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Bachelor of Arts

Social Sciences

The Social Sciences major provides a sound understanding of the society in which we live - individuals, families, communities, whànau, aiga, iwi, groups, organisations, governments and cultures. It combines the approaches of key social sciences: sociology, psychology, political studies and economics.

WHAT THIS PROGRAMME COVERS

The Social Sciences major will encourage and require students to:

  • Explain and analyse the characteristics of human society
  • Understand and investigate social change
  • Demonstrate a critical awareness of the nature and structure of New Zealand and other nations in Asia and Pacific Region
  • Critically evaluate local, national and international political systems
  • Critically examine concepts of ethnocentrism
  • Evaluate the impact of European civilisation on the Pacific, particularly Māori society
  • Identify and examine contemporary Māori issues
  • Analyse communication processing across diverse cultures
  • Identify, use and critically analyse diverse approaches to ethical issues in a range of applied settings
  • Understand and critically analyse economic systems
  • Demonstrate skills in data retrieval, analysis (including a range of statistical techniques) and presentation in relation to sociological, economic, political and psychological research
  • Understand individual human development and behaviour

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

This qualification prepares students for careers that involve understanding and working with people and organisations, and for further study in professional fields such as social work and foreign affairs. There are also career opportunities in:
  • Community work
  • Local government
  • Non governmental organisations
  • Policy analysis
  • Research

PAPERS

Throughout the three years of the BA, students take core papers that provide the necessary skills in writing, research and IT capability to prepare them for academic work and their working life. For a list of core papers see the Bachelor of Arts overview.

Core papers
145713 Writing or
165600 Undergraduate Writing for Academic Purposes

146734 Communicating
285104 Research and Analysis
287901 Cooperative Education
955203 Communication and Presentation Systems

Social Science papers
285001 Introduction to Psychology A
285006 Introduction to Economics
285007 Introduction to Anthropology
285702 Introduction to Sociology
285706 New Zealand Political Studies
286101 States and Nations
286102 Applied Ethics
286103 Individuals and Identities
286104 Families and Communities
286105 Cultures and Societies
286742 Methods of Social Research
287002 Emotions and Human Nature
287003 Multicultural Communities
287201 Asian and Pacific Issues
287203 International Relations
287208 Critical Issues in Cultural and Social Psychology
287300 Research Project
287207 Globalisation, Innovation and Change

Last updated: 19 Apr 2011 1:45pm

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