University: The University of Western Australia

Degree: Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and International Relations and Asian Studies

School Subjects: English, Mathematics Methods, Philosophy and Ethics, Politics and Law, Physics

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In Year 11 and 12, I had realised that despite my fairly diverse ATAR subject selection, I was interested in politics, so the decision to study Political Science and International Relations was pretty simple. I had this selected as my sole major for the 1st year of my degree. I eventually decided to pick up a 2nd major: Asian Studies, which complemented my 1st major and added no time to my expected completion date. If you are interested in studying politics, taking Political Science and then exploring other options is something I recommend. I will talk about that towards the end after giving a brief overview of my experience studying each major.

Political Science and International Relations

Political Science and International Relations is a degree that covers a lot of different areas. This major requires you to learn and interpret information, and then apply that to other examples using learned information as potential lenses on situations. The 1st year is focused on the foundational theories and concepts of both Political Science and International Relations, two different fields which have quite a bit of overlap. The next 2 years are about expanding on the foundations of what you have learnt and applying them in specific situations or within different contexts, e.g. government policy or the global political economy. Learning as part of this major occurs through watching lectures and then reading weekly book chapters and academic writing. The in-class component is focused on discussion with the tutors and other students. The in-class discussion and debate is very enjoyable and engaging, with actual examples from other politics students and passionate tutors, making the learning more effective and fun.

The assessments for different units within this major prefer to have fewer assessment items with larger weightings. There will typically be a ~50% research essay due at the end of the semester, a ~10% tutorial participation mark (which is marked on your engagement in the classes), and 1 or 2 smaller written assessments. Due to the importance of in-depth analysis and referencing of ideas, exams are very rare, so if you don’t like exams, this major might be a good fit.

Asian Studies

Asian Studies focuses on areas such as history, culture and even the study of Asia itself. Similar to the Political Science major, learning in this major is through lectures and academic readings, and then going to class to discuss and interpret this new information, and what implications this has. A large focus within Asian Studies is relating theories and broader concepts to aspects of culture, politics and history. The 1st-year units are mainly focused on introductory concepts such as Orientalism and explaining some of the significant factors in studying Asia, such as the dominant religions and Asia throughout modern history. The 2nd and 3rd years focus on more specific examples, such as popular culture in Asia or contemporary Korean society.

The assessment types are fairly similar to the Political Science major. However, there have been some more diverse assessment types, such as group presentations. I have especially enjoyed this major since it provides additional context and understanding to my Political Science and International Relations major, given the Australian position and relationship with the region. It has also been beneficial as it has allowed me to gain a broader cultural understanding without having to learn a language, which can be very rigorous.

Advice to Prospective University Students

Something I have benefited from is doing electives (units that aren’t part of your chosen major) from other disciplines. This allowed me to explore other subject areas and eventually find another major that I enjoyed studying. Because of this, I would encourage you to be willing to explore the subjects that interest you while at uni, which can enable you to pick up another major. This gives you more flexibility around your career and even furthers your academic studies.

I would also highly encourage, if you do take these majors, to get into the habit of starting assessments early and doing them over time rather than cramming them into the last minute. Like many other uni students, I am guilty of cramming, but it is far from optimal, and really drains your energy and enthusiasm for the degree. It will greatly benefit your mental health and will allow you to enjoy other activities outside of uni, especially during the end of the semester when exams and assignments are due.