Message from the Dean

Welcome to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. At the Faculty we specialise in communication, information and media. Many of our staff have national and international reputations in creative and professional fields such as writing, filmmaking, new media, journalism, advertising, public relations and information management. Our graduates readily find jobs in all these areas and many have received literary, film, new media, information and journalism awards.

So, you might ask, is our name, 'Humanities and Social Sciences', not too broad? Should we be called 'Faculty of Communication'? We think not. We want to be specialised and broad. As future opinion makers, taste makers, information managers, etc., our students not only need to acquire the current professional know-how of their chosen field of study, they also need a broad understanding of the world we live in, a questioning attitude, and an ability to reflect critically on the way things are and to imagine how they might be.

That's where research comes in. Many of the staff teaching our creative, professional and academic subjects are also highly reputed researchers, and we have about 200 students undertaking research degrees. We house a number of research centres, including one of the University's Key Research Centres – Trans/forming Cultures, the Australian Centre for Public History, the Australian Centre for Public Communication, the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, the Centre for Media Arts Innovation, the Centre for Social Inquiry and the UTS Centre for New Writing. We place high value on our academic, creative and professional courses, on creativity, problem solving and research skills, and on social advocacy, community service and contribution to public debates. Our Social Inquiry program offers students problem-solving capacities to use as researchers, policy makers, advocates or political activists.

In the age of globalisation, an international outlook is vital for survival. Professional communities in the fields of communication, information and media are increasingly international communities. At the Faculty we welcome international students, encourage staff and student exchanges and participate actively in the work of the University's Institute for International Studies.

Employers in our area value résumés that show initiative. The Faculty (and UTS generally) provides many opportunities for initiative, not just in the context of the course programs, but also, for example, through UTS Shopfront, a community research and advocacy centre; the UTS Writers' Anthology, a commercially published annual compilation of students' writing; the Golden Eye Awards, a biennial film, sound and new media screening event; and 2SER-FM, a radio station located in the University's Tower Building.

Enough said. I hope your time with us will be rewarding and enjoyable, and I am confident it will prepare you well for your future.

Professor Theo van Leeuwen, Dean