Broadening units to broadened horizons : The impact of New Courses 2012 on enrolments in Italian at the University of Western Australia

New Courses 2012 refers to a new course structure adopted by the University of Western Australia, which has established a three-year general Bachelor degree followed by professional degrees. Since its introduction, enrolments in languages have increased, in a context in which languages across Australia have found themselves 'under threat' or indeed in 'permanent crisis'. This study explores the impact this new structure has had on enrolments in Italian and considers the challenge of how to maintain student numbers. After a brief discussion of the new degree structure, we consider how it has affected language enrolments at UWA, and then Italian in particular. Using enrolment data from 2011 to 2014 and student surveys, we provide substantial evidence to suggest that language enrolments are directly related to issues of access and degree structure. We also show how a large percentage of students studying Italian at UWA are not from the Faculty of Arts, how this new degree structure has impacted on student cohort and the implications this may have for pedagogy. The study concludes by offering suggestions for further research and considers the implications this model may have for language teaching in universities around Australia and beyond. [Author abstract, ed]