An edublog space for all academic, admin, sessional staff and postgraduate students of the School of Behavioural & Social Sciences & Humanities at the University of Ballarat.
This year the concept of a Learning and Teaching Week has been instituted to combine a number of events into one focussed week. The week will start with a TDU Showcase on Monday November 30 and be followed on Tuesday by a LEWS 'Using Technologies in Teaching' Session presented simultaneously at Mt Helen, Horsham and SMB campuses. The LEWS sessions in particular, appear to be of most value in the context of direct applicability to teaching and learning, with sessions on Mahara ePortfolio, Limesurvey, Turnitin, Moodle, Flash and video options in teaching.
On Wednesday IPOL will present a series of pre-conference workshops conducted by leading academics from around Australia who on Thursday will provide the keynote addresses to the IPOL Learning and Teaching Conference around the themes of Assessment and Evaluation.
The December Book Group will meet at The Known World bookshop in Sturt Street for a 2pm start. We return to James Joyce's Ulysses and continue from the section starting "In The Heart Of The Hibernian Metropolis" and ends with "Urbane, to comfort them, the Quaker librarian purred". My Penguin Modern Classics edition has this between pp. 147-235.
The 3rd annual Philosophy Symposium is being held at the Mt Helen campus of the University of Ballarat. In choosing Philosophy & Responsibility - A Day of Philosophical Friendship & Conversation as the theme of this year's Symposium we reflect on philosophy's two-fold nature. It is and must be a responsible practice in its own right, but it is also an activity of reconsidering the issues of our (epistemological, ontological, ethical, social, political, aesthetic) responsibilities in the world.
The Symposium will be held at the University of Ballarat on Monday 7 December 2009 and is open to interested academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students. Our goal is to provide a supportive collegial forum to promote the vital exchange of ideas and ongoing conversation in philosophy, as well as to foster ties between participants.
The UB Philosophy Programme invited abstracts of 250 words for twenty-minute papers in any field of philosophy or papers that present philosophical perspectives on other fields of the humanities and social sciences. We are please to confirm the presentation of ten diverse papers (The School of Law, Deaking University; Faculty of IT, Monahs University; Philosophy, Murdoch University; School of ITMS, School of BSSH, University of Ballarat).
For further information contact Dr Jane Mummery Philosophy Programme School of Behavioural, Social Sciences & Humanities University of Ballarat j.mummeryAT ballarat.edu.au
For Symposium registration contact Marnie Nolton Philosophy Programme School of Behavioural, Social Sciences & Humanities University of Ballarat m.noltonAT ballarat.edu.au
Last week saw The Australian Academy of the Humanities hold its 40th annual symposium on 19 -20 November at the National Library of Australia, Parkes, Canberra. This year's theme was The Humanities in Australia: Taking Stock, and syposium convener Prof. Mark Finnane (Griffith University) saw this theme as befitting a retrospective on both the Academy and the state of Humanities in Australia. Papers focussed on both the development and changes in the last 40 years as well as looking to future trends which might impact upon the Academy and the humanities themselves.
A stellar cast of academics presented a diverse series of papers that provoked lively questions from the floor. Including but not limited to Catriona Elder, Genevieve Lloyd, Graeme Davison, John Frow, Mark Byron, Ian Hunter, Ien Ang, Glenda Sluga, and Ian Donaldson. The symposium was attended by Jane Mummery and Marnie Nolton.
The LEWS team have worked with Japanese Language staff in BSSH to develop a set of interactive Japanese character animations to assist students in drawing characters using the correct stroke order (an essential element to many langugaes such as Japanese, Chinese and Hebrew, for example). Characters from Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji have been covered, with each character set being broken down into animation and simulation files. Animations display the correct stroke order whilst the interactive simulations allow students to practice and consolidate stroke order. Download these character sets from here.
Congratulations to Dr Alice Mills who has been awarded the position of Adjunct Professor of Literature for a three year period. Alice is a prolific researcher in Literature at the University of Ballarat specialising in picture books, myth, Jungian and Kristevan theory. In addition to her academic position with the University, Alice also organizes and participates a range of writing and book reading groups in the local community.
Alice's webpage with publication details can be found here. Use the navigation pane on the left to select 'Mills' from the stff member list.
The University extends an invitation to all for the book launch of Understanding Feminism for Jane Mummery from the School of Behavioural & Social Sciences & Humanities. Published by Acumen, Understanding Feminism was co-authored with Peta Bowden from Murdoch University, and will be launched by Adjunct Professor Alice Mills.
When: Thursday 22 October 2009, 6pm
Where: Post Office Gallery, corner Lydiard & Sturt St
Understanding Feminism provides an accessible guide to one of the most important and contested movements in progressive modern thought. Presenting feminism as a dynamic, multi-faceted and adaptive movement that has evolved in response to the changing practical and theoretical problems faced by women, the authors take a problem-oriented approach that maps the complex strands of feminist thinking in relation to women’s struggles for equal recognition and rights, and freedom from oppressive constraints of sex, self-expression and autonomy. Each chapter focuses on a different cluster of concerns, demonstrating key moves in second-wave feminist thought, as well as some of the diversity in response-strategies that encompass both socio-economic and cultural-symbolic concerns. This approach not only shows how central feminist insights, theories and strategies emerge and re-emerge across different contexts, but makes clear that far from being “over”, feminism remains a vital response to the diverse issues that women (and men) find pressing and socially important.
Understanding Feminism is part of Acumen's Understanding Movements in Modern Thought series. This series provides accessible and lively introductions to major schools, movements and traditions in philosophy and the history of ideas since the beginning of the Enlightenment, revealing both the unity and the dissonances within that particular traditions or school.
Further author details, reviews and ordering are available from the Acumen website.
I've had an increase in students who've recounted that they are homeless or without permanent address and general recounting of serious financial hardship. I can't stress enough the importance of letting students know about student services, counseling and medical attention that is available to them. I urge staff to disseminate the following information on scholarships for next year. Please note the closing date for applications is the end of this month.
UB is releasing a range of scholarships to students to aid in their pursuit and continuation of study. Under the title of the UB Equity & Financial Aid Scholarships Program 2010.
There are a range of scholarships available to UB students including:
UB Accommodation Scholarships (for students who have had to move to commence study)
UB Dr Mary Atkinson Scholarship (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders)
UB School Based Financial Scholarships
As usual, there are eligibility criteria. I don't have much more information than this but I have a flyer and can make copies for interested students or staff. Further information is available from the following links:
"No man remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself"
This month we're reading Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain - first published in 1924 - widely considered to be one of the most influential works of twentieth century German literature. We meet on Sunday 1st November at The Known World bookshop in Sturt Street for a 2:00 PM start.
ReMarks is a software programme with which educators can annotate, collaborate and report on student electronic submissions. Of particular interest to educators should be the ReMarks XML Word 2007 integration plugin tool which appears to seamlessly integrate ReMarks into Word's menu bar.
The ReMarks toolbar includes the usual features you'd expect from a mark-up programme including the ability to highlight, insert comment boxes, and use a felt pen. More advanced tools that make this worth serious consideration are the Media Tools which allow you to insert voice annotations to documents, or Management Tools which allows you to PDF documents.
The programme is only available for PC (sorry fellow Macsters) and the website contain aseries of training videos to walk you through the processs. I'd be interested in hearing from people who try this out. to see if you think it's more useful than the usual track changes. The voice annotation inparticular will appeal to those marking online journals and the like.
The October meeting of the book group will tackle continue with the second chapter of James Joyce's Ulysses. It was suggested that we also read the second chapter of Homer's The Odyssey in conjunction with Joyce's Ulysses. We meet at The Known World bookshop on Sturt Street at 2:00pm on Sunday 4 October.
Here is a link to the Ulysses page at LibriVox where you have the option of downloading the smaller MP3 files or the higher quality (and larger) MP3 files for each chapter.
Joyce after another eye operation, 1922. Photo from the Rosenbach Museum and Library.
The September meeting of the book group will tackle the first chapter of James Joyce's Ulysses. We meet at The Known World bookshop on Sturt Street at 2:00pm on Sunday 6 September.
The 2009 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning have seen University of Ballarat pick up three prestigious awards, two of then by BSSH staff.
Xiaoli Jiang received a citation for innovative practices associted with 'flow theory' in classroom settings which motivate student engagement and enhance learning across cultures and language barriers. Jane Mummery received a citation for the development of a vibrant philosophy community which engages students, facilitates their development as critical thinkers, and inspires further study in philosophy. Kim Durban (Arts Academy) received a citation for the vision, planning and implementation of a contemporary approach to artistic training in a regional area, that has created outstanding graduate success.
In congratulating the recipients Julia Gillard (Minister for Education) wrote that it was important to "recognise individuals who have developed programs for our increasing diverse student population...for improving access in regional areas...and providing learning opportunities for...students". ALTC Executive Director, Richard Johnstone also recognised the significant contribution made to the quality of Australian higher education by citation award recipients "through their longstanding dedication ...[and] innovative work [which] has improved immeasurably the quality of student learning".
Third National GAP Symposium 10 August 2009, Melbourne
This symposium built on the two Graduate Attributes Project network (GAP) events conducted last year to support the dissemination of the GAP discussion papers and initiate further collaborative work on this topic. Examples of practice from each participating university were showcased through invited presentations and posters. The program also included an exploration of the ‘missing student voice’ in GAs through presentations from local student organisations in each state, as well as from leaders of international student organisations in Europe, Scotland and Hong Kong. Discussions centred on the possible role of GAs in future institutional quality assurance strategies supported by a presentation from AUQA.
Participants connected with a similar network of colleagues (representing each of the 20 HE institutions) currently working on the Scottish Quality Enhancement Theme 'Graduates for the 21st Century', a sector-wide initiative that will see the Scottish Higher Education sector consider over the next 2/3 years the nature of higher education and the development of graduates for the 21st century within the context of overarching questions: what should be the attributes of a graduate from Scottish Higher Education in the 21st century and how can the achievement of these attributes best be supported? This provides a unique opportunity for international exchange and comparison of practices around graduate attributes.
A highlight of the symposia for me was the way students were able to articulate a range of experiences about and responses to a range of issues drawn from the student experience directly effecting the development and implementation of GAs. I was joined at this symposia by Jane Mummery. We were the only University of Ballarat representatives participating although this symposia series has received wide coverage over the last 18 months via HERDSA, the ALTC and Campus Review.
As part of a formal exchange program between Shenzhen Polytechnic (SZPT), China, and University of Ballarat (UB). UB has invited Chinese education experts from SZPT to present a series of seminars to UB staff. Presented by SZPT's 15 senior academic staff , UB staff are encouraged to attend these two special seminars to obtain an insight knowledge of the system, operation and management of Chinese universities:
Seminar 1
The Education System and University Governance in China
Presenter: Professor Yang Runhui, Vice Preseident of SZPT
Time: 10:00-11:00, Thursday 23 July
Place: UB Council Room
University Faculty Management: organisation, programs, staff & strategic plan
Presenter: Professor Zha Zhenxiang, Dean, Faculty of Economics & Management
Time: 11:00-12:00, Thursday 23 July
Place: UB Council Room
Seminar 2
Research Programs in Faculty of Economics & Management & Faculty of Nursing at SZPT
Time: 10:00-11:00, Friday 23 July
Place: T237
The Education System and University Governance in China
Global migration, MTV, transnational capital, and colonialism have given birth to a new and smaller world. To a greater degree than at any other time in remembered history, different cultures are brought together to live side by side. This close proximity has brought new mixtures and exciting possibilities and also new struggles and conflicts. From many quarters comes an urgent call to build a sense of political belonging and unity in a diversity of voices. The call to unity is not, however, for uniformity or hegemony in one particular way of life.
The unity to which we refer requires a rethinking and reconceptualization of existing philosophical paradigms that guide our relationships with others. In the spirit of intercultural dialogue, our Studies in Political Philosophy series is dedicated to exploring key challenges to our changing world and its needs. We are particularly interested in submissions that challenge dominant existing frameworks and approaches. We invite submissions in areas including Multicultural Theory, Aboriginal Studies and Philosophy, Post-colonialism, Globalization, Critical Race Theory, Feminism, and Human Rights Philosophy.
Editorial committee for our Studies in Political Philosophy series:
James Tully, Political Science, University of Victoria Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, Global Studies and Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University Frank Cunningham, Philosophy, University of Toronto Lynda Lange, Philosophy, University of Toronto Audra Simpson, Anthropology, Columbia Sonia Sikka, Philosophy, Ottawa Bidyut Chakrabarty, Political Science, University of Delhi Allison Weir, Philosophy, Wilfrid Laurier University Chandrakala Padia, Political Science, and Director of Womens Studies, Banaras Hindu University Dale Turner Native American Studies, Dartmouth Michael Murphy Political Science, University of Northern British Columbia Kimberly Rygiel, Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University Ashwani K. Peetush, Philosophy, Wilfrid Laurier University
For further information, please contact the series editor:
Ashwani Peetush Associate Professor of Philosophy Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L3C5 CANADA Email: apeetush@wlu.ca
Professor Brian Hay will be visiting UB on Monday July 20th. Brian is a Visiting Professor in Tourism at both Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland and previously worked for twenty years as Head of Research at VisitScotland/Scottish Tourist Board. One of Brian's present research interests is in 'Second Life' (SL) the online virtual reality site. This virtual reality site is becoming popular, not only from a consumer perspective (real people living out 'virtual' lives they want to but cannot in a real world), but also a business perspective. Major companies such as Telstra, IBM, Toyota, Coca-Cola and ABC have set up bases in Second Life in the hope of connecting with customers in a 3D virtual setting. On the business side, Second Life is growing because of the circumstances in the real economy, rather than in spite of them. There are now businesses trying to cut costs and are holding virtual meetings in Second Life rather than flying staff from various locations to meet in person.
DATE: Monday 20th July TIME: 11am VENUE: B901
I think that whilst Brian's focus is on the tourism industry, there are several possible cross overs in terms of the education sector, and this will be of interest to a number of academics researching on or utilising SL for teaching.
August sees the book group reading Aldous Huxley's Island (1962). Island was Huxley's last novel, in which a cynical journalist, Will Farnaby, is shipwrecked on the fictional Buddhist island of Pala. The book group will meet on Sunday 2nd August at The Known World bookshop (Sturt Street) at 2.00pm. The book has been reprinted many times and is widely available (the gorgeous Castlemaine bookshop has several new editions). Please direct inquiries to Alice Mills or Jane Mummery.
If you're looking for a way to get in touch with academic peers, then Academia.edu is a site you'll find most interesting. Through this site, you'll be able to use the many advantages of social networking that allow academics from universities around the world to create profiles and make connections with their peers. It's also a great way for people who are doing research to find someone who might be involved in the same field, allowing for quicker data gathering. The linking feature is also amazing, with its tree-like structure. This makes it easy to see who's associated with whom.
One of its strengths for me, is the option of linking postgraduates (PG) as well as faculty. Some Schools at UB don't have sufficient PG profiles up on the web (our School doesn't have any PG profiles up) or still rely on paper-based ones in the digital age. Who has the time to physically pop over to Otago to check out what researchers are doing there when you can and should get that info online. Academia.edu is also a good way to make sure that your publication details are up-to-date quickly. You can include a link to the publisher or amazon.com, etc. to plug your monograph, not to mention update keywords (which act like meta tags when people search for you/your field/interests), and keep in touch with other researchers and their work (by 'following' them or making them 'contacts').
I'd be interested to hear what people think of Academia.edu, and I invite you to post your responses and experiences here in the comments section of this post.
