Reconsidering humanities programmes in Australian universities - embedding a new approach to strengthen the employability of humanities graduates by empowering them as 'global citizens'

Article

Dowling, David, Rose, Samantha and O'Shea, Eidin. 2015. "Reconsidering humanities programmes in Australian universities - embedding a new approach to strengthen the employability of humanities graduates by empowering them as 'global citizens'." Social Alternatives. 34 (2), pp. 52-62.
Article Title

Reconsidering humanities programmes in Australian universities - embedding a new approach to strengthen the employability of humanities graduates by empowering them as 'global citizens'

ERA Journal ID19019
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsDowling, David (Author), Rose, Samantha (Author) and O'Shea, Eidin (Author)
Journal TitleSocial Alternatives
Journal Citation34 (2), pp. 52-62
Number of Pages11
Year2015
Place of PublicationAustralia
ISSN0155-0306
Web Address (URL)http://socialalternatives.com/issues/random-callings-discerning-university-mission
Abstract

Following the global financial crisis, the relevance of Humanities programs in contemporary Australian universities has come into question. Furthermore, the role of Humanities graduates and their contribution to the workforce, and to society more broadly, has also been scrutinised. This paper recommends the adoption of a new approach to better identify, define and embed key graduate attributes within humanities programs and argues that the major benefits accrue when this task is undertaken nationally by a discipline. The goal of this paper is to draw attention to the critical role humanities graduates play in contemporary society as ‘global citizens’ and proposes an alternative approach to enhancing the employability of humanities graduates so that their role in tackling global challenges can be more widely recognised.

Keywordshumanities education; graduate employment; graduate capabilities
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390107. Humanities and social sciences curriculum and pedagogy (excl. economics, business and management)
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Byline AffiliationsSchool of Civil Engineering and Surveying
Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Office (Research and Innovation)
Australian Centre for Sustainable Business and Development
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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