James Cook University Course and Subject Handbook - 2007

POSTGRADUATE COURSES

Students are advised that all subjects are offered on condition that staff and resources are available.

CONTENTS

ANTHROPOLOGY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY

Postgraduate studies may be taken in the School for the following awards:

Graduate Certificate of Maritime Archaeology The Graduate Certificate of Maritime Archaeology is suspended beginning in 2006.

Graduate Certificate of Social Science

Graduate Diploma of Arts or Social Science

Master of Arts or Social Science by research

Master of Science by research (Archaeology)

Master of Cultural Heritage Studies The Master of Cultural Heritage Studies is disestablished from 2007.No new enrolments will be accepted in this course. (evaluation by research and coursework)

Doctor of Philosophy.

CHILD PROTECTION PRACTICE

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF CHILD PROTECTION PRACTICE

The Postgraduate Certificate provides specialist education in the field of child protection.

SCHEDULE

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

This course is designed for social welfare professionals who work in community agencies, government departments and communities.

SCHEDULE

COMMUNITY WELFARE

Postgraduate studies in Community Welfare may be pursued leading to the awards of Graduate Diploma of Arts or Social Science, Postgraduate Diploma of Social Welfare or Master of Social Policy. Candidates should consult the Head of the School of Social Work and Community Welfare.

CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDIES

MASTER OF CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDIES

Note: The Master of Cultural Heritage Studies has been disestablished from 2007. No new enrolments will be accepted. Students currently enrolled may continue their studies in the course and should refer to previous editions of the Student Handbook.

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDIES

Note: The Postgraduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage Studies has been disestablished from 2006. No new enrolments will be accepted. Students currently enrolled may continue their studies in the course and should refer to previous editions of the Student Handbook.

EDUCATION

The School of Education offers a Master of Guidance and Counselling (see entry under Guidance and Counselling), Graduate Diploma of Education, Graduate Certificate of Education, Postgraduate Certificate of Education, Master of Education and Master of Teaching (see entry under Teaching). The Postgraduate Certificate of Education consists of 12 credit points of level 5 Education subjects.

MASTER OF EDUCATION

MASTER OF EDUCATION WITH HONOURS

GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION

Majors:

• for intending primary teachers focusing on years 1 to 7;

• for intending primary and lower secondary teachers focusing on years 1 to 10;

• for intending secondary teachers focusing on years 8 to 12.

GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION FOR INTENDING PRIMARY TEACHERS FOCUSING ON YEARS 1 TO 7

Townsville

GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION FOR INTENDING PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY TEACHERS FOCUSING ON YEARS 1 TO 10

Cairns

GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION FOR INTENDING SECONDARY TEACHERS FOCUSING ON YEARS 8 TO 12

Townsville

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION

This award in tertiary teaching is designed for JCU staff and educators from other institutions wishing to gain a qualification in tertiary teaching.

SCHEDULE

ENGLISH

Postgraduate studies in English may be pursued towards a Graduate Diploma of Arts, as well as the postgraduate research degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy.

Prospective students should consult the Head of the School of Humanities.

FAMILY THERAPY AND COUNSELLING

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF FAMILY THERAPY AND COUNSELLING

This award is designed to add to social welfare professional practice skills in working with families.

SCHEDULE

FRENCH

(See Modern Languages)

GEOGRAPHY

(See Tropical Environment Studies and Geography)

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

MASTER OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

SCHEDULE

HISTORY

The School of Humanities has an active postgraduate sector in which higher degree students undertake Master of Arts or Social Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees by research only.

Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas are available in Australian Studies, Southeast Asian Studies or Race Relations.

Intending students should consult with the Head of the School of Humanities.

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

(See Tropical Environment Studies and Geography)

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDIES

The School of Indigenous Australian Studies offers full-time or part-time study to qualify for the Postgraduate Certificate of Indigenous Studies, the Postgraduate Diploma of Indigenous Studies, the Master of Indigenous Studies and Doctor of Philosophy. Prospective students should consult with the Postgraduate Coordinator.

Postgraduate research programs have been established to meet the growing demand for skilled graduates, knowledgeable about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and cultural considerations in relation to research and development. Such people are needed for employment in Indigenous organisations, government agencies and in many areas of education, training, business, industry and commerce.

The research programs have relevance to people from many fields: Social Sciences, Education, Law, Arts, Commerce, Medicine, Public Health and Science, including Engineering and Marine Biology. It is intended that the skills and knowledge attained from these Courses will aid in the economic and social transformation of Indigenous people by increasing the self-determination of those who are employed in Indigenous organisations.

MASTER OF INDIGENOUS STUDIES

The Master of Indigenous Studies coursework degree consists of 36 credit points. Students are required to complete the following seven subjects which include the 9 credit point dissertation (parts 1 and 2).

MASTER OF INDIGENOUS STUDIES WITH HONOURS

The Master of Indigenous Studies with Honours provides students with the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to undertake community-based Indigenous research in their own discipline area. Students will engage in direct interaction with Indigenous peoples during that process, identifying a topic for an independent research project relevant to their area of expertise. The course is closely aligned with the objectives of the Indigenous Australians research program under JCU’s Area of Research Strength - People, Identity and Place. Cross cultural linking is a major aim of this course with research projects addressing the social, cultural and physical well-being of Indigenous Australians, their knowledge and epistemologies.

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF INDIGENOUS STUDIES

The Postgraduate Diploma consists of 24 credit points of study. Students are required to complete the following five 3-credit point subjects.

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF INDIGENOUS STUDIES

The Postgraduate Certificate consists of 12 credit points of study. Students are required to complete four 3-credit point subjects from the following schedule.

Candidates who wish to use the credit points obtained within the Postgraduate Certificate of Indigenous Studies as advanced standing towards the Postgraduate Diploma of Indigenous Studies or the Master of Indigenous Studies shall surrender the Postgraduate Certificate before the higher qualification is awarded.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(See Faculty of Science, Engineering and Information Technology section of this Handbook)

JAPANESE

(See Modern Languages)

JOURNALISM

Postgraduate studies in Journalism may be pursued leading to the award of Graduate Diploma of Arts, Graduate Diploma of Journalism or Graduate Certificate of Journalism.

GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF JOURNALISM

The Graduate Diploma in Journalism is designed for part-time study. It is recommended that candidates complete the core before proceeding to elective subjects.

CORE SUBJECTS

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

ELECTIVES

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF JOURNALISM

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

LANGUAGES

(See Modern Languages)

MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY

The discipline is taught by a small number of universities throughout the World (about 12). Flinders University of South Australia is the only other university in Australia involved in teaching maritime archaeology.

The Graduate Certificate of Maritime Archaeology is designed to provide students with a sound theoretical and methodological grounding in maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage management; to appreciate the place and role of maritime archaeology in the interpretation of marine sub-cultures as well as cultures in the wider text; and to understand the history of the practice of maritime and underwater archaeology.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY

Note: This course is suspended beginning in 2006.

MATHEMATICS

It is possible to gain an award of Master of Arts in Mathematics. Candidates should consult with the Head of the School of Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology.

MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE

The Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Science offers a Postgraduate Certificate of Mental Health Practice. Students will be able to build on existing knowledge of mental health practice from their undergraduate degrees and work place experience to cover higher level concepts in mental health. The schools offering this course pay particular attention to the needs of Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse, lower socio-economic and rural and remote students seeking to advance their qualifications. The course incorporates subjects from social work, psychology and nursing.

Students will develop a study plan in conjunction with the Postgraduate Academic Adviser.

The structure of the Postgraduate Certificate of Mental Health Practice is as follows.

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE

Townsville

Students complete 12 credit points of study as follows:

MODERN LANGUAGES

Postgraduate studies in languages are available as part of a number of different awards or degrees, including the Graduate Diploma of Arts, the Master of Arts and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Students specialising in a particular language may qualify for any of these awards. In some cases, degree programs can be specially tailored to cater for students’ special needs. Prospective students are advised to consult the Head of the School of Humanities.

The School is, in accordance with state and national policies, committed to developing, in its students, language skills which are of use in the real world. Also in response to government policy it is committed to developing cross-cultural and inter-cultural knowledge as a way of increasing understanding between human beings.

Language and communication skills are now widely recognised as being critically important in many aspects of professional and business life. Given Australia’s clear commitment to international is at ion, the demand for speakers of languages other than English is certain to grow.

POLITICAL SCIENCE

The School of Humanities has an active postgraduate sector in which higher degree students undertake Master of Arts or Social Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees by research only.

Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diplomas are available.

PSYCHOLOGY

Postgraduate studies may be undertaken in the School of Psychology for the following awards:

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Psychology.

Master of Psychology

Master of Psychology-Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Social Science by research (Psychology)

Postgraduate Diploma of Clinical Psychology

Postgraduate Diploma of Forensic Psychology

Postgraduate Diploma of Geropsychology

Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology

Graduate Diploma of Social Science

Postgraduate Certificate of Clinical Psychology

Postgraduate Certificate of Forensic Psychology

Graduate Certificate of Work Psychology in Rural Health Settings

DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Majors:

• Clinical

• Clinical Geropsychology

• Forensic

• Forensic and Clinical

CLINICAL

Townsville, Singapore

Level 1

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 2

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 3

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

CLINICAL GEROPSYCHOLOGY

Townsville

Level 1

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 2

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 3

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

FORENSIC

Townsville

Level 1

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 2

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 3

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

FORENSIC AND CLINICAL

Townsville

Level 1

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 2

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 3

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGY

Majors:

• Clinical

• Forensic

This course will provide advanced academic and practical postgraduate training for professional practice at a level sufficient to meet the criteria for State registration as a practising psychologist. It will also meet the requirement of six years academic training for membership of the Australian Psychological Society. To qualify for the award students must satisfactorily complete 48 credit points in the Psychology subjects listed below, consisting of:

• 27 credit points of designated coursework;

• 12 credit points from three supervised practicums;

• 9 credit points by research dissertation.

Two majors are available as detailed below:

CLINICAL

Townsville, Singapore

Level 1

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 2

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

FORENSIC

Townsville

Level 1

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

Level 2

TEACHING PERIOD 1

TEACHING PERIOD 2

MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGY–DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

A joint Master of Psychology-Doctor of Philosophy degree is offered in the Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences. For more information please contact Associate Professor Edward Helmes, Director of Professional Programs, School of Psychology.

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF GEROPSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF PSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF GEROPSYCHOLOGY

Note: The Postgraduate Certificate of Geropsychology has been disestablished from 2007. No new enrolments will be accepted. Students currently enrolled may continue their studies in the course and should refer to previous editions of the Student Handbook.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF WORK PSYCHOLOGY IN RURAL HEALTH SETTINGS

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

SOCIAL POLICY

Postgraduate studies in Social Policy may be pursued leading to the awards of Master of Social Policy and Master of Social Policy with Honours. These programs, offered within the School of Social Work and Community Welfare, are designed for students with an interest in undertaking advanced studies in social policy, social planning and community work.

MASTER OF SOCIAL POLICY

A candidate for the Master of Social Policy shall complete WS5005 and 27 credit points from Part A of the Subject Schedule shown below and a maximum of six credit points from Part B.

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

MASTER OF SOCIAL POLICY WITH HONOURS

Students may qualify for the course through a 12 credit point Graduate Certificate of Research Methods. A grade of Credit (or better) is required in subjects.

The Master of Social Policy with Honours course consists of a 24 credit point thesis or portfolio approved by the faculty.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Postgraduate studies within the Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences may lead to the awards of Master of Social Science, or Graduate Certificate or Diploma of Social Science. For specialist studies in the Social Sciences, see entries under Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology, History, Psychology and Social Work and Community Welfare.

SOCIAL WELFARE

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF SOCIAL WELFARE

This course, offered within the School of Social Work and Community Welfare, prepares graduates for advanced practice in management counselling or community development in the social welfare sector. It can be taken as a one year full-time or two years part-time course, or longer as negotiated with the Head of School. Students are required to take at least 18 credit points from Part A of the Schedule and a maximum of 6 credit points from Part B.

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA SUBJECT SCHEDULE

SOCIAL WORK

Postgraduate studies in Social Work may be taken towards the awards of Graduate Certificate of Social Science, Graduate Diploma of Arts or Social Science, Master of Social Work or Master of Social Work with Honours.

These programs of Master of Social Work and Master of Social Work with Honours, offered within the School of Social Work and Community Welfare, provide opportunities for social work practitioners to enhance their professional knowledge and skills. They are available by coursework or by research Honours.

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK WITH HONOURS

Students may qualify for the course through a 12 credit point Graduate Certificate of Research Methods. A grade of Credit (or better) is required in subjects.

The Master of Social Work with Honours course consists of a 24 credit point thesis or portfolio approved by the faculty.

SOCIAL WORK AND COMMUNITY WELFARE

Postgraduate studies within the School of Social Work and Community Welfare may be pursued towards any of the following awards:

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Social Policy (Coursework and Honours)

Master of Social Work (Coursework and Honours)

Postgraduate Diploma of Social Welfare

Graduate Diploma of Arts or Social Science

Graduate Certificate of Social Science

Postgraduate Certificate of Community Development

Postgraduate Certificate of Family Therapy and Counselling.

The postgraduate studies program has been designed to address a range of learning styles and interests. Coursework studies in the programs have been made available in flexible delivery mode to provide the opportunity for people not residing near the campus to undertake postgraduate studies. Full-time or part-time on-campus studies are also available.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The School of Social Work and Community Welfare supports advanced research and scholarship, particularly work which relates to the Northern Australian social welfare context.

Before submitting an application to the University, each student is urged to discuss possible research areas with the Postgraduate Coordinator or Head of School.

SOCIOLOGY

(See Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology)

STATISTICS

It is possible to gain an award of Master of Arts in Statistics. Candidates should consult with the Head of the School of Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology.

TEACHING

MASTER OF TEACHING

Majors:

• Master of Teaching for intending primary teachers focusing on years 1 to 7

• Master of Teaching for intending primary and lower secondary teachers focusing on years 1 to 10

• Master of Teaching for intending secondary teachers focusing on years 8 to 12

• Master of Teaching for students with a Graduate Diploma of Education

MASTER OF TEACHING FOR INTENDING PRIMARY TEACHERS FOCUSING ON YEARS 1 TO 7

Townsville

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

MASTER OF TEACHING FOR INTENDING PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY FOCUSING ON YEARS 1 TO 10

Cairns

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

MASTER OF TEACHING FOR INTENDING SECONDARY FOCUSING ON YEARS 8 TO 12

Townsville

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

MASTER OF TEACHING FOR STUDENTS WITH A GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION

Townsville, Cairns

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

TERTIARY TEACHING

(See Education)

TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHY

A wide range of postgraduate studies is offered through the School of Earth and Environmental Studies. Degrees and programs are as follows:

Master of Arts or Social Science (Human Geography)

Master of Arts or Social Science (Tropical Environment Studies)

Graduate Diploma of Arts or Social Science (East and Southeast Asian Studies)

Graduate Diploma of Arts or Social Science (Geography)

In addition, facilities are available for PhD studies.

Postgraduate studies in Tropical Urban and Regional Planning are also available. Prospective students should consult with the Head of School.

The School of Earth and Environmental Studies has the best equipped geographical information systems laboratory in Northern Australia and a cartographic centre which contains an extensive archive of land and natural resource information for tropical Queensland.

WOMEN’S STUDIES

Postgraduate programs in Women’s Studies are coordinated through the Centre for Women’s Studies. Candidates may specialise within a Master of Arts or Social Science degree or study towards one of the awards in Women’s Studies detailed below.

MASTER OF WOMEN'S STUDIES

As part of the commitment of the Centre for Women’s Studies to serving the diversity of women in the community, a three-step masters degree is offered. This consists of a Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma of Women’s Studies and Master of Women’s Studies. A Postgraduate Certificate consists of one-third credit points (12) of a master’s degree and a Postgraduate Diploma consists of two-thirds credit points (24) of a masters degree. In this model, candidates can build toward a Master of Women’s Studies by sequentially completing the Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma options.

A masters degree consists of a 36 credit points program, approved by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, made up of subjects selected from the list below. Parts A and B must be included.

SCHEDULE A

MASTER OF WOMEN'S STUDIES WITH HONOURS

Students may qualify for the course through a 12 credit point Graduate Certificate of Research Methods. A grade of Credit (or better) is required in subjects.

The Master of Women’s Studies with Honours course consists of a 24 credit point thesis or portfolio approved by the faculty.

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF WOMEN'S STUDIES

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF WOMEN'S STUDIES

SUBJECT SCHEDULE

WRITING

The School of Humanities offers the Graduate Certificate of Writing, the Graduate Diploma of Writing, and the Master of Arts in Writing.

MASTER OF ARTS IN WRITING

Townsville

The Master of Arts in Writing is designed for graduates who wish to improve and diversify their writing skills. This course addresses writing for newspapers, literary journalism, creative writing, the memoir and the essay. Students will develop a major piece of work in a genre of their choice.

Students complete 36 credit points of study as follows:

GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF WRITING

Townsville

The graduate diploma provides a detailed introduction to the key skills of writing in a range of genres, including creative writing, writing for newspapers, literary journalism, the memoir and the essay. No professional media experience or media studies qualification are required to enrol in this course.

Students complete 24 credit points of study as follows:

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF WRITING

Townsville

The graduate certificate introduces students to the key skills of journalistic writing for print and creative nonfiction – literary journalism, the memoir, and the essay. No professional media experience or media studies qualification are required to enrol in this course.

Students complete 12 credit points of study as follows:

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

School of Arts and Social Sciences

Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology

NORTH QUEENSLAND AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC

• Anthropology and Archaeology of regional networks in the Cape York/Torres Strait borderlands;

• The cultural politics of place and identity;

• Indigenous peoples and the state;

• Archaeology of Thailand and Cambodia;

• Archaeology of island Melanesia.

CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

• Indigenous health and social change;

• Mental health in hunter-gatherer societies;

• Indigenous knowledge systems, sustainable development and appropriate technology;

• Ethnicity, nationalism and racism;

• Resource development, customary land tenure and environmental exploitation in Australia and Papua New Guinea;

• Historical archaeology of North Queensland.

ISSUES IN CULTURAL HERITAGE

• Investigations of concepts of heritage, custom, identity, place and cultural landscape;

• Heritage legislation, land rights and Native Title in the Australia/Pacific region;

• The investigation of cultural heritage values in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Marine Park.

CRIME, DEVIANCE AND JUVENILE JUSTICE

• Restorative justice and issues in youth deviance;

• Collection and analysis of crime indicators and cultural representations of crime;

• Youth suicide;

• History of punishment regimes;

• Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system;

• Environmental crime in North Queensland;

• Forms and responses to crime in rural and remote areas of Queensland.

EXPRESSIVE CULTURE

• Cultural performances and festivals in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region;

• South East Asian theatre traditions;

• Rock art of Northern Australia and the Pacific;

• Archaeology of personal ornaments.

RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES

• Archaeological geophysics, E-research and data sharing systems in Australasian archaeology.

Humanities

ENGLISH

• Australian literature, esp. Nineteenth-century Australian fiction and poetry; and Twentieth-century Australian fiction and drama

• Society and culture in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Australia

• Literature of tropical Queensland

• Writing in the Tropics

• Romantic literature

• Victorian fiction

• Modernist literature and theory

• Postmodernist writing

• Twentieth century literature (Australian, British, American)

• Contemporary women’s fiction

• The short story

• Literature, place and identity

• Western writing (imaginative and discursive) about the Pacific Region

• Anglophone postcolonial writing

• Postcolonial life writing

• Lusophone African writing and culture

• Theories and problems of literary history

• Contemporary literary and cultural theories

• Social, critical and cultural theory

• Feminist literary theories

• Feminist pedagogy

• Second wave feminism

• Cultural studies of masculinity

• Postcolonial theory

• Diasporic identities; globalisation discourse and postcolonialism

• Contemporary cultural theory and ecocriticism

CINEMA AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Film theory

• Australian film

• French cinema

• Feminist film

• Women and cinema

• Studies of film and place

• The cultural construction of families, gender and madness

• Fairytale and its uses in contemporary news media and popular culture

• Cultural history of science-fiction, fantasy and horror

• Asian media and communications

• Creative writing - fiction and non-fiction

HISTORY

• Australian historical cultural heritage

• Australian nationalism

• Indigenous-settler relations in Australia

• Australian rural history

• North Queensland regional history

• Environmental history

• History of animals and animal husbandry

• History of mining and metallurgy

• New Zealand and Pacific history

• Imperial history, especially British Empire

• Intellectual history

• History of anthropology and racial ideas

• History of religion

• History of terrorism and religious extremism

JOURNALISM

• Freedom of the press

• Print industry in regional Australia

• Regional and remote news-gathering and publishing

• Cross cultural journalism

• Technology changes in journalism and their effects on the profession

• Quality assurance in journalism

• Journalism as performance

• Literary journalism

• Journalism and satire

• Asia/Pacific media systems

• Modern news writing forms

• Science journalism

• Broadcast media

• Community radio

• Public Relations

• News language and grammar

MODERN LANGUAGES

• French Cinema

• Proust

• Japanese linguistics

• Language teaching methodology

• Japanese grammar

• Japanese popular Buddhism

POLITICAL SCIENCE

• Australian politics and policy;

• Energy and environmental politics;

• Public policy formulation and implementation;

• Business government relations;

• Japanese politics and foreign policy;

• Comparative Asian politics;

• International relations of East and Southeast Asia;

• Industrial relations.

Psychology

• Women’s health;

• Psychosocial aspects of stress;

• Stress management;

• Reading disabilities;

• Health psychology;

• Cognitive representation of orthography and phonology;

• Psycholinguistic variations across languages;

• Neural network models of memory;

• The effect of mood and arousal on the cognitive processing of information;

• Applications of computers in psychology research and teaching;

• Circadian rhythms;

• Ageing;

• Clinical neuropsychology;

• Assessment of executive functioning;

• Early identification of Alzheimer’s disease;

• Drug dependence;

• Behavioural medicine;

• Adult psychopathology;

• Cognitive behaviour therapy;

• Socio-behavioural aspects of primary health care;

• Psychosocial rehabilitation;

• Organisational climate and development;

• Staff development and training;

• Soft systems methodology;

• Tertiary teaching;

• Sports and exercise psychology;

• Working memory;

• Alcohol and cognitive functioning;

• Social and emotional development in young children;

• Eating disorders;

• Suicide;

• Critical psychology;

• Narrative psychology;

• Occupational health and safety;

• Identity conflict;

• Human memory and attention;

• Alcohol and human performance;

• Social cognition and language;

• Gender bias and stereotyping;

• Self and social identity;

• Social scientific metatheory;

• Evolutionary perspectives on development;

• Stress and development;

• Human mate selection;

• Evolution of psychological mechanisms, especially self-deception;

• Perceptual learning and discriminations: skin cancer identification strategies;

• Computational modelling;

• Rural mental health;

• Psychological assessment;

• Relationship between visual and auditory temporal processing;

• Sexual dysfunction;

• Medical patient quality of life;

• Evolutionary cognitive Neuroscience;

• Human reasoning and decision-making;

• Pain perception and coping;

• Shyness;

• Procrastination;

• Game theory and social reasoning;

• Chemosensory perception;

• Taste and odour learning;

• Food preferences, especially cross-cultural;

• Neurocognitive development.

Social Work and Community Welfare

The main research activities focus on the Welfare of Families and Children, Third Sector Organisations, and Health and Mental Health. Current and recently completed projects are listed below.

Families, children and young people

• Childhood well-being;

• A Buddhist framework for social work;

• International social justice issues;

• Families, crime and juvenile justice;

• Parents’ role in the sentencing of children;

• Cross-national study of child care policies;

• Working in child welfare;

• Comparative study of the lives of social welfare workers and service users;

• Violence against welfare workers;

• Empowerment work with parents of children in care;

• Parenting of young children;

• Child protection in Aboriginal communities;

• Attempted suicide in young people;

• Family support and child protection;

• Children of parents with physical or psychiatric disability;

• Cost benefit analysis of the foster care system;

• What makes a good foster carer;

• Foster children with disabilities;

• Foster care for Indigenous and Australian South Sea Islander children;

• Education training and support needs of foster carers;

• Women’s perceptions of their role and values as foster carers;

• A critical discourse analysis of a parenting education program;

• Social welfare history of services for children and families;

• Children in the Townsville Orphanage, 1878-1911;

• Spirituality and ethics in a critical pedagogy of social work and community welfare;

• Peer supervision in virtual teams;

• Gender issues for males in social work training and the child protection workplace;

• East Timorese young people, trauma and resettlement;

• The well-being of families employed in the coal mining industry in the Bowen Basin.

Third Sector organisations

• Not for profit organisations: change and innovation;

• Social care in a changing rural world;

• Cross-national study of regional development;

• Implications of the rural decline for social welfare service delivery in rural Australia;

• Social support in remote areas: implications for human services;

• Models of social development for non-metropolitan areas;

• The essence of self in the social work relationship.

Health and mental health

• The needs of patients and their carers from rural and remote communities;

• Consumer participation in mental health;

• The Laceweb social movement for psychosocial healing.

Women and gender

• Women the workplace and violence;

• A feminist analysis of the influence of neo-liberalism on young women’s lives;

• Mothers and Attention Deficit Disorder;

• Adoptive mothers’ experiences through the adoption life cycle;

• In search of a woman’s discourse;

• Women’s perception of breast cancer;

• Young women’s views on dating, violence, sexuality and feminism;

• Women, violence and social welfare practice;

• Female activism in North Queensland;

• The impact of female circumcision on relationships;

• Women’s birthing experiences in rural Queensland;

• Women and human service organisations;

• Feminist organisational practice;

• Women and development;

• Women’s services in Australia and the Asia/Pacific region;

• The experiences of women asylum seekers from East Timor;

• Implementation and evaluation of an integrated approach to domestic violence;

• Development and evaluation of groups for male perpetrators of domestic violence;

• Understanding men who are violent;

• A holistic model of response to different forms of violence in personal relationships;

• How mothers protect their children from domestic violence;

• Gender awareness in men in welfare and welfare education;

• Female spirituality - women’s bio-spiritual experiences of mentruation and birth;

• Refugee resettlement, safety and well-being (including the risk and protective factors for refugee women at risk of experiencing domestic violence);

• Refugee women at risk - a longitudinal study with women who are ‘Women at Risk entrants to Australia;

• Evaluating the perspectives and knowledge base of mainstream domestic violence and health service providers that are supporting refugee women affected by domestic violence;

• Violence against women and social policy.

Indigenous and cross-cultural practice

• Anti-racist welfare education;

• Reconciliation and social welfare practice;

• Styles of helping in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures;

• Buddhism and social work;

• Immigrant settlement in country areas;

• Child protection in Aboriginal communities.

Non-specified research

• The perceptions of blind people about others and themselves;

• Field education;

• International social work (the globalisation of social work activity);

• The interface between research and teaching in higher education.

School of Education

CURRICULUM RESEARCH:

Analysis of curriculum materials; career counselling/education and career decision making; constructivism in science, curriculum theory; distance music education; drawing and discourse in art education; emotion education in early childhood; English and literature education; ethnomathematics and education; ethnomusicology and education; health and physical education curriculum; issues in middle school physical education; learning environments; mathematics and teacher education; mathematics curriculum and pedagogy; metacognition in mathematics problem solving; metacognition in science problem solving; numeracy particularly for ‘at-risk’ students; physical education, sport and identity in regional Queensland; road safety education; social, environmental and citizenship education; sociocultural and sociopolitical theories ansd mathematics education.

DISABILITY, SPECIAL NEEDS AND EDUCATION:

Autistic spectrum disorders; behavioural and emotional problems; communication disorders; Downs Syndrome especially with respect to mathematics teaching and learning; early intervention; engaging ‘at-risk’ students; Foetal Alcohol Syndrome; hearing impairment; inclusive education; intellectual disability; learning difficulties; multisensory environments; parent collaboration; parents of children with disabilities; physical disability, multiple disability; special education; student mobility; teaching gifted and talented students; use of technology in education of students with special needs; vision impairment.

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY:

Computer/video/mobile games and youth culture identity; conceptualisations of childhood; critical analysis of curriculum, pedagogy, schooling and educational policy; critical race theory in education; cultural studies; discourse analysis and sociolinguistics; education for cultural diversity; education for sustainability; education history; environmental education; equity and access; family, school and work; feminist theory; first year university and retention; history of sport and physical education; innovation, entrepreneurship, equity and access; popular culture and education; post-colonial theory and art education; poststructuralist theory; public art - policy, partnerships and practices; rights-based education, sport in society.

EDUCATION, COGNITION AND PERSONALITY:

Affective development in schools; affective learning in pre schools; children’s fears; cognition and thinking in science and mathematics teaching; cognitive development and school achievement; mental models; metacognition; personality traits of optimism and pessimism; school anger and aggression; student thinking in tutorials and computer workshops; students’ in-class thinking; the role of the arts in affective and cognitive education; thinking and development in young children.

GENDER AND EDUCATION:

Boys and literacy; feminist theory and education; gender and early childhood; gender and engagement with schooling; gender and technology; gender, language and literacy; girls and information technology; girls and mathematics; masculinity and schooling; sex-based harassment at school; the discursive construction of gender.

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

Exemplary teaching for Indigenous students; Indigenous education (including Torres Strait Islander education); Indigenous mathematics education - a Pacific perspective; promoting academic literacy for Indigenous students; School-Community relationships including school revitalisation; WWW in Indigenous education.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, MEDIA AND EDUCATION:

Cultural context and ICTs; distance education; e-Management systems; ICTs in teaching and learning; information communication technologies (ICTs) and thinking skills, strategies and processes; mental models and teaching and learning with ICTs; preparation of teachers for service in rural and remote areas; social and cognitive aspects of recreational and educational computer/video/mobile games; special needs and mobile phones; symbolic identity and mobile phones; under-represented groups in information technology careers and tertiary courses; young children’s use of microcomputers.

LANGUAGE, LITERACIES AND EDUCATION

Adult and workplace literacies; analysing classroom texts and talk; children’s literature; cloze procedures; critical literacy; culture and language learning; development of word attack skills; discourse analysis; emotional, social and visual literacies’ education; English for academic purposes; gender, language and literacy; instructional approaches to spelling; instructional strategies for reading and writing; integration of English across the curriculum; media texts and popular culture; new media literacies; scientific discourse communities; second language teaching and learning; secondary English education; teaching of writing; the politics of literacy; the teaching of literature.

MEASUREMENT, EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

Assessment in primary mathematics education; educational, psychological and social measurement; evaluation; school assessment and reporting; intellectual development; large scale test construction and analysis; measuring development and learning; modern measurement theory and the application of measurement models to education and social practice; Rasch models; research instrumentation; scaling attitudes, satisfaction and preference; assessing higher order thinking; test construction and assessment; unidimensional and multidimensional scaling.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

Collective biography; ethnographic research; information processing; interview methodology; measuring educational outcomes; qualitative research methodology; Rasch measurement; researching children’s perspectives; stimulated recall methodology; survey design and data analysis; writing as research.

RURAL EDUCATION:

Attracting and retaining rural teachers and other professionals; curriculum contextualisation, ie place-based education; destination of ‘rural’ teacher education graduates; factors impacting upon student aspirations and expectations in rural Australia; rural schools and community development.

SCHOOL RENEWAL, PEDAGOGY AND TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

Action research and improving pedagogy for learner outcomes; changing structures and practices in teacher education; critical reflective practice; curriculum construction and implementation; history of teacher education; lifting the level of student thinking in tertiary education; pedagogies for social justice in teacher education; roles and development of principals; school effectiveness and improvement; teachers’ professional development; teaching across cultures; webconferencing and higher order thinking and online learning communities in teacher education

School of Indigenous Australian Studies

Cultural heritage, intellectual property and Indigenous knowledges;

International developments;

Social issues (wellbeing, housing, employment and education);

Indigenous health and well-being;

Indigenous peoples and the environment;

Indigenous legal issues;

Native title;

Indigenous people and the environment;

Indigenous curriculum development and perspectives;

Teaching and learning in higher education;

Adult education in remote areas;

Indigenous early childhood education;

Indigenous Australian education issues P-12;

Indigenous media;

Cultural identity;

Indigenous education policy;

Indigenous research ethics;

Australian literature and language;

Women’s studies;

Indigenist research and methodologies.