Asian Studies - Frequently Asked Questions

I'm trying to enrol in a language unit on-line and the My-Info system keeps saying "invalid"!?

If you are enrolling in a language for the first time and are skipping either one or both of the first year units as you have done some previous language study, the student record system will probably say "invalid." This is due to the fact that according to its logic, you haven't met the prerequisites for that unit (for example, it thinks you should have done Indonesian I before you can do Indonesian II). If this happens to you, and you have been given permission by the course coordinator to skip to a higher level, contact Ee-Ling Merton in the Arts divisional student office. She will manually override the system. Please don't panic! you can enrol in the Asian Studies language courses, it's just that the system doesn't handle this particular situation very well. Ee-Ling Merton can be reached on: 9360 6635 or by email.

What's the difference between the Bachelor of Asian Studies (BA) and the Bachelor of Asian Studies Specialist (BAsianSt)?

The Bachelor of Asian Studies (BA) takes three years full time and the Bachelor of Asian Studies Specialist takes four years full time. The most obvious difference is that the Bachelor of Asian Studies includes a year spent studying in China, Indonesia or Japan. Bachelor of Asian Studies students select either the Chinese Studies, Indonesian Studies or Japanese Studies stream and focus on study in this particular area. Language study is required, as are non-language units relevant to the selected region. Bachelor of Arts students select from a range of Asian Studies units and language study is optional. Bachelor of Arts students may choose to spend a semester studying in Asia if their language skills are adequate. If you really want to master the Chinese, Indonesian or Japanese language, the four-year Bachelor of Asian Studies with a year spent in-country is the degree for you. If you would prefer a shorter degree with a broader selection of units relevant to the Asian region as a whole, the Bachelor of Arts is your best option.

Where do I fit in if I have already done some language study?

The Asian Studies program caters for both beginners and those with some previous language competency. If you have passed TEE Chinese, Indonesian or Japanese, or completed a reasonable level of language study at TAFE, you will usually be entitled to automatic placement in the second year of language study. If you have language competency from other sources, for example, through living in China, Indonesia or Japan, you can sit a short language placement test to work out the best level for you. To sit a language placement test, you should contact Cao Yanfen for Chinese, David Hill for Indonesian, or Takeshi Moriyama for Japanese. If you are a beginner, you should enrol in the first year language units. But don't worry - if you spend time studying in-country in China, Japan or Indonesia, you will soon catch up!

What is a double programme?

The Asian Studies program recommends that students taking the Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) or the Bachelor of Asian Studies take a second programme in another area of study. This will enhance your skills and employability. One of the advantages of studying at Murdoch is that we offer flexible ways to combine two areas of study. Popular second programmes taken with Asian Studies include Commerce, Tourism, Communications, Sociology, Media Studies, Politics and International Studies, and Environmental Science. Degrees usually consist of required units which you must do, and elective units which are chosen from a set list of units or sometimes from anywhere in the University. If you take a double programme, you will have to do two lots of required units, which will use up some of your elective units. Taking a double programme will not add any time to your degree; it will just mean you have less choice when you are picking your elective units. You will graduate with a single degree with a second programme in another area (eg - Bachelor of Asian Studies with a second programme in Commerce). Note that the only double degrees offered through the Asian Studies program are a Bachelor of Laws with a Bachelor of Arts (5 years total) or a Bachelor of Laws with a Bachelor of Asian Studies (6 years total). Check with the School of Law for details

Murdoch also offers a Graduate Certificate in Asian Languages for graduates who are unable to commit to another full degree programme. This Certificate qualification allows you to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in Chinese, Japanese or Indonesian language and to be awarded a formal qualification. Indonesian is the only language offered externally, so you can complete this qualification in Indonesian outside the Perth metropolitan area. The Graduate Certificate can only be completed part-time due the the sequencing of language units, and the cost for undertaking this programme now falls under the new loans scheme for postgraduate coursework degrees, PELS.