Language and Culture programs

In addition to the International Studies program, the Institute for International Studies organises the teaching of languages other than English for all UTS students.

UTS students can access Language and Culture subjects in one of the following ways:

• as part of an undergraduate combined degree or as part of the Postgraduate Coursework Degree Program in International Studies
• as a sub-major within degrees were this option is available
• as elective subjects in any other UTS degree, with faculty approval, or
• as non-award subjects.

UTS students who wish to engage in Language and Culture studies, but not for credit to a degree, are admitted as fee-paying students, known as non-award. Students from other institutions can enrol in Language and Culture subjects as cross-institutional students, and they should contact the Institute by telephone on +61 2 9514 1574 or by email iisinfo@uts.edu.au before the due deadlines. Application forms for non-award or cross-institutional enrolment may also be downloaded from the UTS website.

All students intending to take Language and Culture studies as part of their degree need to enrol through the Institute, even if the language concerned is not taught on UTS campuses. At UTS students can study Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese or Spanish. Greek, Korean, Russian and Thai are offered to UTS students through arrangements that have been made with other universities. In addition, it is possible for individual arrangements to be made with other universities to enable UTS students to study at higher levels of language than those offered at UTS or to study additional languages depending on availability.

In all cases, classes are only taught at UTS if student numbers permit. In some cases, students may need to travel to other campuses in the Sydney area.

Language and Culture subjects are an important part of the International Studies program. They are designed to prepare UTS students for further study in a country of their International Studies major.

Enrolment procedures for language subjects

Combined degree students in the International Studies program and students in the Postgraduate Coursework Degree Program are required to enrol in Language and Culture subjects.

Other UTS students who wish to study a Language and Culture subject as a credited sub-major or elective(s) in their current degree need to obtain approval from both their faculty and the Institute for International Studies before they enrol in the subject.

All students undertaking language and culture study for the first time at UTS need to complete a level assessment form, obtained from the Institute, to ensure that students are placed in an appropriate level for classes. The Institute for International Studies reserves the right to place students in a class that is appropriate for their level of language proficiency.

The procedures are as follows for students who wish to take Institute subjects as electives or sub-majors:

1. Note the subject numbers and class codes for the classes you would like to take on the E-Variation of Program (E-VoP) form. The class codes may be obtained from the Institute timetable or by contacting the Institute.
2. Submit the E-VoP form to your faculty for permission to study Institute subjects.
3. Once approved, the faculty will forward the E-VoP form to the Institute to process.

Students intending to take International Studies subjects as electives or sub-majors are advised to contact the Institute at the earliest opportunity. The Institute starts pre-enrolment from October of the preceding year.

Credit points and workload

All Language and Culture subjects are taught over one semester and have a value of 8 credit points. Most Language and Culture subjects taught on UTS campuses consist of six contact hours per week. Languages taught through arrangements with other universities normally consist of four to six contact hours per week distributed across two or three days.

To cater for the different needs of students, each Language and Culture program has different points of entry depending on a student's language skills. Beginner levels necessarily concentrate more on basic communication skills. The higher levels of each language program introduce students to literature and culture in the language of study.

Students who start a language at beginners' level on their entry to the International Studies program can expect to acquire survival language skills for their period of In-country Study, and to lay a strong foundation for further language acquisition after graduation.

Students with competence in a language they intend to study are admitted to the Language and Culture subjects at a higher level to reflect their ability in that language. These students are expected to improve their existing skills in speaking, comprehension, reading and writing. Through the process of language acquisition, students are also encouraged to obtain an insight into the relevant culture.

In making its arrangements for the acquisition of language, the International Studies program differentiates between subjects of enrolment and units of instruction. Students in the International Studies program follow a specific Language and Culture program by enrolling in a series of subjects – four for undergraduates in a combined degree with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and at least two for postgraduates in the Postgraduate Coursework Degree Program in International Studies. The subject numbers refer to the sequence of study at UTS and not to the precise contents of the units of instruction. The units of instruction attended by students are determined by the individual's level of language proficiency. All individual choices of units of instruction are subject to the approval of the Board of Studies of the Institute for International Studies.

In exceptional circumstances, students with advanced competence in a language may be exempted from further language study but are required to substitute alternative subjects. Further details are provided under the regulations for Special Arrangements, located at the end of the Majors section. Any amendments to the individual student's International Studies program are subject to the approval of the Board of Studies of the Institute for International Studies.