Int'l Studies

[Bi~~]

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hi everyone
i really need help. I'm really interested in doing this course, but i'm not really sure of the career objectives and the actual course itself. I've read through the UAC and the information given in the booklets, however, it still seems quite limited. Is there anyone who knows something about this course? Or even better..anyone doing/done this course? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!

[Manan]

Yeah im interested in the course too, but i have a similar problem with the future career prospects...i guess one thing you could do is mainly combine it with something eg law and maybe have a more specific career plan.

also, is it possible to study international studies part time?

[jawjayo]

why do law? in the same amount of time as you take to get honours from a law degree you could have a postgrad degree. and you can do law subs within int. studies neway.

there are heaps of career prospects for international studies (to name but a very few): roles in international organisations including IGOs from the UN, WTO, IMF to smaller ones like the IWC etc., and NGOs like Amnesty, Greenpeace etc., international economist, translator, politician, academic, policy advisor, diplomat, development advisor to a developing country ...
who knows, the possibilities are endless. Your career prospects are up to you. This is one degree in which your passion will determine where you go.

[Wolfowitz]

Originally Posted by miaomiao

^ You must have a very high UAI to be putting in such a good word for international studies and wanting to do it next year...

My friend did it last year for a little over a week then dropped out. he was really pissed off because he worked his ass off in year twelve to get a UAI in the 90s for intnl studies then realised it was practically the same as Arts whose cutoff is only 78...
THat said I still like the look of this course and want to do it.

Word.

It's Arts + 1 year overseas.

[Bi~~]

so is it realy worth doing? do most people do it for going o/s?? it really does sound like an arts course...but how come the demand for it is so much higher? and does anyone know if you can combine it with anything else apart from law at UNSW?

[phrred]

the cut off for this course is no where near 78 , its around 92.
I havent heard of a combination with it other than law

[jawjayo]

no you can't combine it with anything other than law. International studies is a proper degree at UNSW. We're not like some of the lame courses hanging around like UTS that let you study only one country and its language and then give you a degree in international studies. We study the world.

If you seriously want to study international studies at UNSW be aware of these points

1) You study with arts students.

Many people have a problem with this because they believe themselves to be so much smarter than these students who get "as low as 78" for a uai. However, I find that many of these arts students with low UAIs come from poorer backgrounds who actually end up doing far better than many international studies students because they now have equal opportunities to resources and so on. There are always going to be stupid people in your course. Sadly you will learn at uni, your uai is not an indicator of your intelligence. Equally there are many brilliant people studying International Studies who have been youth leaders for the United Nations, are national debaters, came in the top 10 in the HSC in certain subjects and so on.

2)You have to study a language.

There is a reason for this. Studying a language is highly regarded by employers even if its only for a year. Even if you've had poor experiences with languages (i had an awful experience with French throughout high school) just pick something new and give it a go. There is a lot of work involved but it is VERY rewarding. I started Chinese and it has been the most rewarding thing i have ever done. Talk to people and get an idea of which languages are enjoyable because the quality of the staff often determines the quality of the experience for beginners languages and whether or not they continue.

3) You have to be aware of the world around you.

Some students drop out or defer because they don't feel they have the general knowledge of current affairs expected of students and im not just talking about the year you start, im talking about a fairly good understanding of the last 5 years alongside a basic knowledge of historical events. If you don't have this you won't do well. You will come across people in your degree who seem to know everything. As i said before there are some really really smart people who know the UN charter backwards, or can argue the legality of whaling with reference to specific pages in IWC documents. While that obviously isnt required, you do need to be more than just opinionated, you need to bring some knowledge with you. Basic first year courses teach you about things as varied as WWI, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the constant string of problems with Serbia, Vietnam, the French and US revolutions, the creation of norway... so don't worry too much about finer details of history but present day or recent problems and analogies are always discussed in tutorials. And it isn't cool to say "what IR reforms?"

4) You have to go overseas or you will only get an Arts degree

You have to go overseas for a year. It is a degree requirement. You can go to a uni for a full year, or two unis for a semester each. For global you can go to an English speaking country although you will be expected to do more demanding courses than if you were studying in another language. Also, some unis offer courses in English anyway such as Denmark and Singapore. But be aware of what unis are on offer for exchange. UNSW and ANU and so on all differ. And have a few choices up your sleeve because unless you are one of the top students you won't necessarily get your first choice. For some unis, the competition for an exchange place is highly competitive .

5)Don't whinge about the uni.

Don't come to UNSW and then complain about what we don't have. CHECK IT OUT BEFORE HAND or you will irritate everyone around you who was excited about starting uni and you'll also ruin your time at UNSW. Our library is great, our language labs are usual, our food and shops are good, our gym is ok, our soccer team is shite...


Oh and demand is higher because international studies takes less students, you are guaranteed a year overseas, and the degree is more focussed and highly regarded by employers because there are limitations placed on what subjects you can take. Apart from one elective in first year, it has to be relevant to the degree so you can't study some tribal clan from 3000 years ago. It ensures graduates have the desired skills and maintains the reputation of the degree.

Neway thats enough from me, any questions just ask

[Bi~~]

Originally Posted by jawjayo

no you can't combine it with anything other than law. International studies is a proper degree at UNSW. We're not like some of the lame courses hanging around like UTS that let you study only one country and its language and then give you a degree in international studies. We study the world.

If you seriously want to study international studies at UNSW be aware of these points

1) You study with arts students.

Many people have a problem with this because they believe themselves to be so much smarter than these students who get "as low as 78" for a uai. However, I find that many of these arts students with low UAIs come from poorer backgrounds who actually end up doing far better than many international studies students because they now have equal opportunities to resources and so on. There are always going to be stupid people in your course. Sadly you will learn at uni, your uai is not an indicator of your intelligence. Equally there are many brilliant people studying International Studies who have been youth leaders for the United Nations, are national debaters, came in the top 10 in the HSC in certain subjects and so on.

2)You have to study a language.

There is a reason for this. Studying a language is highly regarded by employers even if its only for a year. Even if you've had poor experiences with languages (i had an awful experience with French throughout high school) just pick something new and give it a go. There is a lot of work involved but it is VERY rewarding. I started Chinese and it has been the most rewarding thing i have ever done. Talk to people and get an idea of which languages are enjoyable because the quality of the staff often determines the quality of the experience for beginners languages and whether or not they continue.

3) You have to be aware of the world around you.

Some students drop out or defer because they don't feel they have the general knowledge of current affairs expected of students and im not just talking about the year you start, im talking about a fairly good understanding of the last 5 years alongside a basic knowledge of historical events. If you don't have this you won't do well. You will come across people in your degree who seem to know everything. As i said before there are some really really smart people who know the UN charter backwards, or can argue the legality of whaling with reference to specific pages in IWC documents. While that obviously isnt required, you do need to be more than just opinionated, you need to bring some knowledge with you. Basic first year courses teach you about things as varied as WWI, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the constant string of problems with Serbia, Vietnam, the French and US revolutions, the creation of norway... so don't worry too much about finer details of history but present day or recent problems and analogies are always discussed in tutorials. And it isn't cool to say "what IR reforms?"

4) You have to go overseas or you will only get an Arts degree

You have to go overseas for a year. It is a degree requirement. You can go to a uni for a full year, or two unis for a semester each. For global you can go to an English speaking country although you will be expected to do more demanding courses than if you were studying in another language. Also, some unis offer courses in English anyway such as Denmark and Singapore. But be aware of what unis are on offer for exchange. UNSW and ANU and so on all differ. And have a few choices up your sleeve because unless you are one of the top students you won't necessarily get your first choice. For some unis, the competition for an exchange place is highly competitive .

5)Don't whinge about the uni.

Don't come to UNSW and then complain about what we don't have. CHECK IT OUT BEFORE HAND or you will irritate everyone around you who was excited about starting uni and you'll also ruin your time at UNSW. Our library is great, our language labs are usual, our food and shops are good, our gym is ok, our soccer team is shite...


Oh and demand is higher because international studies takes less students, you are guaranteed a year overseas, and the degree is more focussed and highly regarded by employers because there are limitations placed on what subjects you can take. Apart from one elective in first year, it has to be relevant to the degree so you can't study some tribal clan from 3000 years ago. It ensures graduates have the desired skills and maintains the reputation of the degree.

Neway thats enough from me, any questions just ask

Thank you soooooooooooo much!! Can't thank you more for that!! hehe you answered all my questions.!! if i happen to think of any more i'll just ask you again..(if you dont mind..) THANK YOU!

[snowblack]

Originally Posted by jawjayo

why do law? in the same amount of time as you take to get honours from a law degree you could have a postgrad degree. and you can do law subs within int. studies neway.

there are heaps of career prospects for international studies (to name but a very few): roles in international organisations including IGOs from the UN, WTO, IMF to smaller ones like the IWC etc., and NGOs like Amnesty, Greenpeace etc., international economist, translator, politician, academic, policy advisor, diplomat, development advisor to a developing country ...
who knows, the possibilities are endless. Your career prospects are up to you. This is one degree in which your passion will determine where you go.

Can I ask you what stream your doing?
Also, how have the exams and content you learnt this year been? As in, how much flexibility do you have when you choose what you what to learn bout etc ... thanks heaps !
ooh i forgot...can you do any postgrad degrees that stem from intl studies?

[jawjayo]

I am doing the global stream.

you have heaps of choice. For example, the international studies subjects for first year are either world history (a and/or b = as in you can do it in one semester or both) and international relations (a and/or b). Since your question is a bit confusing i'm just going to tell you exactly what international relations was like (i didn't do world history). Ok so first semester you cover a different topic each week. First short essay you have a choice of about 10 topics (Versailles Treaty, Cuban Missile Crisis etc.etc.). Second extended essay choice of about 15 (Terrorism, globalisation etc.etc.) Tutorial presentation topics are allocated at the beginning and its first in first served for the 14 topics discussed throughout semester. Final exam we were required to have a basic understanding of each weeks topic with a short answer section and then we were provided with a choice of questions (one for each topic throughout semester) for two extended essays. [This was a 3 hour exam]. So basically, apart from having that basic understanding for the short answer question, you choose which areas interest you. Then, in later years you can choose to continue in those areas through a wider subject choice.

Postgrad degrees - ummm there's no doctorate of international studies if that's what you mean. You might want to look into postgrad degrees coz the whole 'stem from international studies' question doesn't make sense in how postgrad degrees work. It's a bit like career wise. Whatever you've focussed on is what you would look for. For example, if you do enough subjects through international studies in an area such as politics, and you get high enough marks, then of course you can do a postgrad degree in politics (be that masters or whatever). Equally you could do graduate law.

I hope that answers your question...

[Bi~~]

do you know anything about the languages stream? does the same career objectives apply? and do you study the same majors?( cause you have to specify in TWO languages in this stream..?)

[jawjayo]

these kind of detailed course questions are answered on the website
http://internationalstudies.arts.unsw.edu.au

[Manan]

Thanks heaps for the info...just one more question,

is it possible to study International Studies part time?....because as far as i know there are some limitations, eg some subjects are timetabled only at certain times so you cant study them in the evenings....is that right??

thanks,

[phrred]

not sure but i doubt it. U have to go overseas for a whole full time year in final year

[jawjayo]

technically you can study it part time but why bother? you can do a part time job and full time study easily. it is true that part time limits your subject choices to the point where you have no choice and will end up doing subjects you dont want to do. Languages are sometimes only offered during the day time, and the same with some politics subjects. In fact the only core subjects I know of that were offered for first years at night were sociology and anthropology subjects.

obviously you have to be a full-time student for your year overseas (although you can do it in two separate semesters, or so i am led to believe).