International

Study Abroad

Uniquely Australian Units and Field Trips

Australian Studies

Australian Studies encourages students to critically analyse and investigate issues associated with Australian society and culture in a global context. At La Trobe, Australian Studies units are taught by many world-renowned academics from the disciplines of archaeology, anthropology, art history, cinema studies, English, history, linguistics, media studies, politics, sociology, and theatre and drama.

Melbourne is the ideal environment for Australian Studies students, offering a range of unique cultural resources. Students have access to the State Library of Victoria, and the Ian Potter Gallery and National Gallery of Victoria, which have some of the finest collections of Australian and international art in the world.

For cinema and media students, Melbourne offers a steady diet of new Australian plays and films, and access to the Australian Centre of the Moving Image's extensive public film library. Australian Studies units are highlighted in the Study Abroad Guide 2008 (available online soon) with a symbol of Australia. For more information about the program visit our Australian Studies website.

Discover Australia

Discover Australia is a semester length course offered as a CORE UNIT within an innovative program that allows students to combine an in-depth study of Australian issues with comparative analyses of other countries and cultures in the region and the world. The unit is multi-disciplinary and promotes active learning through the use of web activities, film, plus lectures and intensive workshops. Some excursions are planned as well.

The topics covered in this unit include:

• Aboriginal Australia
• From convicts to free settlers
• Race relations, land rights and reconciliation
• Immigration and multiculturalism - what works?
• The politics of water
• Governance - states/nation/region
• The city and the bush
• Cultural icons - sports/sex/violence and poetry?
• Gender - from Germaine Greer to Kylie Minogue
• National identity in film and literature
• Australia in a globalising world
• Is Australia in Asia?

Field Trips

La Trobe University 's Department of Zoology offers exciting and adventurous field trips to the Great Barrier Reef's Heron Island , Kangaroo Island in South Australia , and the Mallee, an outback district of Victoria bordered by Big Desert and Little Desert. In first semester 2005 (February to June) zoology Study Abroad students (download the Study Abroad Guide (PDF 2.6Mb) for a list of zoology units) will be able to take part in these unique trips. In addition, any Study Abroad student will be able to apply to take part in the Kangaroo Island trip, in February. For current prices and dates please refer to the zoology website.

Content Approved by: Director, La Trobe International
Page maintained by: Communications Officer
Last Updated: 29 February, 2008