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Honours in European Studies

‘Honours’ is an intensive year-long program of advanced study with research at its centre. The Honours year enables students to engage with the subject of their major in depth by undertaking research of their own, under the supervision of an expert in the their field. For some students, Honours is the culmination of their formal education while for other students, Honours is the first step on the path to careers as professional researchers and academics. Many staff in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences find Honours teaching the most rewarding part of their job.


Entry Requirements and Program Structure

Students need to have results at Credit (65%) level or better in eight Senior units, consisting of 36 credit points in European Studies units and either 12 advanced level credit points OR 24 introductory/intermediate credit points of a non-English European or Middle Eastern language. Prerequisites and requirements may sometimes be waived but only by the Faculty on the recommendation of the Director.

Students whose bachelor's degree was undertaken at another university, or students who completed their bachelor's degrees at the University of Sydney more than two years ago should contact the Honours Coordinator to discuss whether the classes they have taken are equivalent to these prerequisites.

Assessment

Honours in European Studies will consist of either

  • a short thesis of 12000-15000 words worth 40% of the final mark, plus three seminars each worth 20% of the final mark; or
  • a long thesis of 18000-20000 words worth 60% of the final mark, plus two seminars each worth 20% of the final mark.

While you will receive marks for all pieces of assessment, your academic transcripts will record only your final, overall Honours mark.

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Seminars

Students should consult the Honours Coordinator for information about available coursework units.

Thesis

The honours thesis constitutes an original piece of research and writing in a field that can be supervised by a member of staff. It must demonstrate both a command of a wide range of secondary source material in European studies, as well as a command of a particular disciplinary or interdisciplinary approach to the topic of the research.

The European Studies program accepts topics such as the following:

  • A Vision for England: The Utopian Ideas of E.M. Forster
  • Northern Ireland's New Hero: Cinematic Representations of the IRA Volunteer in the Films, "The Boxer," "In the Name of the Father" and "The Crying Game."
  • An Exploration of Literature, Post-Totalitarianism and and Civil Society through Vaclav Havel's Essay, "The Power of the Powerless" and his plays
  • What is Oblomovism? The Origins of a National Stereotype in Goncharev's Oblomov and its Reception in Russian Literature and Criticism
  • The Children of Job: The Inter-relationship between History, Memory and Personal Identity in the Lives of Second-Generation Holocaust Survivors
  • Manipulated Realities: Understanding Peter Handke’s idealization of Yugoslavia and Serbia
  • The Laboratory of Twilight: Milan Kundera and Central Europe
  • "Joy Beyond the Walls of the World": The Function of Consolation in Children's Literature using Concepts Developed by Tolkien and Bettelheim
  • The Philosophical Importance of Literature: A Contemporary Humanist Perspective
  • Unexpected Residents: Turkish Migration and Settlement in the Netherlands
  • Conformity, Culpability and the Dialectic of Causality: The Quest for Christa T. and the human cost of "real existing socialism"
  • The Bridge as Metaphor: Narrative Techniques in Ivo Andric's "The Bridge over the Drina"
  • Concord in Kosovo? Prospects for Peace under the Ahtisaari Proposal

Thesis Supervision

Contact the Program's Honours Coordinator to discuss your preferred field of Honours study. The Honours Coordinator will then be able to suggest the most appropriate member of staff within the department to supervise the thesis.

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Enrolment

In the first instance you should discuss your intention to apply for Honours with the Honours Coordinator. Students will enrol in EUST4011, 4012, 4013 and 4014. These, however, are merely generic or ‘shell’ units for your coursework component.

Enrolments are completed online. Go to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Honours webpage for further information on Honours and on the online enrolment application procedure.

Contacts

The Honours Coordinator can answer any queries relating to the Honours program.