Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology

at Western Sydney University - Penrith Campus (Kingswood) Australia

With a Bachelor of Social Science from Western, you will have the ability to help shape the world we live in. This degree expands your knowledge through theory, research and practical application and offers you a deep understanding of our complex, culturally diverse and dynamic world. You will gain access to industry-based projects and placements, local and international work experience and build the practical skills that will get you ready to apply your knowledge to the workforce.

Geography and Urban Studies

Students in this major examine the geography of contemporary Australian cities and regions. Geography is the integrated study of people, places and environments. The cutting edge interests of today’s Geographers include post-colonialism, the emergence of global information economies, indigenous issues, class and cultural disparities, population movement, sexuality and space, and the global diffusion of popular culture.

Urban Studies is a newer discipline focused on social justice within the city, through its critical assessments of peoples’ access to scarce urban resources, such as housing, transport, education and employment. The political, economic, and cultural forces that shape cities and urban policy are the key concerns of the Urban Studies curriculum. These applied interests in urban well-being and city structure are the intellectual basis for the Urban Planning profession.

The Geography and Urban Studies major is a compulsory component of the University’s accredited Planning course.

Our Computer Science (Advanced) program is an elite degree aimed at transforming today’s brightest minds into tomorrow’s computing leaders.

 Networked Systems

This major is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Computer Science and Bachelor of Computer Science Advanced.

This major aims to develop graduates with sound skills in the discipline of networked computer systems.

Recent advances in computer and telecommunications networked systems, particularly those based on TCP/IP, have increased the importance of network technologies in the discipline of computer science.

This major covers a wide range of topics including computer communication network concepts and protocols, multimedia systems, Internet standards and technologies, network security, wireless and mobile computing, and distributed systems.

The candidates are also introduced to some of the relevant current key research issues of the field.
Students must maintain a grade point average of 5 or above to remain in the program. Those who do not maintain this average will be transferred to the Bachelor of Computer Science.

If you’re creative, passionate and a problem solver, our enhanced Arts degree could be for you.

Criminology And Criminal Justice

This criminology major offers students the opportunity to study crime and criminal justice in a critical way that particularly stresses social and cultural definitions of criminality and the reactions to it.

Areas of focus include criminal justice institutions and practices; the development of criminology as a discipline and its various strands; forms and patterns of victimisation; crime prevention strategies and debates; aspects of juvenile justice; the evolution of prisons and different forms of punishment; law enforcement and surveillance; violence, gender and crime; cultural depictions of crime and contemporary debates in criminology.

This double degree program is designed for students whose interests span the Arts and Social Sciences.

It will give you the skills and versatility to work across a range of academic and professional disciplines, including the opportunity to develop global perspectives and communication skills.

You need to include a Social Science Major, so you can design your own academic program within the Bachelor of Social Science program structure.

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society and culture. Using diverse methods, practices and theories, it helps us understand social life. Sociology is fundamental to the social sciences because the quality of life of every human on the planet is directly or indirectly influenced by their relative position within, and responses to, society.

This major in Sociology provides you with a thorough training in the methods, theories and select leading areas of contemporary sociology. In the Sociology major, you will have opportunities to study particular themes from a sociological perspective, including inequalities, deviance, identities, gender, religion, medicine and health care, ethnicity and migration, and the family, among other possibilities.

This double degree program is designed for students whose interests span the Arts and Social Sciences.

It will give you the skills and versatility to work across a range of academic and professional disciplines, including the opportunity to develop global perspectives and communication skills.

You need to include a Social Science Major, so you can design your own academic program within the Bachelor of Social Science program structure.

Criminology

This criminology major offers students the opportunity to study crime and criminal justice in a critical way that particularly stresses social and cultural definitions of criminality and the reactions to it.

Areas of focus include criminal justice institutions and practices; the development of criminology as a discipline and its various strands; forms and patterns of victimisation; crime prevention strategies and debates; aspects of juvenile justice; the evolution of prisons and different forms of punishment; law enforcement and surveillance; violence, gender and crime; cultural depictions of crime and contemporary debates in criminology.

The Bachelor of Criminal and Community Justice degree is designed for current employees within Corrective Services and other similar professions, as well as those external to the industry who wish to pursue a career in corrections, probation and/or parole (Community Corrections).

The degree has been designed in collaboration with Brush Farm, the training academy of Corrective Services NSW.

The degree draws upon disciplinary areas such as Criminal Justice, Criminology, Psychology, Social Work and Welfare in order to provide a theoretical framework for those who work with offenders.

This degree is a specialised degree which targets a range of central themes and issues that are paramount for those who work with victims and also offenders, both in terms of their treatment and management. As well as providing a theoretical framework, the program equips our students with the knowledge and skills to develop and evaluate practice with a view to enhancing work with offenders and victims.

The Bachelor of Criminal and Community Justice can be described as an ‘applied degree’ insofar as the teaching within the program will link theory to practice. It is important to note that this degree does not guarantee direct employment into Corrective Services or related fields.

Our academics who teach in the program have had first-hand experience working directly with offenders and victims in a variety of settings including prisons, courts and a community setting. This is reflected in some of the specialised subjects, including Assessment and Treatment of Offenders and Managing Offenders in the Community.

We all had that one teacher who made a difference in our life. Western prepares you to be that person. This degree offers a mix of theory and real-world experience, so you emerge as a highly sought-after secondary-school teacher.

At Western, we know the value a great teacher brings to the classroom as well as the challenges you’ll face. That’s why we’ve built our Master of Teaching (Secondary) around giving you practical tools to provide inspiration and direction to high-school students.

Offering a mix of on-campus theory and school-based placements, this program helps you turn your specialist undergraduate degree into an inspiring career path. The aim is to produce teachers with strong academic knowledge and skills, excellence in professional practice, commitment to equity and social justice, and dedication to personal and professional growth.

With a Bachelor of Social Science from Western, you will have the ability to help shape the world we live in. This degree expands your knowledge through theory, research and practical application and offers you a deep understanding of our complex, culturally diverse and dynamic world. You will gain access to industry-based projects and placements, local and international work experience and build the practical skills that will get you ready to apply your knowledge to the workforce.

Anthropology 

Social Anthropology is the study of humans and the cultures they create. The major in Anthropology within the Bachelor of Social Science offers students the opportunity to examine social patterns and practices across cultures, to discover similarities and differences between cultures, and to understand the processes by which humans organise and create meaning.

Areas of focus include the development of anthropology as a discipline; globalisation and culture; power and politics; gender and sexuality; identity and belonging; ethnography and ethnographic methods; indigenous peoples and nation states. Specific attention is given to cultures of Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and to cross cultural interactions, at both global and local levels.

The major seeks to equip students with multi-cultural knowledge as well as to provide a thorough grounding in research methods and ethics with utility in a variety of professional and academic contexts.

Our Computer Science (Advanced) program is an elite degree aimed at transforming today’s brightest minds into tomorrow’s computing leaders.

Cyber Security

The Cyber Security major aims to develop graduates with sound skills in the discipline of information systems security.

Today, the widespread use of networked systems means protecting these systems from various attacks is more important than ever.

Cyber Security is an essential aspect of today’s information systems

This major covers fundamental information security knowledge and security protocols from basic cryptography algorithms to their applications in computer systems and networked systems.

Students will learn fundamental security concepts, practical implementation of the security application programs as well as ethical hacking techniques to protect cyber security.
Students must maintain a grade point average of 5 or above to remain in the program. Those who do not maintain this average will be transferred to the Bachelor of Computer Science.

This degree is suited to those interested in becoming an innovative, articulate musician who contributes to the music community and today’s culture.

Music graduates who previously would have planned to pursue contracts with one or more large record companies or orchestras now have a future where they will be able to self-publish their work to the world, or they may require a more entrepreneurial approach than that previously required of a musician or music technologist.

This double degree brings together the existing Music program with emerging creative industries and allows students who are interested in pursuing careers in music to also engage with new paradigms of creative and cultural production, developing skills in entrepreneurship and working in collaborative projects with creative industries in Greater Western Sydney.