Honours in Asian Studies
Contents of this page:
For specific queries about Asian Studies honours, please contact:
- Professor Bruce Jacobs
bruce.jacobs@arts.monash.edu.au
Overview
The Honours program is a full one-year program of study. Students may choose either (i) to do one semester's work in-country, with the second semester's work being done at Monash, or (ii) to do the entire program at Monash. The program may also be done part-time over two years, which often enhances extended overseas study in-country. Fifty percent of the program must be done in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics on Clayton Campus.
Monash University has exchange agreements with several universities in China, Indonesia, Korea and Japan. Honours students may study at one of these universities.
The honours program is structured around 48 points of credit. All students will be required to complete an Honours dissertation of approximately 15,000 to 18,000 words (worth 50 percent or 24 points of the overall assessment). The other 50 percent of assessment will consist of coursework at an advanced level. Normally the coursework will consist of 12 points in ASN4499 Honours Seminar in Asian Studies, and 12 points in language (a 6-point subject each semester).
Honours is a difficult but rewarding year of study. You gain the opportunity to conduct research in an area of interest to you. Through the year of working together with classmates, students gain a sense of class esprit.
Honours subjects are marked as H1 (first-class honours, 80-100); H2A (second-class honours, upper division, 70-79), H2B (second-class honours, lower division, 60-69) and H3 (third-class honours, 50-59). All substantial pieces of work are read by at least two academic staff members. Usually an H1 or H2A result is required for postgraduate research courses and an H1 is prerequisite for a postgraduate scholarship at Monash University. Since your honours result "lives" with you for life, it is important to try to do as well as you can.
If you have the talent and desire, we strongly urge you to consider undertaking honours.
Honours Prize
Outline of award
For the best thesis submitted by a student completing the BA degree with Honours in our School. Theses graded at HD level will be re-read by the review panel, who may recommend the award of the prize. The School reserves the right to make no award if the review panel considers the theses submitted to it to be of insufficient merit.
There shall be one award per year, but the prize may be shared between two people. The award shall be a prize of $250.
Nomination and selection
Students who thesis is being examined in the particular year will automatically be eligible to compete. Students do not therefore need to make a separate application. A review panel will make a recommendation to the Head of School. The review panel will consist of:
- Honours Convener
- Head of School
- Academic Programs Convener
- Two Honours examiners
- One Faculty member from outside the School.
An announcement of the award will be made following the publication of university results.
Academic transcripts
Official academic transcripts will record the award of the prize.
Prerequisites
Applicants to the Honours program must have completed 36 points of the relevant subjects in their language major at the second- and third-year levels with an average grade of 70 percent or better for 4 subjects (24 points), consisting of 3 third-year subjects and one second- or third-year subject. Twelve of the 24 points must be at third-year level. See the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Handbook (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/undergrad/ ) for further details of Honours regulations for the faculty.
Prospective Honours students are advised to take ASN3071 Theory and research in Asian studies (for 6 points) and a six-point studies subject on the geo-political area with which they are concerned. Students without these prerequisites who wish to do Honours should consult with the Asian Studies Honours Coordinator (Professor Bruce Jacobs).
Components of the Course
Dissertation (50 %) and Coursework (50%)
The Honours year consists of 48 points of credit:
- 24 points for a dissertation of 15,000-18,000 words, and
- 24 points for coursework in language subjects (12 points) and ASN4499 Honours Seminar in Asian Studies (12 points) (or other approved subjects in special cases).
Students can take the Honours program on a part-time basis over two years. In the first year they will normally take 24 points of coursework in-country, at Monash University or in some mixture of the two. In the second year they will usually concentrate wholly on writing the Honours dissertation at Monash University.
Combined honours may be taken with another discipline provided that all Honours requirements are met in both disciplines and the program is approved by the Heads of both Schools. Students who have completed Honours may proceed to a Graduate Diploma of Arts or to a variety of MA programs (by coursework, coursework and minor thesis, or by major thesis). Students achieving a first-class Honours may proceed directly to the Ph.D. program.