Table of Contents

 

Staying on top of your study

Learning means doing something new, so everyone in this class will be doing something that they have never done before. It is OK to ask for help and advice along the way; it’s not a sign of failure to ask for help. My best advice for students is that whenever you have any concerns about what you are doing, or your progress in the unit, you should immediately get in touch with the lecturer and ask to discuss the class. You don’t even need a specific reason. You can email the lecturer for an appointment, or drop into office hours (see cover).

Help is most useful when you seek it early, so don’t wait till the last minute. This also applies to all the different resources the university and faculty of arts and social sciences offers for staying on top of your work.

For full information visit http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/staying_on_top.shtml.

Writing and academic skills

The Learning Centre assists students to develop the generic skills, which are necessary for learning and communicating knowledge and ideas at university. Programs available at The Learning Centre include workshops in Academic Reading and Writing, Oral communications Skills, Postgraduate Research Skills, Honours, masters Coursework Program, Studying at University, and Workshops for English Language and Learning. Further information about The Learning Centre can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/learning_centre/.

The Write Site provides online support to help you develop your academic and professional writing skills. All University of Sydney staff and students who have a Unikey can access the WriteSite at http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/.

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has units at both an Undergraduate and Postgraduate level that focus on writing across the curriculum or, more specifically, writing in the disciplines, making them relevant for all university students. To find out more visit http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/writing_hub/index.shtml and http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/pg_writing_support/index.shtml.

Another Learning Centre site, Clearer Writing, provides a variety of different concepts for thinking about how you make your own writing clearer and what to look for when you revise your drafts. It can be found here: http://learningcentre.usyd.edu.au/clearer_writing/

In addition to units of study on writing, The FASS Writing Hub offers drop-in sessions to assist students with their writing in a one-to-one setting. No appointment is necessary, and this service is free of charge to all FASS students and/or all students enrolled in WRIT units. For more information on what topics are covered in a drop-in session and for the current schedule, please visit http://sydney.edu.au/arts/writing_hub/writing_support/index.shtml.

The library

The Library offers students free, online tutorials in library skills at http://sydney.edu.au/library/skills. There’s one designed especially for students studying in the Humanities and Social Sciences at http://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/. And don’t forget to find out who your Faculty Liaison Librarians are.

Pastoral care

Pastoral and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is provided by the STAR Team in Student Support services, a dedicated team of professional Aboriginal people able to respond to the needs of students across disciplines. The STAR team can assist with tutorial support, mentoring support, cultural and pastoral care along with a range of other services. More information about support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/student_services/indigenous_support.shtml.

Other support services

Disability Services is located on Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G20; contact 8627 8422 or email disability.services@sydney.edu.au. For further information, visit their website at http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/disability/.

Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are located on Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G20; contact 8627 8433 or email caps.admin@sydney.edu.au. For further information, visit their website at http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/counselling/.