Australian responses to the images and discourses of terrorism and the other: establishing a metric of fear. The world was changed on 9/11. Small-scale studies indicate half the Australian non-Muslim population is now anti-Muslim and up to 80% of Muslims are in a siege mentality. This research examines Australian perceptions of the other, of terrorism, of refugees and of fears about these. In seeking to analyse these influences upon contemporary society, the project investigates ways that policy ....Australian responses to the images and discourses of terrorism and the other: establishing a metric of fear. The world was changed on 9/11. Small-scale studies indicate half the Australian non-Muslim population is now anti-Muslim and up to 80% of Muslims are in a siege mentality. This research examines Australian perceptions of the other, of terrorism, of refugees and of fears about these. In seeking to analyse these influences upon contemporary society, the project investigates ways that policy can drive appropriate communication responses to racism and to social isolation, particularly in supporting fear-filled communities. Arguing that the global response to 9/11 is out of proportion to the events themselves, the study suggests strategies to support ethnically diverse groups that feel threatened by media discourses and adverse public opinion.Read moreRead less
Australian television and popular memory: new approaches to the cultural history of the media in the project of nation-building. Despite its importance to our everyday lives since the 1950s, there is no history of television's role in Australian popular culture. This project will develop a series of collaborative histories that focus upon the popular experience of television and in particular its role in forming national culture. The research will not only involve conventional academic sources, ....Australian television and popular memory: new approaches to the cultural history of the media in the project of nation-building. Despite its importance to our everyday lives since the 1950s, there is no history of television's role in Australian popular culture. This project will develop a series of collaborative histories that focus upon the popular experience of television and in particular its role in forming national culture. The research will not only involve conventional academic sources, but also those connected with 'the people': memories, memorabilia, personal collections as well as the full range of popular and ephemeral publications which support the popular engagement with the medium. The project is the first to examine television's historical role in our national life.Read moreRead less
Musical investment: assessing and enabling musical participation for well being impact across the lifespan. This project tests a growing belief that by investing in opportunity for musical participation we may develop the capacity to improve individual, family and community well being. The work advances the knowledge base by generating theories and evidence about why we should invest in music-making in order to promote well being across the lifespan. It undertakes systematic investigations to id ....Musical investment: assessing and enabling musical participation for well being impact across the lifespan. This project tests a growing belief that by investing in opportunity for musical participation we may develop the capacity to improve individual, family and community well being. The work advances the knowledge base by generating theories and evidence about why we should invest in music-making in order to promote well being across the lifespan. It undertakes systematic investigations to identify specific variables that promote well being in music activities. It develops best practice guidelines for music practitioners across a range of disciplines using a variety of modalities and offers potential to inform policy development.Read moreRead less
New media dramaturgy: how new media transform the composition and reception of live performance. New media dramaturgy will formulate a new framework for analysing and creating contemporary new media performance including multimedia theatre and dance, video performance and installation. The project will also explore how the synthesis of new dramaturgy and new media has changed the experience of live arts for the spectator.
Power and Performance: Revaluing Theatre in the 21st century. This project aims to examine the changing function of the theatre in Western culture. For millennia, theatre has been valued as a way to bridge questions of a personal and political nature. As the Western cultural sphere is now organised around generating consensus rather than debate, so this foundational function of theatre is being challenged and must be re-assessed. Accordingly, the role of the artist, audience or scholar of theatr ....Power and Performance: Revaluing Theatre in the 21st century. This project aims to examine the changing function of the theatre in Western culture. For millennia, theatre has been valued as a way to bridge questions of a personal and political nature. As the Western cultural sphere is now organised around generating consensus rather than debate, so this foundational function of theatre is being challenged and must be re-assessed. Accordingly, the role of the artist, audience or scholar of theatre is also changing in fundamental ways. There is now a need to re-examine the social value of theatrical performance in contemporary Western culture. This project plans to consider case studies in different global sites to develop a comparative and critical framework for establishing the new cultural politics of theatre and the re-evaluation of the arts.Read moreRead less
Making Ethics Work: A New Model for Business and Professional Ethics. Sound ethical practice is fundamental to long-term business success and organizational well-being. In developing a new framework for applied ethics, this project will enhance understanding of the foundations of ethics in business, organizational and professional contexts, as well as enabling improved ethical practice in those domains. As such, it will assist in strengthening Australia's social and cultural fabric, in promoting ....Making Ethics Work: A New Model for Business and Professional Ethics. Sound ethical practice is fundamental to long-term business success and organizational well-being. In developing a new framework for applied ethics, this project will enhance understanding of the foundations of ethics in business, organizational and professional contexts, as well as enabling improved ethical practice in those domains. As such, it will assist in strengthening Australia's social and cultural fabric, in promoting the conditions that facilitate innovation and creativity, in developing leadership capacities and organisational structures, and in supporting Australian business and industry through promoting greater ethical awareness and expertise.Read moreRead less
Promoting scientific literacy of secondary science students through studying socioscientific issues and argumentation. This project will develop a model of professional development and effective classroom strategies to improve 12-16 year old school students' decision-making about socioscientific issues. Key outcomes will be improved scientific literacy and willingness by young people to use scientific evidence when making personal and community decisions.
The Impact of Customer-Focused Business Strategies on Organisational Performance in a Professional Service Context. The study poses important new questions about the impact well-established customer marketing approaches, such as value, have, within a professional service environment. It is unclear whether organisations focus on such concepts when developing strategy and, if so, how they use them when formulating strategy and this will be investigated. A second question, which is of academic and ....The Impact of Customer-Focused Business Strategies on Organisational Performance in a Professional Service Context. The study poses important new questions about the impact well-established customer marketing approaches, such as value, have, within a professional service environment. It is unclear whether organisations focus on such concepts when developing strategy and, if so, how they use them when formulating strategy and this will be investigated. A second question, which is of academic and practical importance, is the impact such strategies have on organisational performance, and this will also be examined. Understanding the link between strategy and organisational performance is vital as managers have difficulty assessing the relevance of their marketing activities.Read moreRead less
Communicative human musicality: A cross-cultural comparative study of dance, singing and musical instrument skills in 12-15 year olds. The project aims to investigate musicality as a positive bodily, mental, social educational experience, and so fits with National Research Priority 2. It will develop international links and offer potential for understanding ethnic groups, and contribute also to areas of social policy by suggesting recommendations specific to children. By stimulating a theorisati ....Communicative human musicality: A cross-cultural comparative study of dance, singing and musical instrument skills in 12-15 year olds. The project aims to investigate musicality as a positive bodily, mental, social educational experience, and so fits with National Research Priority 2. It will develop international links and offer potential for understanding ethnic groups, and contribute also to areas of social policy by suggesting recommendations specific to children. By stimulating a theorisation of music as a social science, it will generate new research, and bring important unpublished materials to the academic community. Forging international collaborations and stimulating postgraduate study, the project will place UWA at the cutting edge of international scholarship.
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Eventful learning in quality pre-service science teacher education. The study aims to build a theory that explains quality in science teacher education by identifying successful learning-teaching events across programs of university science teacher education. This theory will guide wider application of eventful learning practices at university to enhance the successful entry of new teachers to the profession.