HSS – Faculty information

General Faculty information


Statement on scholarly work and its presentation Equal opportunity and affirmative action Occupational health and safety responsibilities UTS Student Exchange and Study Abroad programs (Outbound) Statement on scholarly work and its presentation Scholarly work involves working with texts by authors in different fields. These authors have intellectual property rights to their work, so in the scholarly process of quotation, commentary, paraphrase and interpretation, specific rules or protocols must be observed. These apply to audiovisual texts as well as to writing. In the production of work by students in the Faculty, the protocol to be observed is the acknowledgment of the work of other authors, whether this work takes the form of an idea, a section of text, sounds or images. Unacknowledged copying, paraphrasing or summarising can be considered to be plagiarism, if this involves 'passing it off as one's own' (Macquarie Dictionary). Work involving plagiarism is not accepted for assessment and may be the subject of disciplinary action. Conventions for acknowledgment are well established, but take different forms. It is the responsibility of students to familiarise themselves with these conventions and to use them. The following resource is useful: Snooks & Co. (revised), Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th edn, Wiley, 2002 A useful site that outlines issues in using information appropriately can be found at: www.lib.uts.edu.au/catalyst/08/index.htm The UTS: Bell program provides an extensive and continually updated range of resources, classes and tutorials to enhance your skills as a learner. Visit the website at: www.bell.uts.edu.au Equal opportunity and affirmative action It is the policy of the University of Technology, Sydney to provide equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, ethno-religious background, sex, marital status, pregnancy, potential pregnancy, family responsibilities, disability, age, homosexuality, transgender status, political conviction, or religious belief. Access and equity The Faculty has a strong commitment to access and equity, including policies opposed to sexual harassment and sexist practices in teaching, and the incorporation of feminist concerns across the curriculum. The Faculty has developed and implemented an access and equity plan targeting students with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, women, students of non-English-speaking backgrounds, and students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. The plan seeks to increase the proportion of students from target areas in the Faculty, to modify and develop curricula, and to provide effective training of staff in offering support. The plan encourages the appreciation and the expression of the diverse perspectives such students bring to the Faculty. The Faculty has further developed its capacity to respond to the needs of students with disabilities through the establishment of liaison links, pre-university counselling, and by ensuring that facilities are accessible to students with disabilities, including those with mobility impairment, hearing impairment, visual impairment, chronic debilitating conditions and those undergoing rehabilitation. Disadvantaged access The Faculty is an active supporter of access for students who would normally find it difficult to participate in an undergraduate degree through conventional avenues. Thus, the Faculty provides opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from backgrounds where English is not the first language, students with disabilities and students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, under the University's inpUTS scheme, the Faculty allocates some first-year places to HSC leavers and mature-age students who demonstrate that their HSC score or other preparations for tertiary study were detrimentally affected by factors over which they had no control. The Faculty has developed a special capacity to respond to the needs of students with disabilities through the establishment of liaison links and pre-university counselling, ensuring that all facilities are accessible to students with disabilities. Students of non-English-speaking background Free assistance with English language and study skills is available for students of non-English-speaking background through the: ELSSA Centre CB01.18.22 telephone (02) 9514 2327 The service includes one-to-one counselling, special interest groups, self-study programs, evening tutorials and vacation courses. For information on undergraduate programs, see ELSSA. Statement on Aboriginal Studies The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is committed to providing programs that have an inclusive and representative approach to cultural difference. Members of the Faculty have a record of innovation and engagement in the area of Aboriginal Studies and in recognising the importance of Aboriginal perspectives in teaching and learning. Key achievements that have resulted from its collective efforts include the establishment of the University Aboriginal program and the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning (IHL); and student research projects such as the Other Boundaries (1992) study of the Aboriginal community in Leichhardt. The Faculty has enhanced its approach to Aboriginal studies in response to a number of developments, including the following. UTS has an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Career Development Strategy (Wingara) and is enrolling increasing numbers of indigenous students. The UTS teaching and student populations are increasingly drawn from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and there are increasing demands for more inclusive and representative approaches to cultural recognition in academic programs. In the wider community, debate on race relations in Australia is intensifying in the context of a vocal backlash against the minimal gains made by Aboriginal people in the last two decades. The Faculty seeks to broaden its approach to the development and implementation of curricula with indigenous Australian or cross-cultural content. The Faculty encourages all academics to extend the present delivery of quality programs to include teaching and learning materials from indigenous Australian and different cultural backgrounds to ensure that all students are able to both access and fully participate in the University. Faculty priorities include the following: to reaffirm the Faculty's commitment to incorporating Aboriginal knowledges, Aboriginal-related content and Aboriginal perspectives across all subject areas and all degrees to foster a culturally diverse focus in all academic programs, in particular in the 100-level subjects which are common to all students. This means, firstly, the inclusion of Aboriginal knowledges and Aboriginal-related material as an important element and continuing thread in the curriculum, and secondly, the inclusion of non-Western perspectives, knowledges and contents as frequently as possible and appropriate to open up channels of communication between academic staff to constructively review and assess our collective experience in cross-cultural teaching and learning to support staff in extending the present delivery of quality programs by being able to access advice, guidance and assistance in teaching and curriculum development that draws on the resources of educators, curriculum writers and researchers who have experience in cross-cultural teaching. This may include the formation of advisory groups to assist in enhancing present curriculum development or team teaching by educators from different cultural backgrounds. Occupational health and safety responsibilities While accountability for health and safety ultimately rests with the Vice-Chancellor and Council, it is a shared responsibility of all staff and students and is dependent upon their commitment and cooperation. The University ensures the health, safety and welfare of all employees, students and visitors by incorporating health and safety into all management systems and processes. It gives high priority to the allocation of resources to eliminate or minimise risk. UTS Student Exchange and Study Abroad programs (Outbound) Students at UTS can study overseas as part of their degree through either the International Student Exchange Program or Study Abroad. Student Exchange UTS has Student Exchange Agreements with universities in Asia, Europe and the Americas, which enable the exchange of students between UTS and a partner university for a semester or a year. These Agreements may be between UTS and all academic programs at a partner university, or they may be restricted to particular faculties or groups of faculties. Some partner universities require UTS students to be fluent in a language other than English to study at that university. The list of Exchange Partner Universities includes universities in Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ireland, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. These programs enable UTS students to enjoy travel, campus life and the challenge of studying in another country. Subjects approved for study are given full accreditation for compulsory or elective subjects. Students on International Exchange at an institution with which UTS has a memorandum of understanding, pay through HECS and are advised to enrol in one or more of the following subjects: 50393 International Exchange 24cp 50396 International Exchange Elective A 8cp 50397 International Exchange Elective B 8cp 50398 International Exchange Elective C 6cp 50399 International Exchange Elective D 10cp 50258 International Exchange Elective E 8cp Visit the UTS Institute for International Studies website for more information about the UTS Exchange Program: www.iis.uts.edu.au Study Abroad Students are also able to make their own arrangements to study at an institution that does not have a formal exchange agreement with UTS. However, prior arrangements must be made with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences regarding accreditation of subjects. Students on Study Abroad at an overseas institution enrol at that university and pay full fees to that institution. Visit the UTS International Office website for more information on Study Abroad: www.uts.edu.au/international/io