CONNECT 2006
FREE::CROSS-DISCIPLINARY::CATERED
28 & 29 SEPTEMBER 2006
eXpress Connect
SUPRA has now published the special edition of eXpress containing the papers and reports from the inaugural SUPRA Postgraduate Conference held in September 2006. Click here to be taken to the page where you can download a copy or call into the SUPRA office to pick up a hardcopy.
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PODCASTS
Podcasts of our feature sessions are now available. Click on the link to listen or right hand click on the link and select 'save link as' to download. Please note History Wars in the Classroom is in two parts due to an interruption by a fire alarm. For more details on the sessions please see our Detailed Program below.
Diversity and Community in Postgrad Education
History Wars in the Classroom Part 1
History Wars in the Classroom Part 2
Beyond the Sandstone: Post-Postgrad Opportunities
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28 & 29 September 2006
History Room, Main Quad
SUPRA organised the first Sydney University-wide Postgraduate Conference on September 28 & 29 - CONNECT. The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for postgrads from all faculties to come together, share ideas, theories, strategies, and build networks and partnerships across the University.
PROGRAM
| THURSDAY 28 SEPTEMBER | |
| 10.00: Registration + tea & coffee | |
10.30 - 11.00: Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome LEONA OLIVER - SUPRA Indigenous Officer |
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11.00 - 12.30: DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY IN POSTGRAD EDUCATION Speakers include: KERRY NETTLE - Greens Senator PROF GARY T MOORE - Head, Environment, Behaviour & Society, Faculty of Architecture STUART ROSEWARNE - NTEU, NSW Division President KRESTINA AMON - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Health Sciences MARK TOH - Graduate Diploma Candidate, Science (Psych) SUVENA SETHI - Graduate Diploma Candidate, Science CHAIR: JENNY LEONG - SUPRA President |
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| 2.00 - 3.30: Panels/Workshops: | |
Rm 1: THE HISTORY OF FICTION - THE FICTION OF HISTORY Speakers include: YVETTE DEBERGUE - Postgrad, Centre for Medieval Studies STEPHANIE HATHAWAY - Postgrad, Department of French ANDREW WARRING - Postgrad, Department of Studies in Religion ROOZBEH ARAGHI - Postgrad, Department of History CHAIR: RICHARD BAILEY - MCrim Candidate and SUPRA Publications Officer |
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Rm 2: E-LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGIES Speakers: HELEN WOZNIAK - Senior Lecturer, Centre for Innovation in Professional Health Education & Research DIKI - Masters Candidate, Faculty of Education FIGEN GUL - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Architecture CHAIR: JODIE COLEMAN - MTeach candidate and SUPRA Policy Advisory Committee Convener |
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| 3.45 - 5.15: Panels/Workshops: | |
Rm 1: IMMIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Speakers: ARISTOTLE PAIPETIS - Immigration Agent RAJAT DHAWAN - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Economics and Business CHAIR: JENNY LEONG - PhD Candidate, Arts and SUPRA President |
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Speakers: HAMISH QUINN - NTEU Organiser MALCOM ROSS - Casual Employment Officer CHAIR: ROOZBEH ARAGHI - PhD Candidate, History and SUPRA Vice President |
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| 5.15 - 6.00: Tea & Coffee | |
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HISTORY WARS IN THE CLASSROOM: TEACHING AUSTRALIAN HISTORY IN UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS Speakers: HUMPHREY MCQUEEN - Historian and author of Suspect History, Manning Clark and the future of Australian History LYNETTE RILEY-MUNDINE - Academic Coordinator, Koori Centre DR THALIA ANTHONY - Postgrad and Lecturer, Faculty of Law CHAIR: LEONA OLIVER - Grad Dip Candidate, Indigenous Health Promotion and SUPRA Indigenous Officer |
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REFRESHMENTS FROM 5.30PM AND DRINKS FOLLOWING |
| FRIDAY 29 SEPTEMBER |
| 10.00: Registration + tea & coffee |
10.30 - 12.00: BEYOND THE SANDSTONE: POST-POSTGRAD OPPORTUNITES Speakers include: PETER BRYANT - Business Liaison Office RICHARD SEYMOUR - Sesquicentennial Lecturer in International Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics & Business NITSA ATHANASSOPOULOS - Careers Centre JOHANN LEUNG - PhD Candidate, Medical Sciences CHAIR: JENNY LEONG - PhD Candidate, Arts and SUPRA President |
12.15 - 1.00: PRESENTATION SKILLS Speakers include: RUTH RINOT - Toastmaster of the Year 2005 CHAIR: ROSEMARY WHITECROSS - PhD Candidate, Archaeology and SUPRA Secretary |
| 1.00 - 2.00: Lunch + Gripe Session |
| 2.00 - 3.30: Panels/Workshops: |
Rm 1: GENDER, SEXUALITY AND IDENTITIES Speakers include: CATH DAVIS - Postgrad, Department of Media and Communications KARL HAND - Postgrad, Department of Philosophy ELIZABETH WULFF - Postgrad, Department of English IAN STEEP - Postgrad, Education CHAIR: ROOZBEH ARAGHI - PhD Candidate, History and SUPRA Vice President |
Rm 2: SUSTAINABILITY AND PRESERVATION Speakers include: SCOTT HAWKEN - PhD Candidate, Department of Archaeology ANTHONY KACHENKO - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Agriculture REBECCA LESIC - PhD Candidate, School of Chemistry GEORGINA LLOYD - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law CHAIR: NICK KELLY - PhD Candidate, Architecture and SUPRA Councillor |
| 3.30 - 3.45: Tea & Coffee |
| 3.45 - 5.00: Panels/Workshops: |
Rm 1: RESEARCHING PEOPLE: ETHICS AND OUTCOMES Speakers include: THILAKAVATHI CHENGODU - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery KATY O'CONNOR - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Education & Social Work SALLY MONAGHAN - Doctorate of Clinical Psych/Master of Science ALLAN McCAY - PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law CHAIR: RICHARD BAILEY - MCrim Candidate and SUPRA Publications Officer |
| 5.30:POST-CONFERNCE DRINKS - ROYAL HOTEL, ABERCROMBIE ST |
Download PDF Version of the Program HERE.
Map of Main Quad HERE.
DETAILED PROGRAM
THURSDAY 28 SEPTEMBER
11.00 - 12.30: DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY IN POSTGRAD EDUCATION
A round table discussion focusing on the challenges, choices and concerns facing the higher education sector and postgraduates in particular. Speakers include:
KERRY NETTLE – Greens Senator
Kerry Nettle was elected as the first Greens Senator for NSW at the November 2001 federal elections. Since then Kerry has been a progressive voice in the Parliament and in the community on a range of issues. Kerry has played a leading role in the peace movement in Australia by speaking out against the invasion of Iraq and working with local communities to express their opposition to the war. Along with Bob Brown, Kerry confronted George W. Bush in the Australian Parliament in October 2004 about the treatment of the two Australians being held in Guantanamo Bay.
Kerry speaks often in Parliament and in the community about ensuring that all Australians have their rights protected in their workplace. She is an advocate for fair trade and as such has been a vocal opponent to the US Australia Free Trade Agreement. Kerry has also been calling for our public health system to be strengthened and expanded.
Kerry has an Environmental Science degree from UNSW and was involved in student politics when she was at university. After university she lived in Kakadu National Park for several months working with Traditional Owners of the land to successfully stop the Jabiluka Uranium Mine being built.
PROF GARY T MOORE – Head, Environment, Behaviour & Society, Faculty of Architecture
Born in Canada, educated in Canada and the United States, and since 1997 a permanent resident of Australia, Professor Gary Moore is Chair of Environment-Behaviour Studies of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sydney. Until 1997 he was Professor of Architecture and chair of the PhD Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Founding Director of the NASA Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium. Previously he held positions as head of the Environment-Behavior Studies Program and director of the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He also held visiting academic positions at Clark University (1974-75) and the University or Oregon (1980) in the United States, the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales in Australia (1975), Victoria University in New Zealand (1983) and Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia (1987).
One of the founders of the field of design methods, his earliest research was on systematic design methods on which his first book, Emerging Methods in Environmental Design and Planning, was published by MIT Press in 1970. Also one of the founders of environment-behaviour studies, his more recent research has been on environmental cognition, aging and the environment, post-occupancy evaluation, children youth and environments, housing evaluation and environment-behaviour theory. He has also conducted research on aerospace architecture.
DR STUART ROSEWARNE - NTEU USYD Branch Committee and NSW Division Head; Senior Lecturere, Political Economy
Dr Rosewarne will talk about the recent changes to the higher education sector, including discussing the impact of the new industrial relations regime upon higher education and postgraduate education.
SUVENA SETHI - Grad Dip in Psychology MARK TOH - Grad Dip in Psychology KRESTINA AMON - PhD Candidate, Health Sciences
Research learning circles in the context of diversity and community in higher education.
Learning circles date back to the 1920s, and are universal. They are additional and optional to individual research, and they compliment the supervisory relationship. They are implemented to ensure progress each month, but more importantly provide support through the isolation that can be a characteristic of post graduate research. Meeting once a month, this learning community allows students to have a voice, to learn collectively and critically, with the support of one another. The focus is facilitated by four question of reflection.
12.30-2.00: Lunch + ‘Thesis Talks’
This is a chance to get up and talk casually about your thesis for five minutes to a diverse group of postgrads. To register interest in advance, email vicepresident@supra.usyd.edu.au or just come along. You never know who might be in the audience with an insight into your work that you never expected...
2.00 - 3.30 Rm1: THE HISTORY OF FICTON – THE FICTION OF HISTORY
This panel session brings together a range of humanities postgrads to discuss the relationship between history and fiction. Can fictional texts convey historical meaning? How important is historical perspective in studying literature? Is the line between the two even discernible? These questions will be posed in relation to a variety of texts and time periods.
Speakers include:
YVETTE DEBERGUE – PhD Candidate, Medieval Studies
Yvette Debergue is a PhD candidate with the Centre for Medieval Studies, working on a gendered survey of the Cathars of southern France in the mid-twelfth century. She teaches for the Centre of Medieval Studies and well as at Continuing Education and has published articles in religious history journals in Australia and France.
Medieval Fiction as History
Medieval fictions are a booming business – there are endless retellings of the Arthurian myths and Robin Hood tales – there is fantasy fiction, biographical fiction, historical romance, ‘straight’ historical fiction. Then there are monks and nuns who take time out from the never ending rounds of prayers that made up daily monastic life to take up a sideline in solving crimes.
But just how ‘historical’ can fiction be? And how accurate must it be for the reader to enjoy it? This paper will address these questions from the point of view of both the historian and the reader, focusing on two “sub-genre” – medieval detective fiction and historical romance.
STEPHANIE HATHAWAY – PhD Candidate, French
Stephanie Hathaway was educated in North America and Berlin, Germany, and has a Bachelor of Music Performance and a Master of Foreign Languages and Literature. Currently a PhD candidate in the French and German departments at University of Sydney, she is working on the a comparison of Wolfram’s Willehalm with its source material, la Bataille d’Aliscans, focusing on the image of the Saracen and his conversion to Christianity.
Chansons de Geste as History
The chansons de geste are the most prolific accounts of events to come out of eleventh-century France, the Chanson de Roland being the earliest and best known of them. Employing subject matter that included legendary heroes and battles, and themes such as kinship, loyalty, strong leadership and Saracen invasions, these orally-transmitted songs were to change over time with the influences of historical events and the newer courtly romance genre. Texts such as those from the Cycle de Guillaume, that originally involved historical figures and events became increasingly identified with fictional romance. Consequently, the line separating fact from fiction in the chansons de deste is even less discernable.
ANDREW WEARRING – PhD Candidate, Studies in Religion
Andrew Wearring is a third year PhD student and casual lecturer for the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney. His interests are in early Christianity and Gnosticism, and he has published papers in the areas of Manichaeism and The Da Vinci Code. His PhD thesis focuses on the self-identity of Manichaeans.
Religious Pseudo-History in Popular Culture: Poetic Licence and the Da-Vinci Code
Unless someone is a serious student of history, much of their understanding of the past will be gleaned from representations of it in popular fiction: that archaeological evidence proves King Arthur was a Sarmatian, or that Leonardo da Vinci was grand master of ‘Priory of Sion’. Many argue the harmlessness of erroneous history in fiction, but what about when it is presented as fact? Looking at the presentation of religious history in the Da Vinci code and its reception by an overwhelming number of the population we will try and untangle some of the webs woven by Dan Brown’s blockbuster.
ROOZBEH ARAGHI – PhD Candidate, History
Roozbeh Araghi is a PhD candidate in and sometime tutor in the Department of History. His thesis is currently titled “The Pop Confederacy: Constructing and Contesting Southern Nationalism in Twentieth Century Popular Culture”, but tends to change now and then. He has published in the commentary section of online journal Philament.
History and Fiction in the Simpsons: A Cromulent Question
The Simpsons had widely been held to be an extremely influential popular culture text. Amongst the myriad of social, political and philosophical questions that the show has addressed over the last two decades have been the questions of what history is and how it is told. I will be arguing that The Simpson presents a largely poststructuralist view of history m in which history and mythology are presented as intertwined and the absolute nature of ‘truth’ is questionable.
This discussion will focus on two particular episodes of The Simpsons: ‘Lemon of Troy’ (season six, 1995) and ‘Lisa the Iconoclast’ (season seven, 1996). In the first of these episodes, the competing truths presented by each side of the conflict parody the manner in which debates about the events of the Civil War have been passed down through generations. ‘Lisa and Iconoclast’ more directly tackles the issue of the respective roles of history and mythology. When Lisa Simpson uncovers unsettling information about town founder Jebediah Springfield, she is confronted by the conflict between the truth and she finds in archival research and truths that people hold dear to their hearts. 2.00 - 3.30 Rm2: E-LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGIES
This panel will look at issues arising out of on-line learning and also the use of on-line technologies to enhance multi-disciplinary collaboration. Speakers:
HELEN WOZNIAK – Senior Lecturer, Centre for Innovation in Professional Health Education and Research
Making the most out of e-learning opportunities :connecting to who and what?
The landscape of higher education is changing. The world of traditional face-to-face teaching is colliding with the world of distance education through the use of information and communication technologies. There are many issues that are facing all teachers and learners in higher education as we adapt to this new environment. Teachers need to learn how to handle the additional requirements that these technologies impose on them. Students need to understand not only how to use e-learning methods but also why it can benefit their learning. This presentation will outline my journey as an online teacher, and detail techniques that I have used to empower students to interact more effectively in online discussion forums.
DIKI – Masters Candidate, Faculty of Education
Application of SMS Tutorial for Genetics (BIOL4219) Course in Open University of Indonesia
Department of Biology, Open University of Indonesia conducted an experiment of SMS tutorial for Genetics (BIOL4219) course. The students were contacted first to inform them of the SMS tutorial. There are 20 students who took the course, from March to June 2006. Those who could join the tutorial were only 10. Mostly live in or around Jakarta, only one lives in Yogyakarta, 300 km from Jakarta.
The tutorial consisted of quiz/question sent by SMS manually by tutor to students. The students answered by sending SMS. Students who need clarification will be responded by SMS. Delivery of quiz was conducted from 28 April to 13 May 2006. There are two quizzes which is sent during two weeks period.
There are 7 students who responded to the first quiz, and there are 6 students who responded the second quiz. The reasons that they did not respond to the quiz were sickness, job activity and not mastering the topic.
FIGEN GUL – PhD Candidate, Faculty of Architecture
Figen Gul is a PhD student at the University of Sydney. Her research interests include the use of virtual-world technology in the construction industry, human design behaviour and collaborative design. Her current research investigates the impacts of digital tools on human design behaviour. She completed her Bachelors degree in Architecture and a Masters degree in Urban Conservation at University of Mimar Sinan, Turkey, and a Masters degree in Design Science at the University of Sydney. She is also a practising architect who designed many residential buildings in Sydney and overseas.
The Impact Of Virtual Environments On Design Collaboration
Recent developments in virtual environments and the availability of high bandwidth networks have the potential to bring significant changes in the way that Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals collaborate and design. Despite these developments, designers still prefer traditional face to face collaboration. This paper presents a case study that compares two designers collaborating in 3 different types of virtual environments with face to face collaboration. The aim of the study is identify similarities and differences in design process and communication in order to have a better understanding of the impact of virtual environments on design collaboration.
3.45 - 5.15 Rm1: IMMIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
This panel will provide an overview of the Australian immigration framework and information on the responsibilities of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. There will also be discussion of individual students’ experiences with immigration and education in Australia. Speakers:
ARISTOTLE PAIPETIS – Immigration Agent
Aristotle is a Solicitor and Barruster of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia as well as a Registered Migration Agent (Number 0006846). He will provide an overview of the Australian immigration framework, where to locate preliminary information for those considering the possiblity of migration to Australia, information on the legislative framework regulating migration afents and the industry, advice on how to find a registered migration agent and information on the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) including an overview of the professional responsibilites and standards that Migration Agents must follow.
RAJAT DHAWAN – PhD Candidate, Economics and Business
"Overseas Student and the Australian Education System: A System Approach"
The number of overseas students coming to Australia to undertake ostgraduate courses has risen exponentially over the last 10 years and the reputation of Australian universities is fradually starting to show an opposite trend. The increase in student enrolement in general is not the effect of Australia's reputation in the global education market (as general thought) but because of the relatively low entry requirements to courses, relatively cheap cost of living and ease of getting permanent residency after completion of the degree that lures students to Australia (as opposed to its competitors in the education market). Lack of federal funding has led many universities to attract second-grade overseas students into courses that are mostly governed by the migration policy. Overseas students serve as 'cash-cows' for many universities in Australia. Some universities do not even have adequate staff, library or lab facilities for students to undertake their study.
This presentation will deal with concerns of overseas students in general, advantages of Australian education and benefits of migration to Australia as a skilled-migrant. The presentation explains, from a 'systems thingking' perspective, the short-term gains and unintended long-term consequences of the current Australian education system.
Raj Dhawan came to Australia in 2003 to pursue postgraduate coursework study in Information Technology at the University of Sydney. He became involved with SUPRA as a councillor and was subsequently elected to the position of International Students' Officer where he was closely associated with the travel concessions and immigration campaigns. Following his time with SUPRA, Raj was elected to the national position of International Students' Officer for the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) during which time he represented Australia's 85,000 overseas postgraduate students. During his tenure he liaised with ministers, MPs and other national bodies to ensure that adequate and just treatment is meted out to students who come to Australia under constrained circumstances.
After completion of his coursework degree, Raj tutored at the University's School of IT, School of Electrical and Information Engineering and School of Business. He is currently a doctoral candidate in business information systems at the School of Business. His research explores the use of information technology in complex decision-making.
3.45 - 5:15 Rm2: CASUAL EMPLOYMENT
This panel will be led by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and will focus on issues arising out of casual employment for postgraduate students within the University. Speakers:
HAMISH QUINN – NTEU Organiser
MALCOLM ROSS - Casual Employment Officer
6.00-8.00: Feature Session
HISTORY WARS IN THE CLASSROOM: TEACHING AUSTRALIAN HISTORY IN UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS
Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop, recently declared: “It is essential that we put a structured narrative back into the teaching of Australian history.” What narrative is being referred to? How does this fit into the ‘History Wars’? This panel discussion will address the questions that surround the issue of bias in the teaching of Australian history.
Speakers:
HUMPHREY McQUEEN – Historian and author of Suspect History, Manning Clark and the future of Australian History
“The Red Armband View of Australian History”. Brief description: “How we get a bourgeois democracy by opposing the antecedents of Howard and his ilk”.
Humphrey McQueen has been on of Australia’s most well-known historians since his A New Britannia appeared in 1970. He has since written many books, including 1997’s Suspect History, about another battle in the history wars. He Lives in Canberra as a freelance historian, and is currently writing a history of the Builders Labourers Federation. Some of his writing can be found here.
LYNETTE RILEY-MUNDINE – Academic Coordinator Koori Centre
Lynette Riley-Mundine is a Wiradjuri/Kamilarol woman from NSW with affiliations through marriage to the Bunjalung Nation. She has experience in every field of education in NSW, except preschool, but with seven children she feels she has knowledge of that area in education as well. Lynette has spent the majority of her working career in assisting to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal people. She is the newly appointed Academic Coordinator of the Koori Centre at the University of Sydney.
Lynette will talk generally on the themes of history and the teaching of history from the viewpoint of an Aboriginal activist and educator.
THALIA ANTHONY – Postgrad and Lecturer, Faculty of Law
Thalia lectures criminal law at the University of Sydney Law School. She has a doctorate and publications on northern Aboriginal labour and land relationships. She is currently undertaking a Masters of Criminology.
The History Wars is not just an academic debate. It has real implications for Indigenous justice. Thalia will focus on the revisionism of the like of Keith Windschuttle on native land title, customary law and compensation.
FRIDAY 29 SEPTEMBER
10.30-12.00: BEYOND THE SANDSTONE: POST-POSTGRAD OPPORTUNITIES
This panel will focus on intellectual property and copyright issues, opportunities to participate in the commercialisation training scheme (CTS) and career options for postgraduates. Speakers include:
PETER BRYANT – Business Liaison Office
Peter Bryant joined the BLO at the University of Sydney in 2002 and is currently Acting Manager New Ventures. During his time at the BLO, Peter has managed the creation of a number of new companies including a successful IPO in 2005. He has over 15 years experience in a range of industries. In the early 1990s he was a project leader with Qantas and also worked at British Airways in London. He then went to St George Bank and became the manager of Business Contingency Planning during their year 2000 millennium project. Peter then worked for Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu as a risk management consultant and later in Deloitte's early stage technology incubator. He was an investment and knowledge manager at this firm for almost two years. He then worked as the product development manager for a small information technology start-up based in Sydney. Early in his career, Peter was a post-graduate student at Cambridge and Harvard Universities and he was recently awarded a PhD in Management from Macquarie University.
Peter will discuss intellectual property and copyright issues for postgraduate students. Peter’s presentation will include issues from the following, especially from a postgraduate perspective: Industry relationships, especially for research funding University's procedures for patenting new intellectual property University’s technology commercialization services.
RICHARD SEYMOUR – Sesquicentennial Lecturer in International Entrepreneurship, Economics and Business
Richard has broad experience working with entrepreneurs, with over 5 years experience as a corporate advisor involving corporate divestments, raising capital and cross border transactions. He also has over 10 years’ industry experience having worked with a number of European, Asian and Australian organizations in the financial, property, and environmental sectors.
Richard has taught entrepreneurship and strategy at the University of NSW and the Australian Graduate School of Management to post-graduate and MBA students. He joined The University of Sydney as the Sesquicentennial Lecturer in International Entrepreneurship in January 2006.
He is currently completing his PhD researching the creative industries. His other research interests include innovation and entrepreneurship.
Richard will discuss the new Commercialisation Training Scheme (CTS) as introduced by the Federal Gpvernment and how Syndey Univeristy intends to approach this. Very important for PhD students!
NITSA ATHANASSOPOULOS – Careers Centre
Nitsa will discuss the skills and attributes postgraduate students should enhance in terms of career opportunities.
12.15-1.00: PRESENTATION SKILLS
When it comes to presenting are you nervous....anxious....not quite sure how to best convey your thoughts or ideas; maybe you just want to polish your presentation skills or fine-tune your PowerPoint skills? Speakers include:
RUTH RINOT – Toastmaster of the Year 2005
Ruth is the Office Manager of the School of Biomedical Sciences and is an active member of Toastmasters. Over the past 10 years she has run corporate speech-craft courses. In 2004 she won the Toastmaster of the Year Award (NSW/ACT).
1.00-2.00: Lunch + Gripe Session
Got a problem with your course? Annoyed about something to do with the University? This session will allow postgrads to pass on complaints to SUPRA representatives and staff, as well as other students.
2.00-3.30 Rm1: GENDER, SEXUALITY AND IDENTITIES
Gender and sexuality are major forces that shape identity and crucial themes in a range of academic work. This panel brings together a range of students from different departments speaking on topics including Lactation Practices, Queer Theology and Feminist Sci-Fi. Speakers include:
CATH DAVIES – PhD Candidate, Media and Communications
Cath Davies is a first year PhD candidate in the department of Media and Communications.
Milk Fever: Writing in White Ink
My thesis is essentially an exploration of non-normative lactation practices including induced lactation. This talk will mostly be an account of how I am inducing lactation so that I can get a trully embodied knowledge of my thesis topic. Will also discuss what I intend to do with the milk, and my lactating body, in terms of making art and performance.
KARL HAND – MA Candidate, Philosophy
Karl Hand is currently studying a Master of Arts (Phil) and has previously completed an Honours degree in Music and a Masters in Theology. He was also recently ordained as a Minister in the Metropolitan Community Church. He has published on the topics of Feminism and the Gospel of Luke in The Australian E-Journal of Theology and on the ethics of war in The Briefing.
A Queer Theology of Gender
I introduce theology as a tool through which different disciplines can describe the spiritual aspect of their scholarship, and explain the meaning of "theology" and also of "Queer" and "Gender" as they relate to theology. I then briefly explain how I constructed my own Queer Theology of Gender and encourage all listeners to build a theology of their own.
ELIZABETH WULFF – PhD Candidate, English
Elizabeth Wulff is a PhD candidate in the Department of English, writing a thesis about alternative notions of the heroic in feminist science fiction.
What ‘bodies’ can do! Exploring differences and commonalities in Nicola Griffith’s Ammonite
What happens to identity when you ‘become’ connected to your environment? What happens to gender when everyone has the same genitalia? What is scarier – change or death? Or, are they the same thing? The characters in Nicola Griffith’s novel Ammonite explore these issues. Using the theories of Deleuze & Guattari and Spinoza, through the feminist gaze of Elizabeth Grosz, Moira Gatens & Genevieve Lloyd, I collapse the binaries between mind and body, masculine and feminine, culture and nature. Doing so offers the opportunity to explore what bodies as ‘living-thinking-multiplicities’ can do. The fictional world of "Jeep" in the novel provides an interesting environment for such explorations. On this world, the effects of its virus are inescapable – change or death, are the only choices! For some characters, the courage to embrace change yields rich rewards.
IAN STEEP - MA Candidate, Education
“Professional type mature age guy looking for an Asian boyfriend”: An exploration of Caucasian-Asian ethnicity fetish
Research indicates that gay Caucasian men who exclusively desire Asian men, commonly and somewhat pejoratively called “rice queens”, are under-represented in the GLBTQ canon. Most of what is available represents the perceptions of Asian gay men. My research seeks to explore the basis of this exclusive attraction and its expression through interviews and an analysis of internet personal ads.
“Rice queens” in the literature are largely represented by a stereotype of an older, relatively unattractive man who pursues younger Asian men. A study of internet personal adds suggests that many such men are “older” than many highly visible gay men, a fact which in itself goes some way to placing them on the margin of the mainstream culture. “Older” in this sense does not simply equate with age, but also lifestyle, in that they may have little interest in participating in the mainstream community. Research further suggests they are regarded as of relatively lower status in the GLBTQ community, possibly because of the perceived lower status of Asian gay men by the same community. “Rice queens” are the correlate of “potato queens”, gay Asian men who exclusively desire Caucasian men.
The desires of the Caucasian men themselves are explored within the framework of Orientalism, and fetishism drawing on Marx, Freud, Lacan and Derrida and other physically-based fetishes, notably the black male body, amputee-fetishism (acrotomophilia), and fat fetishism (macrophilia). At this point, only desk research has been undertaken and the methodology is being developed. Draft theory and application of theory chapters have been completed along with an early draft literature review.
2.00-3.30 Rm2: SUSTAINABILITY AND PRESERVATION
This panel will explore the themes of sustainability and preservation as investigated through different student projects, including sustainability in architecture, agriculture, and archaeology. Speakers include:
SCOTT HAWKEN – PhD Candidate, Archaeology
MedRice fields and Urban Growth of Angkor
Over a period of 800 years the civilization of Angkor built a massive low density metropolis with a vast infrastructure of canals, temples and causeways. The talk will provide a brief look into the urban growth and abstraction of natural systems of the metropolis. Implications for the modern agricultural/urban landscape of SE Asia will be touched upon. The issues will be explored through an investigation of the geometry of rice field systems using data from Sydney Universities Greater Angkor Project and the École française d'Extrême-Orient.
ANTHONY KACHENKO – PhD Candidate, Agriculture
Anthony is currently undertaking his PhD in the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources focusing on the remediation of contaminated environments. He has a Bachelor in Horticultural Science (Hons) and has been the Treasurer of SUPRA since February 2006.
Anthony's research investigates a number of intriguing plant species that have the unique ability to thrive in toxic metal polluted environs. His research aims to investigate the mechanisms by which these plants can survive and tolerate these unfavourable conditions. He is hoping that one day these plants could be implemented as an environmentally sound remediation strategy in Australia and beyond.
Phytostabilisation of toxic metals in contaminated soils using Australian native ferns - Anthony G Kachenko , Balwant Singh and Naveen Bhatia
The contamination of urban and agricultural soils in Australia is widespread and has become an increasingly important planning and economic issue affecting all three tiers of government. There are an estimated 80,000 contaminated sites reported in Australia of which many are contaminated with toxic metals (such as lead and cadmium). Contaminated sites that have gained notoriety over the past decade include Olympic Park at Homebush Bay, Rhodes Peninsula and Black Wattle Bay at Glebe. Intensive human activity and the concentration of industrial activities are responsible for the environmental pollution seen in these urban areas and many more across Australia. Agricultural soils are also affected with heavy metals, arising from activities such as fertiliser application and pesticide or fungicide use.
Remediation of these contaminated soils is of paramount importance in order to minimise further environmental degradation. One option is phytostabilisation, a novel approach where plants are used to contain further spread of toxic metals. This green technology has gained popularity as a cost effective strategy with minimal disturbance to the surrounding environment. Plants that are selected exhibit tolerance and thrive in soils containing elevated levels of metals. Once established in contaminated soils, these plants reduce wind and water erosion of once barren soils and ultimately reduce the transfer and spread of contaminated soils. The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed insight into the use of Australian native ferns as possible candidates in the stabilisation of contaminated soils.
REBECCA LESIC – PhD Candidate, Chemistry
Biodiesel: From waste cooking oil to fuel of the future
With the cost and environmental impact of traditional fossil fuels rapidly increasing, the need for an alternative fuel sources is now greater than ever. Biodiesel is an example of one such alternative fuel source. A major advantage of biodiesel is that it is derived from renewable biological materials such as vegetable oil or animal fat. As a result, biodiesel is biodegradable, non-toxic and possesses low emission profiles compared to its petroleum counterpart.
It has been known for decades that via transesterification it is possible to convert the triglycerides present within vegetable oil into methyl esters and glycerol. These methyl esters that can then be used as an additive to, or as a substitute for fossil-based diesel. Although the current process produces relatively good quality biodiesel, the race is on to improve the existing methodology.
This project involves investigating the role of supercritical fluids (SCFs) and heterogeneous catalysts in biodiesel synthesis, with the ultimate goal of increasing the overall efficiency and productivity of the system to yield an environmentally friendly product via a truly “green” process.
GEORGINA LLOYD - PhD Candidate, Law
Georgina completed a Bachelor in Environmental Science with Honours in botany and a Masters in Environmental Law at the University of Sydney. She is currently a PhD candidate in environmental law (heritage law) at the University of Sydney and is a postgraduate teaching fellow in the School of Biological Sciences.
Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Angkor
Intangible heritage derives from the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills of the Cambodians living around and interacting with the temples . That the Angkor World Heritage site is a living cultural landscape with associated intangible cultural heritage is widely acknowledged. . Taylor and Altenburg note that this intangible heritage provides a significant cultural setting for the tangible heritage of Angkor and displays continuing living history that in many ways has not changed from the Angkorian period. For example the daily activities of local Cambodians seen around the temples, such as herding stock and harvesting, are also represented on the bas-reliefs of the ancient temples. It is imperative that the tangible monuments at Angkor are not isolated from their cultural setting. The intangible cultural heritage of Angkor requires protection. Furthermore, it needs to be incorporated into the management and presentation of the world heritage site.
At present the existing legal framework does not adequately address intangible heritage. The focus of legal documents that afford protection to the World Heritage site of Angkor have predominantly and almost exclusively dealt with the tangible heritage of Angkor, i.e. the temples, cultural objects and monuments. This is essentially because the initial priority after the inscription of Angkor on the World Heritage List was the traditional conservation of the physical fabric of Angkor. As the intangible cultural heritage of Angkor is seen as a significant aspect of the world heritage site, this research intends to further the protection of intangible heritage through documentation of the intangible heritage Angkor and the development of potential policies and legal mechanisms for the presentation, conservation and transmission of the intangible cultural heritage. There is a growing local awareness of the importance of conserving intangible cultural heritage and some research has previously been done by APSARA on the issue. This research is allied with the work being done by the Living With Heritage project at the University of Sydney.
This interpretation of intangible cultural heritage as a compellation intangible cultural values for the purposes of this research is taken from the definition of “intangible cultural heritage” in the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage , UNESCO 2003
Taylor, K and Altenburg, K. Cultural Landscapes in Asia-Pacific: Potential for Filling World Heritage Gaps. International Journal of Heritage Studies .12 (3): 267-2823.45-5.00 Rm1: RESEARCHING PEOPLE: ETHICS AND OUTCOMES
This panel will examine the obstacles and challenges that arise out of researching people or human behaviour. The panelists will reflect upon the difficulties and ethical issues raised during their own fieldwork. Speakers include:
THILAKAVATHI CHENGOD – PhD Candidate, Nursing
I finished my undergraduate nursing at Flinders University in South Australia and worked for a year in a large regional hospital in SA learning the ropes of nursing. This is when I decided that clinical research would be interesting to explore. I returned to Adelaide in 1999 and completed Honours in Health Science within the Faculty of Medicine in University of Adelaide looking at clinical audits in medication administration within high acute areas in a large public teaching hospital in Adelaide. I then left for UK for a research position with the British Heart Foundation investigating Young Adults suffering from Myocardial Infarction and Strokes. Upon completing this study I returned home to Australia and commenced my PhD after a year working in the Melanoma Unit in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital here in Sydney. The PhD is investigating the roles of clinical trial nurses in the process of gaining consent. It is in its data analysis stage at present and hope to be completed by the end of the year.
The research study investigates the role of clinical trials in the gaining of infomed consent. It explores how this role impacts upon their relationship within the health care team especially with medical practitioners and how clinical trial nurses prioritise their various roles within the trial team.
KATY O'CONNOR – PhD Candidate, Education
Kate Eliza O'Connor is a PhD student and part-time tutor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work. She won the University Medal for her Honours thesis, which discussed teachers' professional identities. Katy is interested in emotions in education, performativity and the experiences of teachers in working-class schools.
Performativity and identity: The impact of institutional discourses on teachers' working lives
This paper will employ a symbolic interactionist framework to explore how teachers’ identities are constructed and mediated within institutions in reflexive modernity (Giddens, 1991). Drawing on the preliminary results of an interpretive in-depth interview study that researched the lives of eight secondary teachers in working-class schools, it will present and discuss a model of the elements of professional identity. Schutz’s (1967, 1970) phenomenological sociology will be used to explore the projects that teachers pursue within their work, and to investigate the axiological and philosophical motives that guide teachers’ actions and reflections. The implications of recent policies and the
implementation of teaching standards in NSW (2005) for teachers’ work form a major focus of criticism within the paper. The managerial and performative discourses that pervade institutional guidelines are conceptualised as objects which individual teachers interact with in a reflexive manner. The importance of the individualisation of biographies (Beck & Beck-Gernsheim, 2002) for discussing the ways that individual professionals negotiate and navigate different discourses is emphasised, and the interactionist concept of roletaking (Mead, 1934) is used to
examine how the reflective and active dimensions of the Self affect teachers’ beliefs and decisions.
SALLY MONAGHAN – Doctorate of Clinical Psych/Master of Science
Sally is undertaking a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology/Master of Science at the University of Sydney after completing a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours Class One) at the same university. Sally has presented her research at the several national and international conferences and was the recipient of the National Association for Gambling Studies (NAGS) Student Award in 2005. Sally is on the organising committee for the NAGS 2006 Conference and the student representative for the NSW Board of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society. She is currently continuing her research in the field of gambling under the supervision of Professor Alex Blaszczynski.
Problem gambling is a public health issue that has prompted the implementation of legislation regarding responsible gaming strategies and harm-minimisation interventions. However, the basis for this legislation is not founded on empirical data supporting the effectiveness of the responsible gambling strategies and research is required to ensure the interventions in place are successful in minimising problem gambling behaviour. In planning and conducting research in the field of gambling several ethical issues must be considered, for example; If it is accepted that there are risks involved with engaging in gambling behaviour, is it ethical to ask research participants to gamble? This presentation will outline the importance of working with limitations and ethical constraints in conducting empirical research.
ALLAN McCAY – PhD Candidate, Law
Allan teaches at the University of Sydney Foundation Program and is doing a PhD in the Law Faculty. Prior to teaching he worked as a solicitor.
Free Will and Retribution in Sentencing: The Implications of Behavioural Genetics
Research in behavioural genetics may hold the promise of better predictions about criminal behaviour. In this paper I will argue that if that happens, the notion of retribution, which currently plays a part in sentencing would be to some extent eroded. This is because retribution presupposes moral responsibility which in turn presupposes free will. The only kind of free will that could be a foundation for retribution in sentencing is threatened by better predictions.
For more information: contact connect@supra.usyd.edu.au or call 9351 3715.
