Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 2016
Frank Vickery came of age under the gaze of his grandfather, the powerful capitalist Ebenezer Vic... more Frank Vickery came of age under the gaze of his grandfather, the powerful capitalist Ebenezer Vickery M.L.C whose name has long been synonymous with the Mt Kembla mine disaster of 1902. While the latter's uncompromising role as proprietor of Mt Kembla colliery remains controversial, the first generation of federated Australians sought a new path to national harmony and prosperity. Frank Vickery's dream of a new world in Coalcliff was daring, what he called an 'experiment'. He had plans to build – quite literally – a better future. But would this ambitious, even utopian ideal be realised?
Accepted for publication and to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Peer Learning... more Accepted for publication and to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Peer Learning. Visit: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ajpl
Authors: Dr Robert Carr, Dr Kylie Evans-Locke, Hanan Abu-Saif, Renée Boucher, Karen Douglas
This study examines student experiences of Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) at Western Sydney University, investigating attendee and facilitator perceptions of the relationship between peer-learning and employability. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected across two consecutive semesters at Western Sydney University (Autumn and Spring) in 2015. The evidence allowed the researchers to examine how students perceived they had gained attributes from PASS that render them more employable. The study found that attendees and facilitators from PASS perceive that the program contributes to student employability in a variety of ways such as improving: participants’ core technical skills; organizational skills; social skills; professionalism and business acumen; appreciation of mentoring; and, critical thinking skills.
This article explores the political economy of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) in Australia, pro... more This article explores the political economy of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) in Australia, providing new insights into the relationship between government policy and its economic implications. I have rationalised state-sponsored street cameras as a component in the cultivation of consent between the state and local communities; a mechanism for government to facilitate the flow of public funds to business through arrangements that are virtually unchecked and non-evidence based; a mechanism for government to facilitate profitable opportunities in and beyond the security technologies industry; and, a mechanism to normalise hegemonic social and political relations at the level of discourse. This article explores how government has assisted growth in the security industry in Australia. I draw on a case study about Kiama Municipal Council’s decision in 2014 to accept funding from the Abbott Government to install CCTV cameras through the Safer Streets Programme. This is despite historically low crime rates in Kiama and an inability to demonstrate broad support for the programme in the local community. This study reveals how politicians have cultivated support for CCTV at the local level and pressured councils to install these systems despite a lack of evidence they reduce, deter or prevent crime. Examined is how the footage captured on local council CCTV has been distributed and its meanings mediated by political and commercial groups. I argue that the politics of CCTV dissemination in Australia is entwined with the imperatives of electoral success and commercial opportunity—a coalescent relationship evident in the Safer Streets Programme. Furthermore, the efficacy of CCTV as an electoral tool in Australia is explained via the proposition that street cameras perform a central role in the discourses and political economy of the state.
Ebenezer Frank Vickery (or E.F. Vickery; hereafter Frank) (b. 1880; d. 1970) is remembered as a g... more Ebenezer Frank Vickery (or E.F. Vickery; hereafter Frank) (b. 1880; d. 1970) is remembered as a generous philanthropist. He was also inheritor of the Vickery estate and the family legacy. In this article I reveal an unexplored side of Frank Vickery's personal life and certain ambitions towards social reform that shed new light on this diligent and heralded community leader. Frank was a young patrician who spent the weekends at Edina situated in the Sydney suburb of Waverley-the Vickery family home and seat of power-under the gaze of his grandfather, the powerful capitalist Ebenezer Vickery M.L.C. (b. 1827; d. 1906). What remains to be explored is the impact on Frank of the legacy left by his grandfather, and the extents to which Frank attempted to distance himself from it. His diaries are key to not only understanding Frank's vision for a new kind of society, but his personal and emotional desires to leave the 'moral ambiguity' of the Victorian age firmly behind. Frank may have inherited his grandfather's empire but did not coalesce his coldness and disdain for working people. He had a bitter distaste for the worldview of late-Victorian capitalists, and determined to separate himself from the public perception of the Vickery family, a legacy with which he seems to have felt great unease. He was conflicted by the paradoxes of capitalism. Frank left a legacy of his own but, sadly, one that is yet to be fully realised in historical accounts. Frank's legacy is much more than private scribbles in his diaries, and not merely a commitment to the betterment of Australian society. He had plans to build – quite literally – a better future. My research uncovered Frank's personal dream of a new social paradigm. In 1919 the 38-year old committed to a highly personal project-the development of Coalcliff, a seaside suburb just north of modern day Wollongong on the South Coast of New South Wales. These plans ensued the turmoil between workers and industrialists throughout War World I, a time when trade unions began to discover their muscle through collective strike action and Australia's federal government sought to nationalise coalmines for the war effort. Frank's vision was a self-described new world of 'industrial peace' in which he was willing to compromise what would become the Vickery family's (and Australia's) most productive coalmine. In Frank's words, Coalcliff was intended to be the site of an 'industrial experiment'. Frank's vision was to build an entire village for his coalminers close to the mine. The project was, to Frank, a symbol of what he viewed as the need for a new compromise between workers and capitalists in the early twentieth century. With meticulous planning and research, Coalcliff would be a kind of utopia embodying Frank's moral fortitude and his empathy for working people. In this article I investigate the extent to which Frank's hopes for a new social accord, perhaps even a new kind of social order, were realised.
Ten steps to writing a scholarly journal article - the basic steps involved at the beginning of t... more Ten steps to writing a scholarly journal article - the basic steps involved at the beginning of the journal article submission process.
The relationship between intellectual activity and democracy ought to be one that enhances the pu... more The relationship between intellectual activity and democracy ought to be one that enhances the public sphere. But how can scholarship contribute to this goal and flourish in a social and political environment that discourages rigorous, informed debate? In this essay I explore the idea that deficient or suppressed intellectual activity diminishes the quality of democracy; and, that a lack of critical inquiry equates to increased mobility for state operators when their policies are unchecked by engaged analytical minds. Although not exhaustive, I convey a literature review of scholarly and non-scholarly articles to articulate potential future directions for research on the political history of the Maldives. Peer-reviewed research is severely lacking in this area. Yet scholarship offers significant potential in terms of unpacking the consequences of political authority and informing responses to it.
An emergent form of publishing, citizen journalism is not without some valid criticisms. Many of ... more An emergent form of publishing, citizen journalism is not without some valid criticisms. Many of these centre on issues such as quality, professionalism, adherence to journalistic conventions and ethics, and a lack of ‘quality control’ in the production process. We hear criticisms of ordinary citizens for simply attempting to ‘do’ journalism – for doing it poorly, doing it unconventionally or doing it in a hybrid format that ‘resembles’ journalism but takes on a range of writing styles. Nevertheless, experience suggests that the fates of mainstream media and citizen journalism are intertwined. Among key challenges for participatory journalism models are cultural and structural resistances to re-imagining the role of the news narrator as a more hybrid figure – in particular, to the notion of being an educator, mentor and component in the democratization of public information flows and production. In this paper I attempt to convey lessons heeded as a practitioner of citizen journalism who has performed such hybridised roles. I aim to articulate how mainstream and a participatory community media model can (more) productively co-exist, and present a proposition to this end that may be useful for similar initiatives nationally and internationally.
For this Report, a broad perspective was acquired through qualitative interviews with stakeholder... more For this Report, a broad perspective was acquired through qualitative interviews with stakeholders. These individuals outlined many of the vocational needs of the Maldives though mainly in the areas of public policy, administration, capacity to engage in parliamentary processes, knowledge building and critical understandings of actors that influence political life. Importance was placed on the ways in which Islamic values have strengthened democracy and social equality. Maintenance of the uniqueness of the Dhivehi national identity and cultural practice featured prominently in the feedback provided by stakeholders as well as the role of international trends and influences in local political life. There is a strong desire in terms of the need for better governance and increased capacity of those involved directly in politics (e.g. MPs, Ministers) to demonstrate a more thorough understanding of law-making and the policy-making processes. The practical skills offered through a Level 7 Bachelors program in Political Science were also identified as a key area for development. It was noted broadly that the degree would be of significant benefit current and future policy makers, diplomats, teachers, researchers and those from other occupations. The degree had the potential to provide students with the ability to develop skills including writing, policy analysis, media analysis, critique and the ability to synthesize empirical knowledge with policy.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the... more EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the report’) including the proposed ‘Live Music Action Plan’ (hereafter ‘the action plan’) is logical, straightforward, insightful and for the most part good practice in the development of public policy. However, the action plan is insufficient in its current form. This submission does not support endorsement of the action plan without significant revision.
There are four parts to this submission that follow. Part 1 reflects on the expectations of the community and stakeholders prior to the establishment of the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce. Part 2 provides a brief rating of the action plan on a point-by-point basis. Part 3 is a qualitative discussion of the Live Music Taskforce Report. Part 4 is an evaluation of the proposed action plan and conclusions.
The report is a valuable cultural mapping exercise, though there are a number of gaps as identified in this submission. The submission suggests there is a need for greater recognition of and a more strategic response to economic change in Wollongong particularly with respect to income generation in the live music sector.
The submission provides a qualitative discussion of how the taskforce report and action plan met and did not meet community and stakeholder expectations. Information extracted via a qualitative survey (see Appendix 1) as well as anecdotal feedback informs this submission. The submission explores a criticism that the live music action plan is ‘regulation-centric’ with too little direct action proposed in terms of cultivating opportunities for live music, growth of the sector and expansion of Council’s arts funding program. Further, the submission examines the issue of resourcing and enabling Youth Services as well as educating, training and professionalising young people in the music sector.
The submission draws questions about how realistic and informed the action plan is. This is done by suggesting, firstly, the need to include in the ‘Background’ of the report a broader consideration of the historical and social context with respect to more recent analysis and scholarship about the Wollongong music scene; and second, by greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context. The submission recommends greater recognition of community diversity in the action plan to ensure the delivery of an equitable live music policy.
The submission highlights the need for effecting an improvement in police- community relations, citing feedback that this has been achieved through the taskforce. It calls for the action plan to aspire to a greater understanding of night spaces within the context of the prominent issues traversing trust, policing and live music. The submission suggests that “changing perceptions” may be more difficult than acknowledged in the report, foreshadowed by negative media stereotyping and populist concerns on social media about the City Centre being “unsafe”.
The submission undertakes a parity exercise between the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan. Observations are made about process and pecuniary interests implicating the taskforce. This is followed by a review of feedback on issues relating to participation in and membership of the taskforce. The submission discusses grants and other forms of support and how effectively these issues are incorporated into the action plan.
This joint-community submission incorporates valuable insights provided by community members and stakeholders interested in and intimately involved in the live music scene. Its broad position, which is grounded in both written and anecdotal feedback, is that the report has many strengths. However, in its present form the report is inadequate, and without sufficient context, substance and understanding. The report is desperately in need of more research, surveying and coverage among practioners.
The proposed action plan and report are regarded to be the beginning of a process. Therefore, one expectation is that this submission will be regarded part of that process. Some of the recommendations proposed in the submission may not be taken up by Wollongong Council. It is expected, however, that Council will respond appropriately to the recommendations stated in this submission and explain it’s reasoning for objecting to them via procedural channels.
The following recommendations are derived from what Wollongong’s knowledgeable and active practioners know to be required for a successful and sustainable live music sector. Their ideas and recommendations ought to be considered with diligence by Council as they will improve and inject significant strength into Council’s Cultural Plan and put Wollongong on the tourist map.
Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) is increasingly utilised by local councils across Australia. Loc... more Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) is increasingly utilised by local councils across Australia. Local government CCTV operated in conjunction with police has brought about new challenges for democracy. This article explores survey results regarding the provision of federal funding to 18 local councils to install CCTV. The costs to councils of operating CCTV have been largely unforeseen. This article examines the contemporary political context in Australia to illu- minate reasons why funding is allocated to local councils. CCTV funding is driven by populism and political pressure rather than a more objective rationale. This article suggests the need for new directions in local council CCTV evaluations, and for critical evaluations that take into account not just the financial and social costs of CCTV but also political trends. Critical evaluations have the potential to strengthen the capacity of local councils to make more empowered and informed decisions about the costs and implications of operating CCTV.
In this lecture I unpack how truths and myths about the Balkans permeate he film 'The Hunting Par... more In this lecture I unpack how truths and myths about the Balkans permeate he film 'The Hunting Party'. The film is set in Bosnia in the year 2000, five years after the end of the Bosnian war. It is based on a report by journalist Scott Anderson in Esquire magazine. Anderson wrote: ‘It was planned as a reunion of sorts: five journalist colleagues meeting up in their old Balkan stomping grounds, a couple of days knocking around Sarajevo, then heading down to the Adriatic coast for some sun… How was it that five years after the war in Bosnia had ended, men like Karadzic and Mladic were still at large, despite the presence of twenty thousand NATO peacekeeping forces in the country and the professed desire of the United Nations and every Western government to apprehend them? … a new plan began to take shape: We would go to Celebici, the five of us, and find the doctor. Somehow we would penetrate his ring of bodyguards, haul him to justice, split the bounty money. We’d give new meaning to the term “advocacy journalism.”’ In this lecture, we explore how “truth”, myths and misconceptions provided the storyline for a Hollywood film (starring Richard Gere) about the Bosnian war.
"In this lecture we invert the maps we’re probably most familiar with, charting the historical wo... more "In this lecture we invert the maps we’re probably most familiar with, charting the historical worldview of civilisations living mainly between the 9th century and the middle ages, though I’ll also go into a bit of Roman history at the beginning. We’ll be looking at maps from the Viking empire, Byzantine or East Roman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, early Muslim empire and Crusaders waging war in the Holy Land. The questions I am interested in include what would it be like to look at the world in a way that is other than East and West? My aim is to unsettle that comfortable divide.
Today, let’s try and unpack that East/West divide by trying to imagine the view of the “Other” in history. What would it be like to look towards the south, as a Viking would have? What would it have been like for Franks to see Vikings sailing into Paris? What would it be like to look towards the west and north, in the shoes of an Ottoman Turk? What would it have been like for an English crusader looking East towards Jerusalem? The underlying question is one about historiography. If you recall my first lecture, I went into the idea of collective memory and how communities are ‘imagined’ (see Anderson) through their own history. Today we look at the boundaries of history as defined by geography and interactions between civilisations. We will do this by “inverting” the compass so to speak and taking a world view that is perhaps a little “upside down”."
There are five parts to this lecture. First I will provide a brief historical overview of the his... more There are five parts to this lecture. First I will provide a brief historical overview of the history of ancient Rome. I outline the timeline of the changes from the kingdom to republic, principate (or empire) and then the split between the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman empire. I will look at the slave rebellion led by Spartacus in greater detail. I then investigate the role of blood sports in Roman society and unpack what is meant by the phrase, “bread and circuses”, and consider whether this trade-off (entertainment in exchange for increasing patrician power) still holds true in modern times. I will by providing a brief commentary on how vice and virtue are played out in Spartacus, with a discussion on sex, taboo and the stereotype that all Romans were partying sex addicts. I will finish, with time permitting, with a commentary on the role of “terror” in Roman psychology and the shadow of it today.
'300' is a post 9/11 movie that deals with one of the most famous events in the ‘clash’ between W... more '300' is a post 9/11 movie that deals with one of the most famous events in the ‘clash’ between West and East: the battle of Thermopylae during the Greek Persian wars. It does not claim to be history but a form of fictionalised history based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller. There are obviously fantasy elements within the film that are designed to heighten the dramatic effect. Nevertheless the film does contain historical material mixed with both fiction and fantasy.
HBO’s Rome (season 1) was released for UK audiences in 2006, though it didn’t air on Australian s... more HBO’s Rome (season 1) was released for UK audiences in 2006, though it didn’t air on Australian screens until 2008. From the moment of the rolling credits, we are drawn into ancient Rome – the walls are alive, with everyday Romans speaking to us via their graffiti. The first image of the skull and butterfly is a mosaic preserved from the walls of ancient Pompeii. Rome’s streets literally come to life as the cityscape is animated with pictures of Medusa’s slithering snake hair. Soldiers painted on walls are having a duel, and the vibrant plaster décor is lifted straight from Pompeii as well. Images of everyday satire, including depictions of the male phallus, tell us more than reading about Roman life ever could. A closer look reveals a calendar, too, in which the months July and August have not yet been inserted. This is pre-imperial Rome, the very late Republic - the time of orators like Cicero, Caesar and Cato, and legendary generals such as Pompey. What is constant in the opening credits is the theme of blood, indicating the central place of violence and mortality in Roman society at this time.
The series provides both a macro view of Roman history (focussing on the rise of Caesar and the politics of the ruling class), as well as a micro view (focussing on the lives of Roman plebeians, soldiers and slaves). Episode 12, the topic of today’s lecture, was written by Bruno Heller, and directed by Alan Taylor. It is the finale to season 1, in which the dictator of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, is assassinated. Today I will discuss a brief history of the Roman Republic to the death of Caesar, and provide some context for Roman politics at the time of his death. Then, we look at whether the makers of HBO’s Rome follow a trajectory roughly similar to historians as they tell their stories. I will not be discussing military successes and tactics of ancient Rome. Rather, I will be making some parallels between “ordinary” life in the city and how we can relate to the social history of what was once the world’s most successful classical civilisations.
Lecture slides for a 2 hour lecture given to Masters students undertaking a Folklore class at the... more Lecture slides for a 2 hour lecture given to Masters students undertaking a Folklore class at the Maldives National University (MNU). A guest lecture given at request of Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts.
This is the outline for a workshop requested by Maldives National University (MNU) Faculty of Art... more This is the outline for a workshop requested by Maldives National University (MNU) Faculty of Arts. The workshop set out to develop, in conjunction with participation of all Arts Faculty staff:
- Performance Management Guidelines
- The Faculty 'Vision' statement
- Establishment of Student Attributes & Graduate Qualities
This workshop outline was co-authored by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr for Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Workshop was coordinated by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr at the request of Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Key questions in establishing the Vision for Arts Faculty included: -- What are the qualities that make MNU graduates unique?
- What are student attributes that could potentially be enhanced & facilitated by MNU?
Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 2016
Frank Vickery came of age under the gaze of his grandfather, the powerful capitalist Ebenezer Vic... more Frank Vickery came of age under the gaze of his grandfather, the powerful capitalist Ebenezer Vickery M.L.C whose name has long been synonymous with the Mt Kembla mine disaster of 1902. While the latter's uncompromising role as proprietor of Mt Kembla colliery remains controversial, the first generation of federated Australians sought a new path to national harmony and prosperity. Frank Vickery's dream of a new world in Coalcliff was daring, what he called an 'experiment'. He had plans to build – quite literally – a better future. But would this ambitious, even utopian ideal be realised?
Accepted for publication and to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Peer Learning... more Accepted for publication and to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Peer Learning. Visit: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ajpl
Authors: Dr Robert Carr, Dr Kylie Evans-Locke, Hanan Abu-Saif, Renée Boucher, Karen Douglas
This study examines student experiences of Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) at Western Sydney University, investigating attendee and facilitator perceptions of the relationship between peer-learning and employability. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected across two consecutive semesters at Western Sydney University (Autumn and Spring) in 2015. The evidence allowed the researchers to examine how students perceived they had gained attributes from PASS that render them more employable. The study found that attendees and facilitators from PASS perceive that the program contributes to student employability in a variety of ways such as improving: participants’ core technical skills; organizational skills; social skills; professionalism and business acumen; appreciation of mentoring; and, critical thinking skills.
This article explores the political economy of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) in Australia, pro... more This article explores the political economy of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) in Australia, providing new insights into the relationship between government policy and its economic implications. I have rationalised state-sponsored street cameras as a component in the cultivation of consent between the state and local communities; a mechanism for government to facilitate the flow of public funds to business through arrangements that are virtually unchecked and non-evidence based; a mechanism for government to facilitate profitable opportunities in and beyond the security technologies industry; and, a mechanism to normalise hegemonic social and political relations at the level of discourse. This article explores how government has assisted growth in the security industry in Australia. I draw on a case study about Kiama Municipal Council’s decision in 2014 to accept funding from the Abbott Government to install CCTV cameras through the Safer Streets Programme. This is despite historically low crime rates in Kiama and an inability to demonstrate broad support for the programme in the local community. This study reveals how politicians have cultivated support for CCTV at the local level and pressured councils to install these systems despite a lack of evidence they reduce, deter or prevent crime. Examined is how the footage captured on local council CCTV has been distributed and its meanings mediated by political and commercial groups. I argue that the politics of CCTV dissemination in Australia is entwined with the imperatives of electoral success and commercial opportunity—a coalescent relationship evident in the Safer Streets Programme. Furthermore, the efficacy of CCTV as an electoral tool in Australia is explained via the proposition that street cameras perform a central role in the discourses and political economy of the state.
Ebenezer Frank Vickery (or E.F. Vickery; hereafter Frank) (b. 1880; d. 1970) is remembered as a g... more Ebenezer Frank Vickery (or E.F. Vickery; hereafter Frank) (b. 1880; d. 1970) is remembered as a generous philanthropist. He was also inheritor of the Vickery estate and the family legacy. In this article I reveal an unexplored side of Frank Vickery's personal life and certain ambitions towards social reform that shed new light on this diligent and heralded community leader. Frank was a young patrician who spent the weekends at Edina situated in the Sydney suburb of Waverley-the Vickery family home and seat of power-under the gaze of his grandfather, the powerful capitalist Ebenezer Vickery M.L.C. (b. 1827; d. 1906). What remains to be explored is the impact on Frank of the legacy left by his grandfather, and the extents to which Frank attempted to distance himself from it. His diaries are key to not only understanding Frank's vision for a new kind of society, but his personal and emotional desires to leave the 'moral ambiguity' of the Victorian age firmly behind. Frank may have inherited his grandfather's empire but did not coalesce his coldness and disdain for working people. He had a bitter distaste for the worldview of late-Victorian capitalists, and determined to separate himself from the public perception of the Vickery family, a legacy with which he seems to have felt great unease. He was conflicted by the paradoxes of capitalism. Frank left a legacy of his own but, sadly, one that is yet to be fully realised in historical accounts. Frank's legacy is much more than private scribbles in his diaries, and not merely a commitment to the betterment of Australian society. He had plans to build – quite literally – a better future. My research uncovered Frank's personal dream of a new social paradigm. In 1919 the 38-year old committed to a highly personal project-the development of Coalcliff, a seaside suburb just north of modern day Wollongong on the South Coast of New South Wales. These plans ensued the turmoil between workers and industrialists throughout War World I, a time when trade unions began to discover their muscle through collective strike action and Australia's federal government sought to nationalise coalmines for the war effort. Frank's vision was a self-described new world of 'industrial peace' in which he was willing to compromise what would become the Vickery family's (and Australia's) most productive coalmine. In Frank's words, Coalcliff was intended to be the site of an 'industrial experiment'. Frank's vision was to build an entire village for his coalminers close to the mine. The project was, to Frank, a symbol of what he viewed as the need for a new compromise between workers and capitalists in the early twentieth century. With meticulous planning and research, Coalcliff would be a kind of utopia embodying Frank's moral fortitude and his empathy for working people. In this article I investigate the extent to which Frank's hopes for a new social accord, perhaps even a new kind of social order, were realised.
Ten steps to writing a scholarly journal article - the basic steps involved at the beginning of t... more Ten steps to writing a scholarly journal article - the basic steps involved at the beginning of the journal article submission process.
The relationship between intellectual activity and democracy ought to be one that enhances the pu... more The relationship between intellectual activity and democracy ought to be one that enhances the public sphere. But how can scholarship contribute to this goal and flourish in a social and political environment that discourages rigorous, informed debate? In this essay I explore the idea that deficient or suppressed intellectual activity diminishes the quality of democracy; and, that a lack of critical inquiry equates to increased mobility for state operators when their policies are unchecked by engaged analytical minds. Although not exhaustive, I convey a literature review of scholarly and non-scholarly articles to articulate potential future directions for research on the political history of the Maldives. Peer-reviewed research is severely lacking in this area. Yet scholarship offers significant potential in terms of unpacking the consequences of political authority and informing responses to it.
An emergent form of publishing, citizen journalism is not without some valid criticisms. Many of ... more An emergent form of publishing, citizen journalism is not without some valid criticisms. Many of these centre on issues such as quality, professionalism, adherence to journalistic conventions and ethics, and a lack of ‘quality control’ in the production process. We hear criticisms of ordinary citizens for simply attempting to ‘do’ journalism – for doing it poorly, doing it unconventionally or doing it in a hybrid format that ‘resembles’ journalism but takes on a range of writing styles. Nevertheless, experience suggests that the fates of mainstream media and citizen journalism are intertwined. Among key challenges for participatory journalism models are cultural and structural resistances to re-imagining the role of the news narrator as a more hybrid figure – in particular, to the notion of being an educator, mentor and component in the democratization of public information flows and production. In this paper I attempt to convey lessons heeded as a practitioner of citizen journalism who has performed such hybridised roles. I aim to articulate how mainstream and a participatory community media model can (more) productively co-exist, and present a proposition to this end that may be useful for similar initiatives nationally and internationally.
For this Report, a broad perspective was acquired through qualitative interviews with stakeholder... more For this Report, a broad perspective was acquired through qualitative interviews with stakeholders. These individuals outlined many of the vocational needs of the Maldives though mainly in the areas of public policy, administration, capacity to engage in parliamentary processes, knowledge building and critical understandings of actors that influence political life. Importance was placed on the ways in which Islamic values have strengthened democracy and social equality. Maintenance of the uniqueness of the Dhivehi national identity and cultural practice featured prominently in the feedback provided by stakeholders as well as the role of international trends and influences in local political life. There is a strong desire in terms of the need for better governance and increased capacity of those involved directly in politics (e.g. MPs, Ministers) to demonstrate a more thorough understanding of law-making and the policy-making processes. The practical skills offered through a Level 7 Bachelors program in Political Science were also identified as a key area for development. It was noted broadly that the degree would be of significant benefit current and future policy makers, diplomats, teachers, researchers and those from other occupations. The degree had the potential to provide students with the ability to develop skills including writing, policy analysis, media analysis, critique and the ability to synthesize empirical knowledge with policy.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the... more EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the report’) including the proposed ‘Live Music Action Plan’ (hereafter ‘the action plan’) is logical, straightforward, insightful and for the most part good practice in the development of public policy. However, the action plan is insufficient in its current form. This submission does not support endorsement of the action plan without significant revision.
There are four parts to this submission that follow. Part 1 reflects on the expectations of the community and stakeholders prior to the establishment of the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce. Part 2 provides a brief rating of the action plan on a point-by-point basis. Part 3 is a qualitative discussion of the Live Music Taskforce Report. Part 4 is an evaluation of the proposed action plan and conclusions.
The report is a valuable cultural mapping exercise, though there are a number of gaps as identified in this submission. The submission suggests there is a need for greater recognition of and a more strategic response to economic change in Wollongong particularly with respect to income generation in the live music sector.
The submission provides a qualitative discussion of how the taskforce report and action plan met and did not meet community and stakeholder expectations. Information extracted via a qualitative survey (see Appendix 1) as well as anecdotal feedback informs this submission. The submission explores a criticism that the live music action plan is ‘regulation-centric’ with too little direct action proposed in terms of cultivating opportunities for live music, growth of the sector and expansion of Council’s arts funding program. Further, the submission examines the issue of resourcing and enabling Youth Services as well as educating, training and professionalising young people in the music sector.
The submission draws questions about how realistic and informed the action plan is. This is done by suggesting, firstly, the need to include in the ‘Background’ of the report a broader consideration of the historical and social context with respect to more recent analysis and scholarship about the Wollongong music scene; and second, by greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context. The submission recommends greater recognition of community diversity in the action plan to ensure the delivery of an equitable live music policy.
The submission highlights the need for effecting an improvement in police- community relations, citing feedback that this has been achieved through the taskforce. It calls for the action plan to aspire to a greater understanding of night spaces within the context of the prominent issues traversing trust, policing and live music. The submission suggests that “changing perceptions” may be more difficult than acknowledged in the report, foreshadowed by negative media stereotyping and populist concerns on social media about the City Centre being “unsafe”.
The submission undertakes a parity exercise between the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan. Observations are made about process and pecuniary interests implicating the taskforce. This is followed by a review of feedback on issues relating to participation in and membership of the taskforce. The submission discusses grants and other forms of support and how effectively these issues are incorporated into the action plan.
This joint-community submission incorporates valuable insights provided by community members and stakeholders interested in and intimately involved in the live music scene. Its broad position, which is grounded in both written and anecdotal feedback, is that the report has many strengths. However, in its present form the report is inadequate, and without sufficient context, substance and understanding. The report is desperately in need of more research, surveying and coverage among practioners.
The proposed action plan and report are regarded to be the beginning of a process. Therefore, one expectation is that this submission will be regarded part of that process. Some of the recommendations proposed in the submission may not be taken up by Wollongong Council. It is expected, however, that Council will respond appropriately to the recommendations stated in this submission and explain it’s reasoning for objecting to them via procedural channels.
The following recommendations are derived from what Wollongong’s knowledgeable and active practioners know to be required for a successful and sustainable live music sector. Their ideas and recommendations ought to be considered with diligence by Council as they will improve and inject significant strength into Council’s Cultural Plan and put Wollongong on the tourist map.
Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) is increasingly utilised by local councils across Australia. Loc... more Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) is increasingly utilised by local councils across Australia. Local government CCTV operated in conjunction with police has brought about new challenges for democracy. This article explores survey results regarding the provision of federal funding to 18 local councils to install CCTV. The costs to councils of operating CCTV have been largely unforeseen. This article examines the contemporary political context in Australia to illu- minate reasons why funding is allocated to local councils. CCTV funding is driven by populism and political pressure rather than a more objective rationale. This article suggests the need for new directions in local council CCTV evaluations, and for critical evaluations that take into account not just the financial and social costs of CCTV but also political trends. Critical evaluations have the potential to strengthen the capacity of local councils to make more empowered and informed decisions about the costs and implications of operating CCTV.
In this lecture I unpack how truths and myths about the Balkans permeate he film 'The Hunting Par... more In this lecture I unpack how truths and myths about the Balkans permeate he film 'The Hunting Party'. The film is set in Bosnia in the year 2000, five years after the end of the Bosnian war. It is based on a report by journalist Scott Anderson in Esquire magazine. Anderson wrote: ‘It was planned as a reunion of sorts: five journalist colleagues meeting up in their old Balkan stomping grounds, a couple of days knocking around Sarajevo, then heading down to the Adriatic coast for some sun… How was it that five years after the war in Bosnia had ended, men like Karadzic and Mladic were still at large, despite the presence of twenty thousand NATO peacekeeping forces in the country and the professed desire of the United Nations and every Western government to apprehend them? … a new plan began to take shape: We would go to Celebici, the five of us, and find the doctor. Somehow we would penetrate his ring of bodyguards, haul him to justice, split the bounty money. We’d give new meaning to the term “advocacy journalism.”’ In this lecture, we explore how “truth”, myths and misconceptions provided the storyline for a Hollywood film (starring Richard Gere) about the Bosnian war.
"In this lecture we invert the maps we’re probably most familiar with, charting the historical wo... more "In this lecture we invert the maps we’re probably most familiar with, charting the historical worldview of civilisations living mainly between the 9th century and the middle ages, though I’ll also go into a bit of Roman history at the beginning. We’ll be looking at maps from the Viking empire, Byzantine or East Roman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, early Muslim empire and Crusaders waging war in the Holy Land. The questions I am interested in include what would it be like to look at the world in a way that is other than East and West? My aim is to unsettle that comfortable divide.
Today, let’s try and unpack that East/West divide by trying to imagine the view of the “Other” in history. What would it be like to look towards the south, as a Viking would have? What would it have been like for Franks to see Vikings sailing into Paris? What would it be like to look towards the west and north, in the shoes of an Ottoman Turk? What would it have been like for an English crusader looking East towards Jerusalem? The underlying question is one about historiography. If you recall my first lecture, I went into the idea of collective memory and how communities are ‘imagined’ (see Anderson) through their own history. Today we look at the boundaries of history as defined by geography and interactions between civilisations. We will do this by “inverting” the compass so to speak and taking a world view that is perhaps a little “upside down”."
There are five parts to this lecture. First I will provide a brief historical overview of the his... more There are five parts to this lecture. First I will provide a brief historical overview of the history of ancient Rome. I outline the timeline of the changes from the kingdom to republic, principate (or empire) and then the split between the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman empire. I will look at the slave rebellion led by Spartacus in greater detail. I then investigate the role of blood sports in Roman society and unpack what is meant by the phrase, “bread and circuses”, and consider whether this trade-off (entertainment in exchange for increasing patrician power) still holds true in modern times. I will by providing a brief commentary on how vice and virtue are played out in Spartacus, with a discussion on sex, taboo and the stereotype that all Romans were partying sex addicts. I will finish, with time permitting, with a commentary on the role of “terror” in Roman psychology and the shadow of it today.
'300' is a post 9/11 movie that deals with one of the most famous events in the ‘clash’ between W... more '300' is a post 9/11 movie that deals with one of the most famous events in the ‘clash’ between West and East: the battle of Thermopylae during the Greek Persian wars. It does not claim to be history but a form of fictionalised history based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller. There are obviously fantasy elements within the film that are designed to heighten the dramatic effect. Nevertheless the film does contain historical material mixed with both fiction and fantasy.
HBO’s Rome (season 1) was released for UK audiences in 2006, though it didn’t air on Australian s... more HBO’s Rome (season 1) was released for UK audiences in 2006, though it didn’t air on Australian screens until 2008. From the moment of the rolling credits, we are drawn into ancient Rome – the walls are alive, with everyday Romans speaking to us via their graffiti. The first image of the skull and butterfly is a mosaic preserved from the walls of ancient Pompeii. Rome’s streets literally come to life as the cityscape is animated with pictures of Medusa’s slithering snake hair. Soldiers painted on walls are having a duel, and the vibrant plaster décor is lifted straight from Pompeii as well. Images of everyday satire, including depictions of the male phallus, tell us more than reading about Roman life ever could. A closer look reveals a calendar, too, in which the months July and August have not yet been inserted. This is pre-imperial Rome, the very late Republic - the time of orators like Cicero, Caesar and Cato, and legendary generals such as Pompey. What is constant in the opening credits is the theme of blood, indicating the central place of violence and mortality in Roman society at this time.
The series provides both a macro view of Roman history (focussing on the rise of Caesar and the politics of the ruling class), as well as a micro view (focussing on the lives of Roman plebeians, soldiers and slaves). Episode 12, the topic of today’s lecture, was written by Bruno Heller, and directed by Alan Taylor. It is the finale to season 1, in which the dictator of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, is assassinated. Today I will discuss a brief history of the Roman Republic to the death of Caesar, and provide some context for Roman politics at the time of his death. Then, we look at whether the makers of HBO’s Rome follow a trajectory roughly similar to historians as they tell their stories. I will not be discussing military successes and tactics of ancient Rome. Rather, I will be making some parallels between “ordinary” life in the city and how we can relate to the social history of what was once the world’s most successful classical civilisations.
Lecture slides for a 2 hour lecture given to Masters students undertaking a Folklore class at the... more Lecture slides for a 2 hour lecture given to Masters students undertaking a Folklore class at the Maldives National University (MNU). A guest lecture given at request of Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts.
This is the outline for a workshop requested by Maldives National University (MNU) Faculty of Art... more This is the outline for a workshop requested by Maldives National University (MNU) Faculty of Arts. The workshop set out to develop, in conjunction with participation of all Arts Faculty staff:
- Performance Management Guidelines
- The Faculty 'Vision' statement
- Establishment of Student Attributes & Graduate Qualities
This workshop outline was co-authored by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr for Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Workshop was coordinated by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr at the request of Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Key questions in establishing the Vision for Arts Faculty included: -- What are the qualities that make MNU graduates unique?
- What are student attributes that could potentially be enhanced & facilitated by MNU?
‘Who listens to community radio anyway?’ This has undeniably been the most common response to my ... more ‘Who listens to community radio anyway?’ This has undeniably been the most common response to my investigations of the history of community radio in Australia. However, for those involved in the establishment of 3ZZ Radio in Melbourne, their struggle was about more than broadcasting to their own cultural and linguistic communities. It had a greater social significance, and would change the nature of the Australian broadcasting sector. The history of 3ZZ Radio is an indicator of the social context in which it is set; that is, 1970s Australia. Its rise and plummet out of existence between 1974 and 1977 reflects both the winds of change brought about by Gough Whitlam, and the sudden roll-back of social progressivism by Malcolm Fraser. Pioneers of Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) community broadcasting in the 1970s considered its development as a great triumph against Anglo cultural dominance. However, the triumph was never complete. To this day, there remains an ongoing battle between community broadcasters and bureaucracies for funding and control.
This paper examines the ways in which many young people have attempted to directly assert and def... more This paper examines the ways in which many young people have attempted to directly assert and define their place in Australian life since the mid-1990s. It analyses how young people have attempted to actively grasp a sense of social power through racial debates. Since the mid-1990s, a great number of young people have become active participants on two opposing sides of the antiracism movement. On the one hand, many young people attempted to resist mainstream political rhetoric on immigration, land rights and multiculturalism, partaking in protests and school walkouts. On the other hand, counter to antiracism, there have been movements in which young people have become more active in the Patriotic Youth League and other groups. Whilst the antiracism movement often aligned itself with socialist and more progressive political blocs, various counter movements have promoted national identity and populist rhetoric. This paper explores how many young people have also, indirectly, asserted their views on race. These have been passively expressed via socially orientated events, such as rock concerts. This paper also investigates the idea that, with some young people agitated into often direct (and sometimes violent) confrontations over race issues, national imagining has largely been taken for granted by a generational-based authoritative voice and in government policy.
Go to official book website: http://www.generosityandrefugees.com
Generosity and Refugees: The K... more Go to official book website: http://www.generosityandrefugees.com
Generosity and Refugees: The Kosovars in Exile (Brill, June 2017) is a work of history studying the social and political context encountered by Kosovar refugees fleeing their homeland to Australia at the height of the NATO-led war against Serbian forces in 1999. Set at the dawn of Kosovo's independence, the flight of the Kosovar refugees changed Australia's asylum seeker policy forever. On Australia's part, it would be a compassionate intervention with cruel intentions. Australia's hybrid national character, capable of both compassion and cruelty, confronted the Kosovars upon their arrival in Australia. Whether anyone knew it or not at the time, a new test for international humaniarianism had begun. Today the Syrian refugee crisis begs the international community to embrace a generosity of spirit. A question this book asks is whether there are limits to generosity. How is generosity inhibited by nationally contextual and historical perspectives? How are historical perspectives on asylum seekers mediated, framed and narrativised in popular and political discourse? Generosity and Refugees examines the role of the media in framing public understandings of refugees throughout history with intriguing parallels for understanding the contemporary political climate internationally.
A Workshop for Higher Degree Research Students at Griffith University
Produced & Delivered by Dr ... more A Workshop for Higher Degree Research Students at Griffith University Produced & Delivered by Dr Robert Carr, Griffith University 19th October 2017 Tweet: @robcarr09 E-mail: R.Carr@griffith.edu.au
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES: To understand ‘employability’ - beyond skills and qualifications 2. Strategically map out ‘your’ learning + personal objectives 3. Develop appreciation of periodically reviewing your objectives 4. Develop appreciation of a collegial approach to supporting each other as peers
BENEFITS & OUTCOMES OF WORKSHOP: 1. Take home a fresh list of objectives 2. Overcome ‘silo’ thinking - think outside the circle 3. Tools for your own undergraduate students to use 4. Assurance the workshop is grounded in research and practical experience
University students are encouraged to use this workshop to improve their note-taking techniques. Improving note-taking techniques can save you time, allowing you to focus your efforts and energies more strategically.
This workshop is aimed at saving time and energy when it comes to digesting your course readings, journal articles and so on. You will observe how ‘siloing’, helps us to bring some order to our study, as well as visualize and memorize complex ideas more quickly.
Writing out pages and pages of notes is not ideal or very useful in terms of finding information later on when it comes time to begin writing your essay, contributing to class discussions or studying for exams. By contrast, siloing creates a systematic approach that enables you to create, archive and then later retrieve your notes with relative ease, enabling greater recall of core information without having to wade through pages and pages of notes.
This lecture explores:
- Worker health & the Industrial Revolution, how health and work have been... more This lecture explores: - Worker health & the Industrial Revolution, how health and work have been explored through history and film - The 2014 AWALI report on work/life balance and interference in Australia
Case studies explored in this lecture include:
- Roller derby
- Education/training, sport and g... more Case studies explored in this lecture include: - Roller derby - Education/training, sport and gendered discourses - Sport as an employment pathway for women c. early 20th Century - Muslim women and equal access to sport - Gender on the ropes: women in boxing - Images of women in sport - Gender and sports role model choices - Women’s surfing as a career and marketing - Women and alternative music
First year university students often find it difficult to set personal learning goals. This works... more First year university students often find it difficult to set personal learning goals. This worksheet template is designed to assist students make clearer their learning goals and aspirations, beyond grades. Grades are important, but it is you, the student - not the grades - who must go out into the world after all those years of hard work. What is the long term outcome of your degree likely to be? Is your university course about money, finding a job or other personal reasons; is it about society at large; or, is it about a higher philosophical purpose? Each student will come up with their own answers to these questions using this worksheet. The worksheet has been implemented at universities around the world, and been useful for first year students understanding the purpose of their degree from the outset, and then revising their goals as study progresses.
Uploads
Papers by Robert Carr
Contact e-mail: R.Carr@griffith.edu.au
All images courtesy State Library NSW
Authors: Dr Robert Carr, Dr Kylie Evans-Locke, Hanan Abu-Saif, Renée Boucher, Karen Douglas
This study examines student experiences of Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) at Western Sydney University, investigating attendee and facilitator perceptions of the relationship between peer-learning and employability. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected across two consecutive semesters at Western Sydney University (Autumn and Spring) in 2015. The evidence allowed the researchers to examine how students perceived they had gained attributes from PASS that render them more employable. The study found that attendees and facilitators from PASS perceive that the program contributes to student employability in a variety of ways such as improving: participants’ core technical skills; organizational skills; social skills; professionalism and business acumen; appreciation of mentoring; and, critical thinking skills.
READ ESSAY IN FULL: http://www.dhivehisitee.com/people/bingaa-a-case-for-intellectual-leadership-on-maldivian-affairs/
The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the report’) including the proposed ‘Live Music Action Plan’ (hereafter ‘the action plan’) is logical, straightforward, insightful and for the most part good practice in the development of public policy. However, the action plan is insufficient in its current form. This submission does not support endorsement of the action plan without significant revision.
There are four parts to this submission that follow. Part 1 reflects on the expectations of the community and stakeholders prior to the establishment of the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce. Part 2 provides a brief rating of the action plan on a point-by-point basis. Part 3 is a qualitative discussion of the Live Music Taskforce Report. Part 4 is an evaluation of the proposed action plan and conclusions.
The report is a valuable cultural mapping exercise, though there are a number of gaps as identified in this submission. The submission suggests there is a need for greater recognition of and a more strategic response to economic change in Wollongong particularly with respect to income generation in the live music sector.
The submission provides a qualitative discussion of how the taskforce report and action plan met and did not meet community and stakeholder expectations. Information extracted via a qualitative survey (see Appendix 1) as well as anecdotal feedback informs this submission. The submission explores a criticism that the live music action plan is ‘regulation-centric’ with too little direct action proposed in terms of cultivating opportunities for live music, growth of the sector and expansion of Council’s arts funding program. Further, the submission examines the issue of resourcing and enabling Youth Services as well as educating, training and professionalising young people in the music sector.
The submission draws questions about how realistic and informed the action plan is. This is done by suggesting, firstly, the need to include in the ‘Background’ of the report a broader consideration of the historical and social context with respect to more recent analysis and scholarship about the Wollongong music scene; and second, by greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context. The submission recommends greater recognition of community diversity in the action plan to ensure the delivery of an equitable live music policy.
The submission highlights the need for effecting an improvement in police- community relations, citing feedback that this has been achieved through the taskforce. It calls for the action plan to aspire to a greater understanding of night spaces within the context of the prominent issues traversing trust, policing and live music. The submission suggests that “changing perceptions” may be more difficult than acknowledged in the report, foreshadowed by negative media stereotyping and populist concerns on social media about the City Centre being “unsafe”.
The submission undertakes a parity exercise between the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan. Observations are made about process and pecuniary interests implicating the taskforce. This is followed by a review of feedback on issues relating to participation in and membership of the taskforce. The submission discusses grants and other forms of support and how effectively these issues are incorporated into the action plan.
This joint-community submission incorporates valuable insights provided by community members and stakeholders interested in and intimately involved in the live music scene. Its broad position, which is grounded in both written and anecdotal feedback, is that the report has many strengths. However, in its present form the report is inadequate, and without sufficient context, substance and understanding. The report is desperately in need of more research, surveying and coverage among practioners.
The proposed action plan and report are regarded to be the beginning of a process. Therefore, one expectation is that this submission will be regarded part of that process. Some of the recommendations proposed in the submission may not be taken up by Wollongong Council. It is expected, however, that Council will respond appropriately to the recommendations stated in this submission and explain it’s reasoning for objecting to them via procedural channels.
The following recommendations are derived from what Wollongong’s knowledgeable and active practioners know to be required for a successful and sustainable live music sector. Their ideas and recommendations ought to be considered with diligence by Council as they will improve and inject significant strength into Council’s Cultural Plan and put Wollongong on the tourist map.
Today, let’s try and unpack that East/West divide by trying to imagine the view of the “Other” in history. What would it be like to look towards the south, as a Viking would have? What would it have been like for Franks to see Vikings sailing into Paris? What would it be like to look towards the west and north, in the shoes of an Ottoman Turk? What would it have been like for an English crusader looking East towards Jerusalem? The underlying question is one about historiography. If you recall my first lecture, I went into the idea of collective memory and how communities are ‘imagined’ (see Anderson) through their own history. Today we look at the boundaries of history as defined by geography and interactions between civilisations. We will do this by “inverting” the compass so to speak and taking a world view that is perhaps a little “upside down”."
The series provides both a macro view of Roman history (focussing on the rise of Caesar and the politics of the ruling class), as well as a micro view (focussing on the lives of Roman plebeians, soldiers and slaves). Episode 12, the topic of today’s lecture, was written by Bruno Heller, and directed by Alan Taylor. It is the finale to season 1, in which the dictator of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, is assassinated. Today I will discuss a brief history of the Roman Republic to the death of Caesar, and provide some context for Roman politics at the time of his death. Then, we look at whether the makers of HBO’s Rome follow a trajectory roughly similar to historians as they tell their stories. I will not be discussing military successes and tactics of ancient Rome. Rather, I will be making some parallels between “ordinary” life in the city and how we can relate to the social history of what was once the world’s most successful classical civilisations.
- Performance Management Guidelines
- The Faculty 'Vision' statement
- Establishment of Student Attributes & Graduate Qualities
This workshop outline was co-authored by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr for Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Workshop was coordinated by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr at the request of Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Key questions in establishing the Vision for Arts Faculty included: -- What are the qualities that make MNU graduates unique?
- What are student attributes that could potentially be enhanced & facilitated by MNU?
Contact e-mail: R.Carr@griffith.edu.au
All images courtesy State Library NSW
Authors: Dr Robert Carr, Dr Kylie Evans-Locke, Hanan Abu-Saif, Renée Boucher, Karen Douglas
This study examines student experiences of Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) at Western Sydney University, investigating attendee and facilitator perceptions of the relationship between peer-learning and employability. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected across two consecutive semesters at Western Sydney University (Autumn and Spring) in 2015. The evidence allowed the researchers to examine how students perceived they had gained attributes from PASS that render them more employable. The study found that attendees and facilitators from PASS perceive that the program contributes to student employability in a variety of ways such as improving: participants’ core technical skills; organizational skills; social skills; professionalism and business acumen; appreciation of mentoring; and, critical thinking skills.
READ ESSAY IN FULL: http://www.dhivehisitee.com/people/bingaa-a-case-for-intellectual-leadership-on-maldivian-affairs/
The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the report’) including the proposed ‘Live Music Action Plan’ (hereafter ‘the action plan’) is logical, straightforward, insightful and for the most part good practice in the development of public policy. However, the action plan is insufficient in its current form. This submission does not support endorsement of the action plan without significant revision.
There are four parts to this submission that follow. Part 1 reflects on the expectations of the community and stakeholders prior to the establishment of the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce. Part 2 provides a brief rating of the action plan on a point-by-point basis. Part 3 is a qualitative discussion of the Live Music Taskforce Report. Part 4 is an evaluation of the proposed action plan and conclusions.
The report is a valuable cultural mapping exercise, though there are a number of gaps as identified in this submission. The submission suggests there is a need for greater recognition of and a more strategic response to economic change in Wollongong particularly with respect to income generation in the live music sector.
The submission provides a qualitative discussion of how the taskforce report and action plan met and did not meet community and stakeholder expectations. Information extracted via a qualitative survey (see Appendix 1) as well as anecdotal feedback informs this submission. The submission explores a criticism that the live music action plan is ‘regulation-centric’ with too little direct action proposed in terms of cultivating opportunities for live music, growth of the sector and expansion of Council’s arts funding program. Further, the submission examines the issue of resourcing and enabling Youth Services as well as educating, training and professionalising young people in the music sector.
The submission draws questions about how realistic and informed the action plan is. This is done by suggesting, firstly, the need to include in the ‘Background’ of the report a broader consideration of the historical and social context with respect to more recent analysis and scholarship about the Wollongong music scene; and second, by greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context. The submission recommends greater recognition of community diversity in the action plan to ensure the delivery of an equitable live music policy.
The submission highlights the need for effecting an improvement in police- community relations, citing feedback that this has been achieved through the taskforce. It calls for the action plan to aspire to a greater understanding of night spaces within the context of the prominent issues traversing trust, policing and live music. The submission suggests that “changing perceptions” may be more difficult than acknowledged in the report, foreshadowed by negative media stereotyping and populist concerns on social media about the City Centre being “unsafe”.
The submission undertakes a parity exercise between the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan. Observations are made about process and pecuniary interests implicating the taskforce. This is followed by a review of feedback on issues relating to participation in and membership of the taskforce. The submission discusses grants and other forms of support and how effectively these issues are incorporated into the action plan.
This joint-community submission incorporates valuable insights provided by community members and stakeholders interested in and intimately involved in the live music scene. Its broad position, which is grounded in both written and anecdotal feedback, is that the report has many strengths. However, in its present form the report is inadequate, and without sufficient context, substance and understanding. The report is desperately in need of more research, surveying and coverage among practioners.
The proposed action plan and report are regarded to be the beginning of a process. Therefore, one expectation is that this submission will be regarded part of that process. Some of the recommendations proposed in the submission may not be taken up by Wollongong Council. It is expected, however, that Council will respond appropriately to the recommendations stated in this submission and explain it’s reasoning for objecting to them via procedural channels.
The following recommendations are derived from what Wollongong’s knowledgeable and active practioners know to be required for a successful and sustainable live music sector. Their ideas and recommendations ought to be considered with diligence by Council as they will improve and inject significant strength into Council’s Cultural Plan and put Wollongong on the tourist map.
Today, let’s try and unpack that East/West divide by trying to imagine the view of the “Other” in history. What would it be like to look towards the south, as a Viking would have? What would it have been like for Franks to see Vikings sailing into Paris? What would it be like to look towards the west and north, in the shoes of an Ottoman Turk? What would it have been like for an English crusader looking East towards Jerusalem? The underlying question is one about historiography. If you recall my first lecture, I went into the idea of collective memory and how communities are ‘imagined’ (see Anderson) through their own history. Today we look at the boundaries of history as defined by geography and interactions between civilisations. We will do this by “inverting” the compass so to speak and taking a world view that is perhaps a little “upside down”."
The series provides both a macro view of Roman history (focussing on the rise of Caesar and the politics of the ruling class), as well as a micro view (focussing on the lives of Roman plebeians, soldiers and slaves). Episode 12, the topic of today’s lecture, was written by Bruno Heller, and directed by Alan Taylor. It is the finale to season 1, in which the dictator of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, is assassinated. Today I will discuss a brief history of the Roman Republic to the death of Caesar, and provide some context for Roman politics at the time of his death. Then, we look at whether the makers of HBO’s Rome follow a trajectory roughly similar to historians as they tell their stories. I will not be discussing military successes and tactics of ancient Rome. Rather, I will be making some parallels between “ordinary” life in the city and how we can relate to the social history of what was once the world’s most successful classical civilisations.
- Performance Management Guidelines
- The Faculty 'Vision' statement
- Establishment of Student Attributes & Graduate Qualities
This workshop outline was co-authored by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr for Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Workshop was coordinated by Professor Peter Fraser and Dr Robert Carr at the request of Abdul Rasheed Ali, Dean of Arts, MNU.
Key questions in establishing the Vision for Arts Faculty included: -- What are the qualities that make MNU graduates unique?
- What are student attributes that could potentially be enhanced & facilitated by MNU?
Generosity and Refugees: The Kosovars in Exile (Brill, June 2017) is a work of history studying the social and political context encountered by Kosovar refugees fleeing their homeland to Australia at the height of the NATO-led war against Serbian forces in 1999. Set at the dawn of Kosovo's independence, the flight of the Kosovar refugees changed Australia's asylum seeker policy forever. On Australia's part, it would be a compassionate intervention with cruel intentions. Australia's hybrid national character, capable of both compassion and cruelty, confronted the Kosovars upon their arrival in Australia. Whether anyone knew it or not at the time, a new test for international humaniarianism had begun.
Today the Syrian refugee crisis begs the international community to embrace a generosity of spirit. A question this book asks is whether there are limits to generosity. How is generosity inhibited by nationally contextual and historical perspectives? How are historical perspectives on asylum seekers mediated, framed and narrativised in popular and political discourse? Generosity and Refugees examines the role of the media in framing public understandings of refugees throughout history with intriguing parallels for understanding the contemporary political climate internationally.
Produced & Delivered by Dr Robert Carr,
Griffith University
19th October 2017
Tweet: @robcarr09
E-mail: R.Carr@griffith.edu.au
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES:
To understand ‘employability’ - beyond skills and qualifications
2. Strategically map out ‘your’ learning + personal objectives
3. Develop appreciation of periodically reviewing your objectives
4. Develop appreciation of a collegial approach to supporting each other as peers
BENEFITS & OUTCOMES OF WORKSHOP:
1. Take home a fresh list of objectives
2. Overcome ‘silo’ thinking - think outside the circle
3. Tools for your own undergraduate students to use
4. Assurance the workshop is grounded in research and practical experience
Email: R.Carr@griffith.edu.au
Tweet/shout out to: @robcarr09
About this workshop:
University students are encouraged to use this workshop to improve their note-taking techniques. Improving note-taking techniques can save you time, allowing you to focus your efforts and energies more strategically.
This workshop is aimed at saving time and energy when it comes to digesting your course readings, journal articles and so on. You will observe how ‘siloing’, helps us to bring some order to our study, as well as visualize and memorize complex ideas more quickly.
Writing out pages and pages of notes is not ideal or very useful in terms of finding information later on when it comes time to begin writing your essay, contributing to class discussions or studying for exams. By contrast, siloing creates a systematic approach that enables you to create, archive and then later retrieve your notes with relative ease, enabling greater recall of core information without having to wade through pages and pages of notes.
Good luck!
- Worker health & the Industrial Revolution, how health and work have been explored through history and film
- The 2014 AWALI report on work/life balance and interference in Australia
- Roller derby
- Education/training, sport and gendered discourses
- Sport as an employment pathway for women c. early 20th Century
- Muslim women and equal access to sport
- Gender on the ropes: women in boxing
- Images of women in sport
- Gender and sports role model choices
- Women’s surfing as a career and marketing
- Women and alternative music