Video Project CST3VID
Writing and Editing for Multi-Media MST3WEM
Writing Autobiography ENG3WAB
Writing Fiction ENG2WFI/ENG3WFI
Writing for Radio MST2WFR/MST3WFR
Writing for Video MST2WFV/MST3WFV
Writing, the Internet and Performance DRA2WIP/DRA3WIP

Key: 2 Core subject.

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 and industries 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 subjects.

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 subjects 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.