Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) (Honours)

Course information for - 2024 entry

Offered at 1 locations

Duration
1 year full-time or equivalent part-time
ATAR
New
Start dates
Semester 1 intake: Beginning February 2024
Applications open August 2023
Midyear (Semester 2) intake: to be advised

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)(Honours) is an honours year program of study in the liberal arts, focused on a ‘great books’ approach to the history of ideas in Western culture. The program builds upon the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) course and consolidates student learning in the liberal arts, directing students through advanced seminars on hermeneutics and the critical interpretation of foundational texts in the Western canon, as well as a capstone research thesis that encounters key texts from an interdisciplinary perspective and a research methods unit. 

Students admitted to the honours course would be covered by the existing Philanthropic Agreement (2020). As noted above, this agreement provides a generous scholarship (worth $32,000 p.a. from January 2023) for a course (or eligible combination of courses) lasting up to 5 years.

Discover ACU's Western Civilisation Program


Course details

Course structure

Course map

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Please note: Course maps are subject to change.

Commencing Semester 1

  • Advanced Coursework units Choose one unit from the following: 10 cp
  • Advanced Coursework units Choose one unit from the following: 10 cp
  • Research Theory and Methods units HUMA402 Introduction to Thesis Research and Design ORResearch Theory and Methods unitsWCIV416 Slow Reading in Wisdom: Interpretation and Research Methods 10 cp
  • Thesis unitsWCIV417Honours Thesis A10 cp
  • Elective units Elective Unit10 cp
  • Thesis unitsWCIV418Honours Thesis B10 cp
  • Thesis unitsWCIV419Honours Thesis C20 cp

Commencing Semester 2

AQF framework

Bachelor Honours - AQF Level 8

Overseas study available

Students have to option to elect to study a unit overseas.

Entry requirements

Applicants must comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

International applicants need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.


To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed the following prerequisites:

1.        the ACU Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)

OR

2.        Equivalent of an Australian bachelor’s degree in a *related discipline

Students must have attained a minimum GPA of 5.50 in the relevant undergraduate degree, as stipulated in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.


*Related disciplines

Ancient History, Archaeology, Classics, Creative Arts, Drama, English, Fine Arts, Geography, Modern History, Modern European Languages and Literatures, Medieval Studies, Philosophy, Politics, Sociology, Study of Religions, Theological Studies, and Visual Arts.


Applicants are also assessed on each of the following to determine suitability for this course:

  1. Personal statement or essay
  2. Performance at interview
  3. Demonstrated suitability on the basis of additional requirements for academic excellence
StatePrerequisites

Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2024 Admission.

Adjustment factors

If you’re currently completing Year 12 you may be eligible for adjustment factors that can boost your rank and help you get into your desired course.

Adjustment factors may be applied to your TAC application if you study particular subjects, attend schools geographically close to our campuses or in certain regional areas, apply as an elite athlete or performer or meet certain other criteria.

Learn more about adjustment factors

Inherent requirement

There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.

Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you

Pathways

Further study

Graduates of this course may be eligible for entry into further postgraduate coursework degree programs.

Fees

Payment options

You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support.

Explore your options

Scholarships

You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.

Search our scholarships

How to apply

Domestic applicants

Direct application

Apply now

Staff Profile

Dr Kishore Saval

Senior Lecturer, Western Civilisation Program, National School of Arts and Humanities

Dr Kishore Saval is Senior Lecturer of Literature, Philosophy, and Art History in the Western Civilisation Program at Australia Catholic University (North Sydney). His main area of specialisation is the Renaissance, although his research focuses more generally on the relationship between literature and philosophy, the study of the emotions, and the literature, culture, and afterlife of the classical period. Saval received his Ph.D. in English Literature from Harvard University. He is also formerly Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at Brown University. He received a J.D. in law from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), where his studies also included comparative law, jurisprudence, and ancient history. He received his Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from the University of California, Los Angeles. Among other publications, Saval is the author of two books, Reading Shakespeare through Philosophy, and Shakespeare in Hate. 

Assoc. Prof. Andrew Poe

Undergraduate Course Coordinator, Director of International Study, Western Civilisation Program, National School of Arts and Humanities

Assoc. Prof. Andrew Poe teaches social and political thought in the Western Civilisation Program at Australia Catholic University (North Sydney). He is a political theorist, with specialised interests in democratic theory, religion and politics, modes of resistance, and political violence. His scholarship draws influence from a variety of sources, including continental philosophy, the history of political thought, religion and politics, and modern literature. Assoc. Prof. Poe's most recent work, Political Enthusiasm: Partisan Feeling and Democracy's Enchantments, published by Manchester University Press in 2022, explores the changing role of enthusiasm in democratic politics. Poe is also the co-editor of The Time of Catastrophe (Routledge, 2015), as well as The Lives of Guns (Oxford University Press, 2018). His current research project explores the promise and complexity of democracy without police.

 

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