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 subjects listed below,
- 60 credit points from List A below and
- 30 credit points of Electives.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| Core subjects (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 |
| List A (60 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Asia: Japan and Indonesia | AST1IJI |
| TE-SEM-1 | Greece and the Balkans in the Twentieth Century | EST1GAB |
| TE-SEM-1 | Law and Legal Consciousness | LST1LAS |
| TE-SEM-1 | History of Globalisation | ECO1HOG |
| TE-SEM-1 | Modern Europe A: from monarchies to nations 1760-1890 | HIS1MEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Australia and Beyond: introduction to sociology | SOC1AAB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Asia: China and India | AST1ICI |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introductory Macroeconomics | ECO1IMA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Our Global Village: introduction to anthropology | ANT1FET |
Second year (120 credit points)
In second year, students study:
- 40 credit points of the compulsory core subjects listed below,
- 40 credit points from List B below and
- 40 credit points of Electives.
Second year Core subject (40 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | International Public Policy | POL2IPP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Theories of World Politics | POL2TWP |
Third year (120 credit points)
In third year, students study:
- 20 credit points of the compulsory core subject listed below,
- 40 credit points from List B below and
- 60 credit points of Electives.
Third year Core subject (20 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-2 | Professional Competence: transition to workplace | POL3PCW |
List B
Students should check individual discipline listings for availability of the following subjects.
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| American Politics | POL2IAP/POL3IAP |
| Australian Foreign Policy | POL2AAW/POL3AAW |
| Contemporary Politics of the Asia-Pacific Region | POL2CPA/POL3CPA |
| Crises in South Asia: weapons, women and well-being | POL2CSA/POL3CSA |
| Development, Globalisation and Culture | ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC |
| Displacement, Flight and Refuge | ANT2DFR/ANT3DFR |
| History of Modern Political Thought | POL2HMP/POL3HMP |
| Human Rights Law (15 credit points) | LAW2HRL/LAW3HRL |
| 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 |
| Liberalism and its Critics | POL2LAC/POL3LAC |
| Nations and States | POL2NAS/POL3NAS |
| Peace and Change | POL2PAC/POL3PAC |
| Political Change and Development in the Third World | POL2DDA/POL3DDA |
| Political Ideas and Ideologies | POL2PID |
| Politics in the Twentieth Century | POL3HON |
| Politics of Economic Regions | POL2PER/POL3PER |
| Politics of Non-violent Activism | POL2PNV/POL3PNV |
| Public International Law (15 credit points) | LAW2PIL/LAW3PIL |
| Revolutions in Central Europe | POL2RCE/POL3RCE |
| Society and State in Japan and China | POL2EAS/POL3EAS |
| Sociology of the Environment | SOC2SOE/SOC3SOE |
| South-East Asian Politics: change and conflict | POL2SEA/POL3SEA |
| The European Union | HIS2EUU/HIS3EUU |
| Twentieth Century Europe | POL2TCE/POL3TCE |
In addition to these subjects, students will be expected to participate in occasional workshops in first and second year, and a number of workshops in third year, which are part of the requirements for POL3PCW. Each workshop will be of two to three hours duration.
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 a mid-B average result for their second and third year subjects 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 subjects, one of which has an International Relations focus. Suitable subjects will be indicated in the Honours Handbook. Students may choose one other fourth year subject from the offerings in the School of Social Sciences or another school at La Trobe University, provided that the subject 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, Dr Michael O’Keefe or Dr Nick Bisley must approve choice of subjects and thesis topics.