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Study a Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation), Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Master of Teaching (Secondary) or Master of Liberal Arts (Western Civilisation) with ACU - exciting courses exploring the intellectual tradition and culture of the West. Ramsay Scholarships are available.

This is a liberal arts degree that will give ambitious students a broad understanding of Western literature, philosophy, art, politics, religion, science and history, and a deep appreciation of the ways in which these traditions (in dialogue with other cultures) have helped to shape the modern world.

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Scholarships | Career outcomes | How to apply

What you will study

Whether you study the single or the double degree, you will explore the past, present and future of Western intellectual life and culture through immersion in some of the key literary, philosophical, artistic, religious, political and scientific works that have shaped the Western intellectual tradition from antiquity to the present.

You'll delve into works by Plato and Aristotle; Augustine and Aquinas; Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo; Homer and Shakespeare; Locke and Hume; Dickens and Tolstoy - and you will also explore, critique and debate their enduring influence. If you choose to study the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws double degree, you'll also immerse yourself in legal studies.

As you progress through the course, you will develop a deep understanding of the key ideas and principles that have defined - and continue to define - Western culture and which have significantly shaped the wider world.

You will develop skills greatly valued by contemporary employers across a range of professions: clear communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving - skills that will allow you to navigate the complexities of the modern world, and to make your own contributions to our common future. With the double degree, you'll also gain the skills to become a confident, ethical lawyer with the legal skills and knowledge to make a real contribution to the legal profession.

At a time when the ideas of democracy, the rule of law, the scientific method, freedom of speech and religion, and the rights and dignity of the individual, are being called into question, a liberal arts education will immerse you in the serious study of how these hard-won ideas emerged over millennia.

The Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) features 14 core units focused on the Western intellectual and cultural traditions, with emphasis on the disciplines of literature, philosophy, history, politics, art and architecture. We are committed to a personal learning approach, and the core units will be delivered in small seminars of around 10 students, allowing in-depth, guided discussion.

You will also undertake an eight-unit major drawn from a selection of existing Bachelor of Arts sequences, including drama, English, history, philosophy, politics and international relations, psychology, sociology, theological studies, or visual arts. Finally, you will undertake a community engagement placement experience, and one general elective.

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.

There is also an opportunity to pair the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) with the Bachelor of Laws. This five-year double degree combines practical and theoretical training in legal knowledge with the study of Western civilisation. You'll graduate with a deep understanding of legal practice as well as Western literature, philosophy, art, politics, religion, science and history, and how these help us to comprehend our world and the dialogue between cultures.

You'll gain all the unique benefits of the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisations) - fascinating units, personalised teaching and facilities and community engagement (pro bono) - while also graduating with the skills to enter the legal profession.

This four-and-a-half-year course is a double degree for students who wish to pursue a multidisciplinary Bachelor of Arts centered in key texts of the Western intellectual tradition, followed by a Master of Teaching (Secondary) enabling them to become fully qualified secondary teachers in two teaching areas.

You will develop highly valued professional skills: clear communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem solving - all of which will empower you to become a confident, adaptable teacher who is able to meet the needs of all students in the classroom.

This one-and-a-half-year course will deepen and broaden your knowledge and expertise of Western culture within a structured and integrated humanities masters-level course. Centred on a 'great books' or 'canonical' approach to the study of Western culture, studying this course will help you to develop a transnational, interdisciplinary and historically grounded perspective to the literature, music, philosophy and works of art that have achieved the status of 'classics' within the Western world.

You will study major works of history, literature, philosophy, and art and be guided in small group seminar-style discussions by academic staff with wide-ranging, interdisciplinary expertise.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) you will be able to:

  • Articulate a broad and coherent knowledge of the great works of the Western canon and a selected humanities, arts or social science discipline.
  • Explain the literary, social, historical, philosophical, political, aesthetic, scientific, religious and ethical ideas and movements in texts drawn from, and related to, the Western intellectual tradition.
  • Evaluate knowledge from diverse sources and communicate complex ideas and findings with sophistication and confidence to a range of audiences.
  • Apply disciplinary knowledge and skills to understand complex, real-world issues, informed by Western and other traditions, including the rich perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Apply disciplinary knowledge and skills to formulate intellectually grounded, evidence-based judgments about history and the modern world.

Career outcomes

The Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) provides you with rigorous training in a range of skills that are immediately transferable to the contemporary workforce. Career outcomes are diverse and include research and policy work for government and NGOs, publishing and editing, work with arts and cultural organisations, and careers as university scholars.

By pairing the degree with a Bachelor of Laws you will also be able to pursue a career as a solicitor or barrister in private practice, as in-house counsel for corporations or with government, non-government and trade organisations.

Scholarships

Undergraduate

The Ramsay Centre is funding 30 generous scholarships valued at up to $160,000 to support students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation), Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws or the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Master of Teaching (Secondary) at the North Sydney Campus.

The scholarships are valued at $32,000 per year of the degree. So you will receive up to $96,000 for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation), up to $160,000 for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws, and up to $144,000 for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Master of Teaching (Secondary). It includes funding for an optional international study experience and an early payment to help offset start-up costs such as relocation and accommodation.

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Postgraduate

ACU is offering up to 10 Ramsay Scholarships to students undertaking this degree, funded by the Ramsay Centre, each valued at up to $48,000 ($32,000 per year of the degree). Students eligible for scholarships will be selected by a committee, comprising senior ACU and Ramsay Centre staff.

Scholarships are granted based on academic merit and alignment with Ramsay attributes (such as leadership qualities, commitment to the enrichment of society, and a critical habit of mind), and alignment with ACU's mission and focus (such as commitment to the dignity of the human person and the common good).

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ACU living and learning communities

While this course is offered at our North Sydney Campus, we encourage applications from all across Australia. With the support of one of the Ramsay Centre's generous scholarships, you may wish to consider staying at our student accommodation in Sydney,

the Miguel Cordero Residence (MCR). MCR is located in Camperdown in Sydney's inner west - the vibrant cultural hub of the city.

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How to apply

Applications for these courses should be made direct to ACU.

Apply for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)
Apply for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) (Honours)
Apply for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws
Apply for the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Master of Teaching (Secondary)
Apply for the Master of Liberal Arts (Western Civilisation)

For more information

If you have a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search the FAQs, text us, live chat or call one of our friendly AskACU staff - whatever works for you.

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Staff profile Johanna Harris

Associate Professor Johanna Harris

Postgraduate Course Coordinator, Western Civilisation Program

Johanna Harris is Associate Professor in the Western Civilisation Program (North Sydney) and Postgraduate Course Coordinator. Her teaching and research focus is on the literature, religion, and politics of the early modern period, with particular interest in non-fictional prose, especially letters, manuscript culture, and puritanism. Raised in the Blue Mountains, she graduated from the University of Sydney with BA (Hons), and then went to the University of Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar, from where she graduated with MSt and DPhil in English. Harris' publications have focused on well-known writers such as Andrew Marvell, Richard Baxter, and Thomas Traherne, and lesser-known writers such as Brilliana Harley and Lucy Robartes. She is also interested in the ethical value of literature, particularly human dignity, bibliotherapy and the medical humanities, and the role of literature in enhancing intergenerational cohesion.

Student profile

Emily Nix

Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)

"I was inspired to study the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) because I wanted the ability to study multiple disciplines at once, including history, philosophy and political science. I also love the emphasis ACU has on small class sizes and how this allows students to develop closer relationships with academic staff."

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