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Our online Bachelor of Arts degree lets you forge your own path. Tailor your studies & gain specialisations by choosing from 4 majors & minors offered on FutureLearn: Film, Media and Cultural studies; English and Writing; History; Sociology and Anthropology.
Learn to analyse & deconstruct the world around you by exploring ideas & theories, and studying society, culture, history, media & more.
What are the learning outcomes?
So many of the defining moments in our lives are connected in some way to media. Media are a central part of how we live, work and play.
Through this course you will develop your media literacy, learning a range of analytical approaches you can use to understand and interpret media. You will explore the relationship between media and culture including a case study of LGBT representation in the media. You will develop your critical thinking and research skills leaving you better equipped to understand the role of media in the modern world.
This course is for anyone interested in media and film. It’s ideal for people looking to start or develop a career in film or television production, radio, journalism or marketing.
On this course you will take a journey through Australian history. You will examine a range of periods and topics including Aboriginal deep time history, transportation and convictism and colonialism.
This course will also introduce you to the skills and approaches used in the academic study of history – especially the study of Australian history – and help you to understand issues in contemporary Australia in context
This course is for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of Australian history or their historical skills.
How can society be analysed? And what are some of the contemporary cultural issues in society? Get answers to these questions and more with this introduction to sociology course.
On the course, you’ll learn about the basics of sociology and discover sociological theories. You’ll explore topics including class, social inequality, globalisation and the media. You will also learn how to do your own sociological research, and present your findings.
This course is for anyone interested in sociology, cultural issues in society, or the workings of society more broadly. It would also suit those looking to develop their critical thinking or research skills.
American history is vast and complex. Through this 3-week course, you will explore some of its key moments - examining domestic history and foreign relations.
You will investigate the background to the modern history of the United States, including the Civil War, Reconstruction, segregation and the black experience, and US expansion and foreign policy into the 19th century.
We’ll start off by looking at the background to the modern history of the United States. We will also explore some of the burning issues that drove this nation apart in the middle of the nineteenth century; divisions that culminated in the Civil War 1861-1865.
You’ll explore the idea of ‘Reconstruction’ after the war, the declaration of independence, Civil War propaganda, and the death of President Abraham Lincoln.
After 1877, further efforts were made to segregate the South and take power away from black citizens, and you’ll be exploring this alongside convict leasing and racist assumptions of the time.
You’ll also explore the rise of a new black consciousness echoing across America, led by the voices of W.E.B Dubois and Booker T. Washington.
In the final week, we’ll be tackling US foreign expansion and the new developments in American foreign relations after the Civil War.
Evaluating America’s place in the world between 1877 and 1914, you’ll finish off by exploring US involvement in WW1.
This course is for anyone interested in American history. You don’t need any previous experience.
What does it mean to be human? How do we acquire knowledge? How do we make sense of the world around us?
Through this course you’ll develop the skills and knowledge to start answering these big questions. You will consider the complexity of today’s world and engage in debates on the big ideas underpinning humanities subjects.
You will also develop the foundational skills required in the study of the humanities, including evidence-based problem solving, and intercultural awareness.
Recommended for learners age 15+
This course is for anyone interested in the humanities, or answering questions about being human. You don’t need any previous experience.
What are the different ways you can understand a poem? How do different elements of a poem work together? What difference does context make to literature?
Get answers to these questions and more with this course introducing poetry analysis and literary analysis.
You will examine a variety of texts written in different genres in order to develop an understanding of how writers deploy language to convey their ideas. You will develop fundamental skills in literary analysis, preparing your for further study of literature and creative writing.
This course is for anyone interested in poetry, English, literature, or literary analysis. You don’t need any previous experience.
On this course, you will look deeper into the enchanting and surprisingly dark themes of several well-known European fairy tales.
What were the authors thinking? What were the cultural and personal concerns that have shaped these stories? What are the readers being asked to believe?
By considering the historical context of fairy tales and examining the characters, styles, and plots, you will discover that the intended morals of the original stories may not be exactly what you first thought.
Recommended for learners age 15+
This course is for anyone interested in fairy tales and literary analysis, including reading enthusiasts, storytellers, and creative writers.
You are invited on a journey to different places and different times. On this course, you will learn about diverse ways of living and explore cultural differences and similarities.
You will be introduced to a number of anthropological theories and gain insights into how the study of other cultures and societies can help us deal with urgent problems confronting our own societies and the modern world.
Through your new knowledge about other cultures, you will reflect on your own cultural home, society and world views.
Recommended for learners age 15+
This course is for anyone interested in anthropology, cultural issues in society, or the workings of society and cultural practices. It would also suit those looking to develop their critical thinking or research skills. No prior experience is required.
It’s the encounters that occurred beyond European borders that shaped Europe itself.
You will become familiar with the origins and nature of European interactions with the lands and people beyond its borders. This includes investigating the discovery of a westward route to the Americas and the building of states, nations and empires.
This online course will focus on primary sources and introduce you to some of the key events, issues and themes of European history that still resonate today.
This course is for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of European history or their historical skills.
Crime holds a special place in Australian history, having facilitated colonisation, provided its most celebrated anti-hero in Ned Kelly and been used to sell millions of newspapers, books and movie tickets. Drawing upon a rich array of digital history resources, this course offers you a guided tour of the origins of Australian underworlds and of the study of the history of crime and punishment.
This course will allow you to develop deeper understanding of the underworlds you will encounter in podcasts, televisions series and books. You will develop a sense of the processes which occur when someone becomes entangled with the legal system, and you will know where you can go to find out more about an offender and a crime for yourself.
Recommended for learners age 15+
This course is for anyone interested in history, criminal law, true crime and crime fiction. It would also suit those who are interested in researching crimes and criminal offenders.
This course delves deep into the evolution of the crime fiction genre from the early nineteenth century to the present day with a focus on detective novels. Many of these novels shaped the way we think about reading, and have engaged generations of readers from childhood through to our twilight years.
Did you know that over 2 billion copies of Agatha Christie’s detective novels are estimated to have been sold? [1]
On this course you will develop advanced skills in analysing and contextualising crime fiction texts from the UK, the US, Australia and beyond.
Join us and embark on the fascinating tale behind the twist.
This course is made for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of crime fiction.
Avid readers and true crime connoisseurs should find a lot to engage them here.
Poetry often has the reputation of being an abstract and complicated form of expression, guarded by the pretentious elite.
On this three-week course, you’ll discover the fun and value that can be found in writing your own poetry.
This practical and hands-on course gives you the opportunity to learn the common rules of poetry and then decide how best to turn those rules into an enjoyable creative writing experience.
What is the effect of rhythm and rhyme on a poem? Does it matter where we decide to start a new line? How do we make use of the power of the lyric? On the course, you’ll explore these questions and learn how to answer them with confidence.
You’ll cover topics such as the basics of poetry, lineation, creative writing, and lyric poetry to gain a comprehensive understanding of the techniques and theories used to shape a poem.
This course will equip you with the knowledge needed to start writing poetry as well as showing you the fun and creative side of poetics.
Learning from David Musgrave, poet, and teacher of Creative Writing and English literature at the University of Newcastle, you’ll finish the course with the skills and confidence to unleash your inner poet.
This course is designed for anyone interested in poetry.
It will be of particular interest if you want to build your understanding of poetry and creative writing.
This fascinating three-week course will explore the contemporary social, cultural, economic and political situations of indigenous peoples all across the globe.
You’ll be introduced to definitions and parameters of indigenous peoples, and will engage with a wide range of case studies that illustrate indigenous peoples’ struggles.
Firstly, you’ll identify numerous past and present definitions of the much-contested phrase ‘indigeneity’, and will define the parameters that define indigenous peoples.
You’ll also engage with a range of case studies that illustrate indigenous peoples’ struggles, and will examine their relationship between indigenous peoples and non-indigenous peoples all across the globe.
You’ll then get an insight into the impact of colonialism, imperialism and postcolonial theory for indigenous peoples, as well as the challenges facing indigenous peoples in today’s world, such as conflict over land and marine rights, reclamation of pre-colonial political boundaries and entities and co-existence with settler and migrant communities.
By investigating examples of 21st century land use struggles (such as the Brazilian ‘war of survival’), the course places a distinct emphasis on how contemporary challenges facing indigenous peoples continue to relate to urgent questions of land and land use.
Throughout the course you’ll be learning from experts within the field of indigeneity at the University of Newcastle, and will be able to ask them and fellow students for guidance throughout.
This course is particularly targeted at anyone interested in challenges currently facing indigenous peoples all around the world.
This can include those interested in studying anthropology, postcolonial studies and environmental management or environmental humanities.
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