Duration: 2nd June 2012 - 14 July 2012 (Arriving on 2nd of June, program commences 3rd of June)
Description
Travel from the tropical Top End of the Northern Territory, to the surf beaches of Queensland, to the deserts of the Red Centre and to the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. You will visit the state capital cities of Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney, home to the famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House all while learning and earning credits towards your study back home. This program places an emphasis on the history and culture of Australian Aboriginal people as well as modern Australia and its geography. You will spend several days at World Heritage listed locations such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata-Tjuta (the Olgas), Kakadu wetlands, the Gondwana rainforests and the Blue Mountains.
Learning Outcomes
The focus of the program will be on learning by experience. Field trips will have seminar and supervised assignment components which will be held in art galleries, museums and other institutions visited as part of this program. The two key subjects of this program are:
In combination, the class work and field trip components of these two subjects aim to:
Equip students with an overview of the physical geography of the Australian continent;
Provide an overview of the uniqueness of Australian flora and fauna, and the extreme variety of habitat offered by Australia’s geography and climate;
Provide an overview of the ways in which human habitation, for thousands of years but particularly after European settlement, has influences and been influenced by, the geography,
Show students how in art and in narrative, radically different views and interpretations of the landscape, animals and plants co-exist in Australia, among a population ranging from the first aboriginal inhabitants of the land to waves of settlers from all over the world;
Provide a firm grounding in the major formative events in the history of Australia over the last 300 years;
Offer an insight into what Australian written and audio-visual media can tell us about Australian life and culture, past and present.
The learning outcomes for students will be:
An ability to write and speak with confidence about a range of topics in Australian ecology, history and culture;
An in-depth understanding of Australian and Australians, informed by extensive personal interaction with Australians from many different backgrounds.
Study Credits
This program will comprise two Bond University subjects, each subject requiring at least 40 hours of formal lectures which will be held in both the classroom and in the field. Two subjects at Bond University is 50% of a full time load, and is equivalent to 6-8 credit points in the USA or 15 in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).*
*Grade conversions based on a standard institution and these are approximate guidelines. Students will receive a Bond University transcript for all subjects completed during this program. However, it is essential that students obtain prior approval from their home university if they wish to have the credits count towards their degree at their home institution. Subjects may fill the required components for any general electives or for a major in the fields of history, cultural studies, Australian Studies, environmental studies, geography as well as eco-tourism and not-for-profit marketing.
