commonwealth said:
Which uni do you think offers the best international/law degree, out of usyd unsw maquarie and uts? and why do you think this?
Any one opinion is inadequate unless he or she has studied all three/four courses, which is near impossible, so I can't really speak for the other unis. Your question is really just another variant of the 'which is the best uni for law' with the added twist of 'international studies', so best to do a search for previous threads and posts on the 'best uni for law' debate. With regards to Law, Sydney Uni is the generally considered the most prestigious, and 'it is advisable to seek placement in this course first' (I've taken this straight from the guide in the General/Law forum). Of course, prestigious doesn't necessarily mean 'best' (I'm trying to be P.C here), and each course has its own weaknesses and strengths, whether it be teaching methods, lack of practical legal training or subject depth and range. Haven't done Law at any institution (yet), so I'm not at liberty to go further in depth.
As for International Studies, it is still in its infancy at Sydney Uni (this is only the second year it's being run, and the first it can be combined with Law). As with any new course, it wasn't and isn't without its problems. Last year the main problem was apparently the lack of direction and workloads disproportionate to the amount of time had to teach the course (according to the SRC Course handbook). Also, if you're a right-wing fascist who loathes "leftish bullshit" and/or politics, you might struggle with Int. Studies since Political Economy and Government are compulsory units. I personally didn't do International Studies so I wouldn't have to sit through Geopolitics, which I heard was, and came to knew as complete shit. I chose Economic (Social Sciences) instead because its course structure was easier to understand at the time, there aren't any specific core units (except minor/major requirements) and Frank Stilwell was a 'flag flyer' for Econ. Soc. Sci. Only downside (if it really is one) is that I can't do the two practical Int. Studies units.