Outline

The Heritage major is designed to meet the needs of students in the International Studies program who wish to learn about a country and culture of the non-English-speaking world not provided for elsewhere in the International Studies program, and to which they have already had considerable exposure.

Students in the Heritage major of the International Studies program are expected to meet all the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. The most significant difference between the Heritage major and all other majors in the International Studies program is that there is necessarily a higher degree of individual tailoring of subjects, with each student required to develop their own study plan in cooperation with the Heritage Major Coordinator. Students undertaking this major may be required to bear some of the tuition costs at the host university should they be higher than those normally paid by the Institute. All individual programs of study in the Heritage major require a detailed report to the Programs Review Committee.

Admission requirements

Students in the International Studies program must nominate their participation in the Heritage major before starting their third semester of full-time study. At the same time, they must also nominate the country and culture of their specialisation. In most cases, two years preparation is required to ensure arrangements are made for appropriate programs of In-country Study. On entry to the Heritage major, students are required to agree to a learning contract with the Institute, covering the entire program of the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies.

The learning contract for each program of study within the Heritage major contains details of:

• the subject to be followed as a Contemporary Society subject, which may involve attendance or enrolment at another university
• either the language and culture subjects to be followed, which may involve attendance or enrolment at another university; or substitute subjects, in accordance with the regulations for the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, and
• proposals for periods of In-country Study, including details of university, departments and subjects to be pursued.

Structure

Options

No country or culture is automatically excluded from the Heritage major, though, as elsewhere in the International Studies program, the Institute reserves the right to restrict or curtail student activities according to its resources.

Countries and cultures that might typically be accessed through the Heritage major include Croatia, Greece, Hong Kong, Korea, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, the Philippines, or Vietnam.

The information is correct at the time of printing. However, the Institute for International Studies reserves the right to make alterations to the location and content of any program of In-country Study at any time.