Request Server from SC-10

Unit rationale, description and aim

This subject involves the completion of a 70-hour special project integrating academic learning, employability skills and attributes and an improved knowledge of organisations, workplace culture and career pathways in the Arts and Humanities. The project or placement gives a hands-on experience of work in the Arts and Humanities sector and is supplemented by workshops and/or excursions that focus on key cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, or local government/community organisations and will prepare students for the project or placement. Prior to the beginning of semester, ACU staff will have identified and engaged with appropriate project partners to develop a list of potential placements or projects that align with relevant majors in the National School of Arts and Humanities. Students will complete a 70-hour special project and use the rest of the semester to complete the tasks related to it. On completion of the subject, students will have completed and reported on an Arts or Humanities related project. The aim of the unit is to enhance students' employability skills including communication, interpersonal, analytical and problem-solving skills; organisational and time-management techniques; and an understanding of career planning and professional development in the Arts and Humanities.

2025 10

Campus offering

Find out more about study modes.

Unit offerings may be subject to minimum enrolment numbers.

Please select your preferred campus.

  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Online Scheduled

Prerequisites

Nil

Restriction: Permission from the National Head of School or Course Coordinator is required. Quotas apply. An application process will apply for special projects on offer and academic merit will be considered. The student must be undertaking a major taught by the National School of Arts and Humanities (not including Mathematics and Technology).

Incompatible

ARTS330 Internship , MEDA300 Professional Engagement and Internship , TECH307 Technologies Professional Experience

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Demonstrate an independent approach to learning an...

Learning Outcome 01

Demonstrate an independent approach to learning and knowledge
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC3, GC4, GC9, GC10, GC11

Work collegially to complete a range of activities...

Learning Outcome 02

Work collegially to complete a range of activities as a member of a team in a special project setting
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC8, GC12

Apply knowledge and skills in the Arts or Humaniti...

Learning Outcome 03

Apply knowledge and skills in the Arts or Humanities to complete a relevant project or placement requirement
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC3, GC4, GC5, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12

Reflect on the process and output of a work projec...

Learning Outcome 04

Reflect on the process and output of a work project/placement to articulate their academic and career development learning from the experience
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Content

The course will be structured in three parts:

 

Part One: Arts Pathways

  • Preparation for taking up special projects
  • Workplace culture
  • Introduction to the Arts and Humanities sector (key cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, local government/community organisations).

 

Part Two: The Internship

  • Students undertake a (pre-organised) special project with a project partner on a distinct topic, which can be completed within the designated period.

 

Part Three: Reflections on Professional Practice

  • Showcasing and presentation skills on project experiences
  • Linking skills to project requirements
  • Presenting project experience to potential employers in the future.

Assessment strategy and rationale

This special project placement component of this unit will be assessed by a pass/fail grade and students must complete the requirements of the project to gain a pass for this hurdle.

The assessment tasks for this unit will be graded and have been designed to assess students’ developing skills and knowledge over the course of the semester – in relation to both the on campus learning activities and their off-campus internship experiences.

Overview of assessments

Hurdle Requirement   70 hours satisfactory specia...

Hurdle Requirement 

70 hours satisfactory special project or placement before the end of the teaching period and 100% attendance at workshops.  

Weighting

Pass/Fail

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2

Case Study Exercise   Students will develop a cas...

Case Study Exercise 

Students will develop a case study to share with other students based on the project they are undertaking.  

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO3

Major Written Task   Students will write a 2,000 ...

Major Written Task 

Students will write a 2,000 word essay/report reflecting on their placement and relating their experience to current directions in the Arts and/or Humanities. 

OR 

Students will produce an artefact or product as part of their project and include a 500-word reflection on their placement and relating their experience to current directions in the Arts and/or Humanities. Both the artefact or product and the reflection will be graded. 

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO3, LO4

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes the form of a special project with an internal Arts or Humanities academic, ACU department, or partner organisation.

By engaging directly with Arts and Humanities organisations and practitioners (and with guidance and support from ACU staff) students will develop their skills and knowledge of professional practice in a particular field of the Arts and Humanities, through a series of experiential activities.

At the same time, the course workshops will involve a range of active learning activities including reading, writing, analysis, debate, discussion and problem solving.

Attendance Mode: 150 hours, including a 70-hour special project or placement, and face-to-face or multimode workshops/modules. The balance then becomes private study to complete readings and assignments for the unit.

The unit may be offered over a 12-week semester period or as a summer or winter intensive.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Cauvin, Thomas. Public History: A Textbook of Practice. New York: Routledge, 2016.

Daniel, Ryan, and Daniel, Leah. "Enhancing the Transition from Study to Work: Reflections on the Value and Impact of Internships in the Creative and Performing Arts." Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 12, no. 2-3 (2013): 138-53.

Guarise, Desalina, and James Kostenblatt. "Unpaid Internships and the Career Success of Liberal Arts Graduates."NACE Journal 78, no. 3 (2018): 37.

Hodges, Sue. Hands on History. South Melbourne: Sue Hodges Productions, 2006.

Kean, Hilda, and Paul Martin. The Public History Reader. London: Routledge, 2013.

Kramer-Simpson, Elisabeth. "Moving from Student to Professional: Industry Mentors and Academic Internship Coordinators Supporting Intern Learning in the Workplace." Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 48, no. 1 (2018): 81-103.

Lang, Caroline, and John Reeve, eds. The Responsive Museum: Working with Audiences in the Twenty-First Century. London: Routledge, 2006.

Neugebauer, John, and Jane Evans-Brain. Making the Most of Your Placement. London: SAGE, 2009.

Tolich, Martin, Paris, Anna, and Shephard, Kerry. "An Evaluation of Experiential Learning in a Sociology Internship Class." New Zealand Sociology 29, no. 1 (2014): 119-34.

Locations
Credit points
Year

Have a question?

We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday

If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.

Live chat with us now

Chat to our team for real-time
answers to your questions.

Launch live chat

Visit our FAQs page

Find answers to some commonly
asked questions.

See our FAQs