September Book Group

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.

ALTC Citation Awards

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".

The National Graduate Attributes Project

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.

Visit of Shenzhen Polytechnic to UB & Seminars

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
• Time: 11:00-12:00, Friday 23 July
• Place: T237

Googling it. Educators and net searching

IPOL Educational Developer Deirdre Wilmott will be facilitating a workshop on advanced search techniques.

• When: Friday 31 July 2009
• Where: PC Lab, F302, F Building, Mt Helen
• How long: 9:30 - 12:30
• De niros: nix

Please see the IPOL link here and register your interest to Google with intent!

Call for Book Proposal

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

Visiting Professor Brian Hay to present on Second Life

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.

Links of interest: Brian's paper on Fantasy Tourism and SL

August Book Group

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.

HERDSA 2009 The Student Experience

6-9 July, Charles Darwin University, Darwin

This year's theme is The Student Experience with keynote speakers addressing three core areas:

• What is the one thing we can do to increase student engagement and success on our campus?
• Diversity and the student experience: targeting specific student needs in a multi-sector university.
• Taking the distance out of off-campus learning.

Lorraine Sim is presenting a poster session on 'First Semester, First Year: Generic Skills Development in the Humanities' on day two of the con. Jane Mummery will be presenting a paper co-authored with Elise Morten-Allen titled 'The development of critical thinkers: do our efforts coincide with students' beliefs?'. I'll be attending the workshop Educating the Net Generation and look forward to sharing resources from the ALTC project with you.

Academia.edu

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.

http://www.academia.edu

Facebook Manners

Whoever said using the Internet will make life any easier obviously didn’t think about the social consequences of people’s actions when they type the wrong thing to the wrong person.

July Book Group

Primo Levi. Photograph: Martin Argles

The book group will next meet at 2.00 pm on Sunday 5 July at The Known World bookshop (Sturt Street) for Primo Levi's If This Is a Man (US editions as Survival in Auschwitz). Please contact Alice Mills or Jane Mummery for further details.

BSSH Research Intensive Week-Long Workshop in July

What’s the idea of the workshop?
It can often be difficult to find enough time for writing a paper or a chapter or a grant application. So, here’s the solution: invest a week of your time to focus on writing - and nothing else. No meetings. No teaching. No form filling or other administrivia. It’s also important to present your draft work back to your peers, both as a way of getting feedback on your ideas and to celebrate your achievements. Participants can choose to write as a sole author or as joint authors – whatever suits your needs. So, in the spirit of scholarly collaboration and support, BSSH is holding its first Research Intensive Week-Long (almost) Workshop.

Who is the workshop for?
This workshop is open to all staff and postgraduate students in BSSH. We would like to encourage everyone to participate. This workshop is not just for early career researchers or those who want to “kick-start” their publications. It’s for everyone: academic staff from levels A to E, postgraduate students, and research officers.

Dates
The workshop will be held over a four days during the semester break. The days are:
Monday 13 July – Thursday 16 July, 2009. This week has been chosen to avoid teaching commitments (examinations and marking, and courses committees), and not encroach on teaching preparations for semester 2.

How will it be run?
The workshop involves two sessions for all participants (Monday morning and Thursday lunchtime), and four optional sessions (two morning teas and two pitstop consultations). Aside from that, we want it to be as flexible as possible to meet your individual needs.

Monday 9 am – 10 am over an early morning tea (for all participants)
At this first meeting, each participant (or co-authors / group of participants) explains what they are aiming to achieve by the end of the week. This will involve a brief description of the target journal, proposed title, list of authors or co-authors, an outline of the paper, and word length.

Monday 1 pm – 2 pm First pitstop consultation (optional)
This is an optional session for postgraduate students and early career researchers. It provides an opportunity to gain advice from experienced researchers about the craft of writing your paper / chapter / funding submission.

Tuesday 10:30 am – 11 am over morning tea (optional)
This second meeting is informal and optional. It’s an important opportunity to get together and share information about your progress, talk to colleagues who might have an idea or a resource that could be useful, compare callouses on fingertips, etc. Morning tea is supplied.

Wednesday 10:30 am – 11 am over morning tea (optional)
This third meeting is informal and optional. It’s an important opportunity to get together and share information about your progress, talk to colleagues who might have an idea or a resource that could be useful, compare callouses on fingertips, etc. Morning tea is supplied.

Wednesday 1 pm – 2 pm Second pitstop consultation (optional)
This is an optional session for postgraduate students and early career researchers. It provides an opportunity to gain advice from experienced researchers about the craft of writing your paper / chapter / funding submission.

Thursday 1 pm – 3 pm (over lunch, off campus) (for all participants)
This is the ‘show and tell’ session that signals the end of the workshop. Each participant (or group) will report back about their achievements over the past four days (what has been written, what still needs to be done prior to submission). Participants will be invited to make some reflective comments on the value of the workshop, whether it should be held again (as a biannual event) and how it might be improved.
Lunch will be supplied.

Senior researchers in Psychology, Humanities and the Social Sciences (who themselves will be workshop participants) have volunteered to make some time available each day for consultation. This can be by phone, email and/or face-to-face. So, if you have a question or need some advice or a word of encouragement, just get in touch with them. During the week, participants can work wherever they will be most productive: in their offices, at the library, at home, in cafes, in a holiday shack at the beach …

What to do if you’re interested…
Email Sally Grist with the following information:

Your name (and co-authors if applicable)
Proposed title
Target journal or chapter or research grant funding scheme etc.
Brief outline (no more than 50 words)
Approximate word length.

Addressing Disadvantage & Inequality in Education & Health

UB extends an invitation to met infomrally with Dr Shirley Steinberg of McGill University to discuss her research as Director of The Paulo and Nita Freire International Project for Critical Pedagogy.

Shirley Steinberg is Associate Professor at McGill University in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. She is the author and editor of many books and articles in cultural studies including Media Literacy: A Reader (2007), Teen Life in Europe (2005), the award winning Contemporary Youth Culture: An International Encyclopedia (2005), Kinderculture: The Corporate Construction of Childhood (2004), The Miseducation of the West: How Schools and the Media Distort Our Understanding of the Islamic World (2004). Her newest books will be out in the fall of 2009: Christotainment: Selling Jesus through Popular Culture, and The Encyclopedia of Boyhood Culture to be followed in Spring 2009 with Diversity: A Reader. A former theatre director, Shirley is a contributor to The Globe and Mail and the Montreal Gazette as a cultural critic. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Pennsylvania State University.

Thursday 11 June 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Room T317 (Education Building)
University of Ballarat, Mt Helen Campus

Links of interest:
The Freire Project
Shirley's personal blog

June Book Group

The book group instigated by Alice Mills and Jane Mummery (Habeas Vol 1.1 Winter 2009) met on Sunday 7 June at The Known World bookshop (Sturt Street) for Samuel Beckett's 'Imagination Dead Imagine'. About 14 bods turned out on the public holiday weekened and lively conversation ensued the reading, spurred on by the breakdown of the coffee machine. I'll do my best to post relevant points here regularly. Please contact Alice or Jane for further details.