Bachelor of Arts

With a variety of majors and minors to choose from and the freedom to combine them to suit your interests, Griffith University's Bachelor of Arts gives you the power to create your own unique program to prepare for either a career in the global knowledge economy or for postgraduate study in your preferred area of research. How to identify, process and synthesise information; to research across disciplinary boundaries; to think critically and constructively; to create and manage new knowledge and to communicate your ideas effectively are the core skills you will develop in the degree regardless of your chosen areas of study. As well, our commitment to international experience, work-integrated learning, social justice and environmental sustainability will ensure that in addition to preparation for a life of rewarding work, your experience in the program will equip you to be an informed and engaged citizen of the world. In your final year, you will collaborate with your fellow BA students in a capstone course that will explore a real-world wicked problem with you and your peers cast as agents of change. You will also have the opportunity to complete an internship or work-based learning project or undertake study abroad, the kinds of complex undertakings that will ensure that you graduate with the maturity, experience, knowledge and skills that employers want. You can choose from the following majors and minors; Art History and Theory How does a society express itself and why? Such are the questions you will confront in art history and theory, from surveying the aesthetics of aboriginal art to relationship between the body and art to how art shapes who we are. Australian Studies What is Australia? A place? An idea? And who counts as Australian? With this major you will explore the many facets of Australian culture, history, politics and government. Communication and Journalism This major straddles two distinct fields, both of which focus on how to summarise an issue, frame a question and communicate a perspective.  Learn how to communicate strategically to frame the terms of debate or to explain the what, why and when of an event, a strategy or an issue. Creative Writing People think math or chemistry are hard but try writing from your heart in a way that engages others. We have great authors on staff who enjoy showing students how to express themselves and welcoming them into a great community of student writers and poets. Criminal Justice Why do people commit crimes? Is it because an individual is flawed or because of social pressures and circumstance? How does a society mete out justice? Digital Media Studies (Minor only) If you are interested in journalism or communication but do not want to commit to the major, then this minor will get you started in digital media theory and production. Drama When people think drama they think of costumes, klieg lights and chorus lines. In this major you will learn how to stage plays and how to act but the focus will be on how drama can mobilise social action, from helping veterans cope with post-traumatic stress to building communities through performance. Environmental Humanities (Minor only) When we think of the environment we tend to think of science, but a lot can be gained from exploring environmental issues through literature, indigenous knowledge, history and social science, all of which contribute to this minor. Gender Studies When you understand how gendered forms of power shape our society you will be equipped to interrogate many of the assumptions on which our society relies for its basic structure. History A great author once insisted that the past is always present. When you study history you confront the challenge of disentangling present-day circumstances from past events and interpreting their meaning for yourself and for your community. Indigenous Studies Explore probably the most pressing questions that confront Australia and come to grips with the fact that without an understanding of this land's ancient origins, knowledge and culture it will be impossible to ever reconcile the cost that the ongoing existence of Australia has exacted with the imperative for social justice. Islam-West Relations In the long history of Islam-West relations there have been periods of fruitful exchange and times of tension and strife. Why has the encounter ebbed and flowed over the centuries and what lessons does the past afford our multicultural present? Journalism Who knows what is true anymore? Journalists do. Interrogate the powers that be, share stories with the community you serve and learn how to produce and distribute your take on the world. Language in Society Nothing humans have created could exist without language. Explore the most fundamental way we create knowledge and value that nonetheless differs from culture to culture. Languages When you learn a language you acquire another way to understand yourself and the world. It is a life-changing experience that too many people are afraid to dare. Be brave, study a language and see just how widely it can open your life. Literary Studies Great literature can you transport you to different times and place, introduce you to different people and pose the essential questions we all have to answer. When you read great literature you encounter powerful voices and can learn how to find your voice - which matters because without a voice you will never be heard. Medical Humanities (Minor only) In the quest to provide better health care, physicians have increasingly turned to the humanities for lessons and ideas drawn from literature, history and the arts. The minor also features the "Biography Project" that pairs students with long-term care residents to collaborate on the writing of their biography. Politics and International Studies Uncover the power structures, political compromises and international self-interests that frame our modern lives. Popular Culture So much of our lives are defined by our immersion in popular culture that studying this major will open your capacity to interrogate social values and connect media to values to beliefs in ways that will expose the tensions between being an individual and belonging to a society.  Psychology Interested in the relationship between mind and personality? How psyches interact socially and their problems might be ameliorated? Then try psychology as a gateway into postgraduate degrees in psychological counselling and therapies. Strategic Communication and Public Relations How an issue is communicated sets the terms in which it will be discussed. The communications and public relations field is booming and in this major you will develop the key competencies the profession requires. Screen Studies What we watch matters. Visual media occupy an important place in popular culture and straddle the competing interests of commerce and art. Security Studies Are we safe? What imperils our water or food supply or our bodily security? And to what degree does fear or anxiety define our modern lives? Sociology Sociology is the study of society. What could be more important? What makes us tick? How does power define our lives? What makes you who you are? Do we have one identity or shift among many? Social Justice Look at the social structures and cultural values that contribute to social inequality, injustice and poverty and try to find new ways to foster multiculturalism, social inclusion and equality. How can you make a better world?