Some interesting units (courses) offered at Monash

Exchange and study abroad students coming to Monash can do almost any of the thousands of units offered at Monash, provided you have the necessary pre-requisites and meet any other requirements.

There are some units, however, which may help you get the most out of your time at Monash as an exchange or study abroad student, especially if this will the first time you have lived in a foreign country. Most have no pre-requisites but some have quotas so make sure you include them in the study plan you prepare when you first apply to come to Monash.

Contemporary Australia

This is a dynamic, multi-disciplinary unit, designed to introduce you to the major cultural and environmental issues shaping Australia today. Offering a comprehensive seminar and fieldwork program, this popular unit explores current debates in race relations, the environment, politics, immigration, international relations, Australia 's identity and the place of tourism, sport and the arts in national life. An optional extended study tour is offered each semester to interstate destinations such as Broken Hill, Sydney and Canberra. There are no pre-requisites but there is a quota.

For more information, see the full handbook entry for this unit.

Experiencing the Australian landscape

Designed for students with a wide range of interests who wish to experience and gain an understanding of some of Australia 's unique wilderness environments. A theoretical background to the cultural heritage of the Australian landscape is supported by a series of field trips to National and State Parks. Field trip venues are two of Victoria 's major National Parks - the Grampians and Wilson's Promontory. Although this has a level 3 unit code it is open to students at all levels and there are no pre-requisites. There is a quota.

For more information, see the full handbook entry for this unit.

English as an international language

These units offer both a practical and theoretical understanding of the socio-cultural communicative characteristics of English as an International Language. An important feature of the course is that all the units have been designed to accommodate bilingual and multilingual speakers of English.

The units assist students who wish to widen their knowledge of some of the structural, functional and cultural characteristics of English, including what English has gained as a result of its development as an international language. This course encourages the students' personal language development while not directly focusing on the teaching of English language skills. During the course students engage in a critical and evaluative approach to the study of the functions of English in academic, professional and international contexts through lectures, seminars and interaction with other students in a range of research projects that concentrate on authentic language situations.

There are no pre-requisites and these units are ideal for students about to undertake their first university level studies entirely in English.

For more information, see the full handbook entries:

Managing Intercultural Communication

This unit examines basic concepts of intercultural communication: face and politeness in language; the relation between cultural values and discourse; cultural variation in speech acts, turn taking rules and formulaic patterns; cultural differences in the organization of written and spoken discourse; and examines their interaction in intercultural communication in the global context. Case studies drawn from a wide variety of cultures will provide opportunities to examine language use in light of broader cultural, political and social issues such as stereotyping and discriminatory language, cultural expectation and attitudes, cultural awareness training, language reform and policies. There are no pre-requisites and this unit will be offered at Clayton in 2007.

For more information, see the full handbook entry for this unit.