Electives can be one of the more enjoyable facets of your degree. They can play the part of a palate cleanser, when you’re suffering through a particularly dry or brutal core course. You can use them to expand your skill set, or knowledge base in support of your goals, or for extra scaffolding on your resume. They’re also a great way to explore an interest or fascination that dwells outside of your chosen field.
You could, you know, even use them to just burn up a few credit points…
Electives are good. Working from home can be good too.
Working from home. The dream. Readily available coffee and snacks; the ability to have a cheeky nap; wearing pyjamas all day; not having to listen to people’s relentless sniffing in the library…the list of pros seems endless.
Naturally there are cons: the draw of Netflix can be irresistible; those naps can easily expand into mini-comas and without discipline ‘working from home’ quickly becomes ‘procrastinating at home’.
For many people the online availability of a course can be a godsend, even a necessity. Online delivery allows the kind of flexible timetable required when you have work, family or other commitments; those that travel horrendous distances to get here, or those from other campuses. An online course can also help ease the pain for those of us whose timetable resembles a busted Rubik’s cube.
It just so happens that the University offers some amazing, interesting and incredibly relevant online electives. Here are five to whet your appetite and get you thinking about pyjamas and lunch time mimosas.
ENGL2011 – Children’s Literature
Never dismiss the power of a good children’s book. Simple stories, engaging characters and beautiful illustrations are one of the key ways children learn the machinations of the world they are just beginning to taste.
ENGL2011 will guide you through the social context of children’s literature, how text and illustration complement each other, the role of imagination and how social issues and lessons are presented to children, and, perhaps provide you with an insight of how your favourite children’s book is still part of who you are today.
FSHN1030 – Introduction to the Nutritional, Physical and Psychological Aspects of Wellness
University life can be tough on your dietary, physical and mental health. Endless months of desk work, cramming, snacking, crying, lying in the foetal position and breakfasting with paracetamol and caffeine takes its toll.
FSHN1030 will introduce you to the triad of nutrition, physical activity and mental health and how they all interact and influence each other. All three elements of the triad will be explored in detail, as will their connection and the impact of the modern lifestyle on wellness and disease.
FMCS1200 Film and Television Studies
Movies and television are not just a distraction from studying but with their rich vein of cultural and artistic meaning, a thing to be studied.
FMCS1200 will give you a grounding in basic televisual techniques and principals, film history and theory, narrative, sound, editing, as well as an insight into genre, audiences and reception. Moreover, this course will also hone your ability to analyse and recognise how meaning presents and reproduces itself through cultural forms, which could be incredibly useful across your current program.
ABOR1390 Australian Aborigines and Human Rights
Systematic racism has been bought to the forefront of the media in recent years due to the ongoing influence of social media on traditional news outlets and it can be overwhelming to try and sort through the multitude of sources.
ABOR1390 goes into depth about the concept of a Human Rights Commission and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander response to this concept in the context of Australia. This course is a great introduction to the perspectives of human rights held by the United Nations and how it specifically relates to Australias First Nations People. This course has been constructed in collaboration with the Wollotuka Institute’s Cultural Standards Framework.
SOCA3220 Youth Culture and Risk
Ever wondered what possesses young people to make risky decisions, or really do anything?
SOCA3320 delves int the study of youth culture, youth transitions and generational input while focusing on the impact that systems such as race, culture, gender and consumption have on decision making. This course will increase your knowledge on urban youth cultures, sociological theories in the Australian and broader contexts.
If you have a few electives up your sleeve, and you’re quite keen for that sleeve to be from a pyjama top, then I highly recommend investigating the online electives Uni of Newcastle has to offer. Not only do they have flexible learning built in, but you may find yourself with broader horizons, tightened analytical skill, a more rounded understanding or a whole new set of goals when you make it to the other side.