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Humanities and Social Sciences |
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Academic Skills Unit
HASU is a resource for all students and staff of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students are welcome to consult HASU staff about any aspect of their academic work – reading, thinking about essay topics, taking notes, giving oral presentations, writing assignments, interpreting feedback comments, and, just generally, interpreting the culture and expectations of academic study. Students see staff at HASU at any stage of their course, from first year through Ph.D, and with every kind of mark from N to A. If you’d like to improve your work, whatever it’s like, you’re welcome to draw on our experience. If English is not your first language, you could consult LAS (ESL): the Language and Academic Skills Unit for ESL students. Workshops and lecturesHASU also produces handouts and booklets to help students with particular tasks and problems, and offers lectures and workshops which all students may attend. These deal with topics like:
But if you can't attend in person, you may like to know that the full scripts of these lectures are available online - please be aware that these are scripts for oral delivery, so they are not written in formal academic style! Click below to find out more about;
For any changes or updates you can check notices located in the Humanities 3 building, Level 4, rooms 412 and 414.
Handouts and bookletsThis Faculty recognizes that reading and writing for uni are likely to be different from what you have done at school or at work, and each first year subject will introduce you to the key features of academic discourse. They use a set of readings produced by HASU, which you can also access here:
Referencing systems, too, are likely to be different from those you used at school—and referencing is done differently in different disciplines. Avoiding plagiarism is largely a matter of understanding why and how to reference the sources for your writing. Below, find HASU’s handout which explains all this; next, the university’s policy on plagiarism; and last, a link to referencing guidelines:
Often, students ask for advice on particular strategies or particular types of assignments. HASU publishes a booklet, Getting Your Head Around The B.A., that answers a wide range of questions of this sort. The Faculty distributes it free to first year students – if you miss out at orientation, ask for a copy at the Faculty Office. Later year students, or first-years who lose their copy, can buy it in the uni bookshop. A selection of handouts on the most-asked-for topics is available below:
Another booklet by Kate Chanock, Just Enough Grammar, is available from
the uni bookshop too. It’s short, cheap, and deals (in non-technical
language) with the five most common errors that students make in writing
for uni. Further reading on academic writing and studyingStudents often ask what book they should buy, to improve their academic skills. There are many such books, from the woefully misleading to the outstandingly helpful! Some favourites are below (and Peters’ book leads the pack): For B.A. students:
For Postgraduates:
Useful linksOther academic skills units at this uni, and at many other unis, have produced excellent resources for improving your academic skills. There’s a whole world of good advice out there! Some of the best are linked to this site below:
Studying with a learning disabilityIf you have a learning disability like dyslexia or attention deficity disorder – or if you suspect that you may have one of these conditions – you may like to talk with Kate Chanock about it. She has considerable experience of working with dyslexic students, and has done some research in this area; and she can tell you about consulting La Trobe’s disabilities staff for more information. The Disabilities Liaison Officer (DLO) at Melbourne (Bundoora) can be contacted on extension 1510, or by email at disability-support@latrobe.edu.au. For contacts on all campuses, see www.latrobe.edu.au/equity/contacts.htm. All such discussions are confidential, and you may be surprised to learn of the help that is available. Spurr, M. (1998) “We Just Learn Differently”. Student Services, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, is a very useful publication for university students with a learning disability: http://student.admin.utas.edu.au/services/disability/publications_resources/we_just_learn_differently.html There is also an excellent website created by adults with learning disabilities in Canada, where you can find a wide range of information about LDs and different learning styles, and how to make the most of yours. You can also read postings by other adults, many of them uni students, with LDs, and contribute your own experiences and ideas if you like:LD Pride, at www.ldpride.net/ Another place to read pieces by adults with dyslexia is www.ldonline.org/first_person/ Learning about your learning style(s)Listening and speaking; reading and writing; viewing and drawing; making
and doing: all of these are ways in which we learn about the world. Many
people have a strong preference for one or another of these ways, and
can benefit both by using their strengths in this area and by developing
their areas of weakness. To discover your learning style preferences,
and how to make the most of them, go to Vark: A Guide to Learning Styles.
www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp Staff
Contact usYou can make an appointment to talk to a HASU tutor, either about work that’s been marked or work you are preparing to submit. Phone 9479 2535 or come by to sign up on the appointment sheets on the tutor’s door located at HU 3, Rooms 414 and 412, or email c.chanock@latrobe.edu.au. If possible, leave your writing in the box for the tutor to read before your meeting. Staff won’t give you extra assignments, but just help you to do your best on whatever work you are doing for your subjects. All of HASU’s help is free, and allocated on a “first come, first served” basis. However, staff are very busy most of the year – so make appointments well in advance!
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