About the School
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW@ADFA comprises academic staff in five scholarly disciplines:
English
History
Indonesian Studies
Politics
Applied Ethics
and one area of cross-disciplinary study:
Strategic Studies
The School is proud to host important research and academic support programs:
Defence Studies Forum
Academic Language and Learning (ALL) Unit
We also host a highly-regarded refereed journal:
All our staff are members of the University of New South Wales and are subject to its policies, and all our courses are accredited by the University.
Our mission
We are dedicated to providing the best education for the future leaders of the Australian Defence Force, so that they are able to think critically, analyse situations carefully, make informed judgements, and communicate clearly and effectively. Our extensive research and postgraduate teaching activities enable us to stay at the cutting edge of knowledge about the human experience in all its social, historical and cultural diversity, adding value to our core undergraduate program.
Teaching
To undergraduate students, who are officer cadets or midshipmen of the ADF, we offer a major sequence of studies in all of our disciplines but one Applied Ethics.
At postgraduate level, we teach a Masters coursework program (with specialist plans in either: Defence Studies; Strategy and Management; or Strategy and Policy) to students who may be—but are not required to be—members of the ADF.
The School also teaches a major part of the UNSW@ADFA contribution to the professional education program of the Australian Command and Staff College at Weston Creek in Canberra. From 2009, the School will offer a range of Professional Short Course programs in the areas of history, philosophy and politics.
Research
We have a strong research focus and outstanding researchers with national and international profiles for their scholarly publications and contributions to public debate. Academic staff are keen competitors for research grants, and the School welcomes postgraduate research students (for Masters and Doctoral thesis projects) in areas where our staff have expertise.