Subjects overview
This program can be completed in 2 years (6 semesters)
This program can be completed in 2 years (6 semesters)
Students must complete three (3) subjects plus the Beyond Bond Program.
In this subject, students will be introduced to critical thinking and clear expression. They will evaluate arguments, identify assumptions, judge patterns of inference, and recognise and apply various methods of reasoning. Students will learn how to clarify and visually represent their thinking to make better decisions, evaluate and use evidence, and communicate more effectively in their writing and speaking. Using these skills, students will structure and write an academic essay and deliver an oral presentation.
Read moreIntegrity, and the courage and capability to act on one’s sense of responsibility, are key components of a thriving life. Responsibility, Integrity and Civic Discourse fosters students’ lifelong commitment to responsible discourse and action in all spheres of human interaction, recognising the global aspect to contemporary citizenship. Students explore the complex relationship between character, responsible action, and creative critical thinking, learning how to reflect on and articulate their unique sense of global citizenship and responsibility. By accentuating the importance of justification and articulation of the reasons for our actions, students exercise their critical, communicative, and cooperative capabilities so that they can thrive with integrity in the multiple contexts of action they will face as private, civic, professional, and global citizens.
Read moreIn today's work and study environments, individuals often encounter complex, open-ended problems that necessitate collaboration in both physical and virtual realms and across sectors and specialisations. In Collaboration for Global Change, students engage collaboratively to craft genuine solutions for global issues. In this context, students link their endeavours to specific sustainable development goals, thus positioning their actions as contributions to global citizenship. As they learn to defend their ideas and perspectives, students apply critical thinking, design thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills within a problem-based learning environment. This comprehensive approach equips them with the necessary skills and mindset to excel in future work, academic pursuits, and global initiatives.
Read moreTo keep up with the ever-changing work landscape, we aim to help our students future-proof their careers by developing broader employability skills that are actively sought out by employers. Unique to our University, Beyond Bond is a compulsory professional development program with a practical, activity-based approach that is integrated into all undergraduate degrees.
Students must complete the following fifty credit points (50CP) of subjects.
In this subject, you will learn essential and foundational creative and technical skills necessary for successful careers in the creative and communications industries. You will learn the theoretical and practical fundamentals of visual, textual, and audio design and narrative across multiple digital and online platforms. Across the semester, you will build a portfolio of creative communication pieces. This multi-platform approach aligns with industry needs and expectations to equip you with foundational skills to carry you forward through your program and into the workplace.
Read moreThis foundational subject introduces the Communication discipline and establishes the importance of communication to our personal and professional lives. The subject focuses on the knowledge and understanding of communication needed to succeed in industry - and indeed - life. We apply key models, theories, and concepts to a wide range of communication issues and contexts, including close relationships, gender and diversity, social media, persuasion, and organisational culture.
Read moreThis subject examines changes to the global media environment to help you prepare to become a knowledge worker who will work in the rapidly changing professional employment market. Some of the most profound changes have occurred in global communication networks, digitalisation of media, mobile content creation and delivery, human-machine interaction, virtualisation, artificial intelligence, big data, and video, sound and text democratisation. These global media trends are examined in their social context drawing on interdisciplinary studies that include humanities, arts, social sciences, and business. You will learn about these and you will create professional public media content to demonstrate your digital knowledge and skills.
Read moreIdeas are the most valuable currency a communications or creative arts professional has. This subject is all about developing a sustained piece of creative practice or research, from idea to execution. It is an opportunity for you to attempt the kind of work you admire in industry, in the process creating a substantial communication portfolio piece that reflects the cumulative learning from your degree and mastery of your chosen discipline. You may work individually or in collaboration with a small team within the fields of advertising, communication, creative writing, journalism, media studies, social media, public relations, and film and television, or develop a hybrid project that falls within the spaces among these disciplines. You will first establish the scope, limitations and context of your work, situating it within its industry contexts/comparisons and identifying the market and audience for it. Classes will take the form of workshops, where you will have access to substantial peer and instructor feedback. The subject will also explore models of productivity and sustained creative practise, pitching, freelance and client work models, project management and the transformative power of communication, creative practice, and research.
Read moreMarketing is the art and science of understanding and satisfying customer needs by creating value for both the customer and the marketer. Facilitating these exchanges requires several interrelated processes and activities including market research, market segmentation, product, pricing, promotional strategies and distribution. In this introductory subject, you will explore the various theories and frameworks of marketing and learn to apply them to marketing phenomena around you.
Read moreStudents must choose three (3) of the following options.
Whether the goal is to convince one person through conversation, sway a small group of work colleagues, or win over the public, the act of persuasion lies at the heart of the human experience. This subject investigates how you can convince others to change their attitudes and behaviour to (ethically) accomplish your goals through public speaking and writing. Taking an audience-centred approach to communication, you will examine the broader societal issues that shape our understanding of audiences and their behaviours. The persuasive power of narratives and stories will also be examined, based on the idea that individuals can integrate information from stories into their real-world belief structures. This subject aims to equip you with the skills to be influential and discerning creators and consumers of persuasive messages within various contexts.
Read moreIn this subject, you will learn about significant issues, topics, theories, and practices in contemporary organisational communication from both an employee and a managerial perspective. The subject aims to help you understand how organisational communication functions to guide you in making your own communication choices and make sense of others’ communication. You will learn about employee socialisation, managerial and leadership communication, organisations as cultures, communication and decision-making, communication between employees, conflict communication, power and resistance, reactions to change, and communication during employee transitions. Throughout the subject, you will analyse various organisational communication issues and make recommendations for change. The subject considers many different organisational communication scenarios, and students will have opportunities to lead discussions.
Read moreThis subject focuses on the interactive relationship between gender and communication in contemporary society. We examine how gender is created, maintained, and challenged across various individual, interpersonal, and institutional contexts, including close relationships, culture, media, education, and the workplace. Drawing on key theories and concepts to explain the functions and processes of gender and communication, the subject invites personal and critical reflection on aspects of identity, interaction, and experience.
Read moreThis subject provides you with theories and approaches to critically assess the relationship between mass and popular media and society. You will study and research how media represents our world, shapes our experiences, and exercises power in society. The subject gives special attention to how news is selected, produced, and disseminated. To develop your personal and professional understanding of mass and popular media, the subject considers many different examples and offers many opportunities to lead discussions with classmates. You will also produce a video essay based upon an interview and research.
Read moreThis subject is concerned with the particular problem of communication across linguistic and ethnic boundaries. The principal areas covered are cultural differences in verbal and non-verbal communication, communication problems and ethnocentrism, and communication techniques in intercultural situations. The subject draws on a range of examples of actual intercultural communication scenarios to add a practical dimension. This subject focuses on communication in intercultural contexts preparing learners for careers in international and multicultural environments. We analyse cultural constructs through the lenses of research and theories from relevant disciplines, by considering the learner's culture of origin and by comparing similar and dissimilar cultures. We also consider how the cultural roots of reality derive from the effects of religious, family, and historical world views. Furthermore, we examine language, non-verbal communication, social customs and expected patterns of relationships in relation to interpersonal, business, educational, and health care situations. Students actively experience different cultural attitudes and expectations as they engage in a journey of cultural understanding. The knowledge and skills developed in the subject have immediate relevance to us as world travellers and intercultural workers. Students entering the fields of business, teaching, social services, and tourism will have opportunities to apply their learning in daily contacts with culturally different groups.
Read moreInterpersonal Communication is the fundamental relational force that constructs our social world, enabling us to create, maintain, and (not occasionally) destroy our personal, social, and professional relationships. This subject introduces the specialist Communication sub-discipline of Interpersonal Communication. It focuses on understanding the Self in relation to Others as a means of enabling more competent and mindful communication. The subject explores a range of interpersonal topics, including perception, verbal and nonverbal communication, emotion, disclosure, and conflict communication through both theory and practice.
Read moreStudy of the formation and maintenance of attitudes, social stereotypes, and the desire to conform is central to our understanding of our social beliefs and judgments about other individuals and groups. Students of workplace communication, health communication, advertising, public relations, and journalism will learn about the dynamics of persuasive messages through studying theories and research on behaviour and attitudes, prejudice, aggression, altruism, and interpersonal attraction.
Read moreStudents must choose one (1) of the following options.
This subject introduces you to advertising as a professional practice. You will learn about the different roles in advertising agencies and the skills required for working in these positions. Through exploring successful advertising campaigns and practical, hands-on exercises, this subject will provide you with an overview of essential ideas, concepts and theories used by practitioners for creating impactful promotional communication across various media channels. In addition to learning how to think strategically about advertising, it will also encourage you to think critically about the impact of advertising on society and individuals.
Read moreThis introductory subject immerses you in fundamental practices of news gathering and presentation for textual, digital and visual news media. You are introduced to news writing conventions through simulated and real-life reporting experiences, with the opportunity to experience work in a real newsroom with practising journalists. You will be grounded in the core journalistic values of truth, fairness and accuracy. These acquired skills are transferable across industries, including those external to traditional communications, to ensure you are a more efficient and effective communicator regardless of career path.
Read moreThis subject introduces you to a comprehensive conceptual framework demonstrating how public relations practitioners work in all industries across corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations. We view public relations from a management perspective as a positive force in society. As a student in the subject, you will evaluate the profession’s present structure and future directions, learn concepts of public relations management, discuss ethical practices, and learn public relations strategies and techniques. You will apply this knowledge to creating and pitching an authentic public relations campaign.
Read moreStudents must complete the Marketing Major (60CP).
This major develops students’ knowledge, skills, and practical experience in designing and implementing market-driven, value-creation marketing strategies underpinned by a sound understanding of consumer and buyer behaviour. The focus is placed on how to conduct market research, analyse findings, and communicate these to management.
Students must choose sixty credit points (60CP) of general electives.
Students may choose from all Undergraduate subjects across the University that are available as general electives.
Students are encouraged to undertake an optional Major from the Communication discipline. This will replace sixty credit points (60CP) of elective subjects.
Students are encouraged to undertake an optional Minor from the Communication discipline.. This will replace forty credit points (40CP) of elective subjects.
Oops, something went wrong.
Take the guess work out of planning your study schedule. Your program's study plan has been carefully curated to provide a clear guide on the sequential subjects to be studied in each semester of your program. Your study plan is designed around connected subject themes to equip you with the fundamental knowledge required as you progress through your course.