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Centre for Gender-Related Violence Studies

 
Established in 1999, the Centre for Gender-Related Violence Studies (CGRVS) is a multi-disciplinary community centre based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales.  The Centre prioritises outreach and community engagement, alongside its practice-informed research agenda.
 
The following objectives reflect the Centre's purpose:
  • generate a practice-informed research agenda in the field of gender-related violence;
  • attract funds from a variety of sources including national competitive funding sources, relevant government departments and community organisations, and by commissioned projects;
  • use members of the Centre and affiliated researchers to undertake multidisciplinary research into gender-related violence, prioritising the  development of innovative policy and practice;
  • prioritise engagement with diverse communities and groups around the issues emerging from gender-related violence;
  • initiate and/or participate in workshops and seminars for the consideration of research findings and their policy/practice  implications;
  • act as a source of data and informed comment on gender-related violence issues.
 
Current projects include the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse and collaborative research projects with a variety of partner organisations including the Spastic Centre of NSW, Burnside Uniting Care, Northcott Disability Services, Advocates for Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) and Relationships Australia, South Australia (RASA).
The Centre welcomes visiting scholars, interns and volunteers.
 
For further information contact the Director: Dr Jan Breckenridge (02) 93851863 or J.Breckenridge@unsw.edu.au
 

Disability Studies and Research Centre

 
Disability Studies and Research Centre  is a national centre in disability studies that applies and promotes a critical perspective of disability in research and education to maximise Australia's capacity to ensure a more equitable, participatory and accessible society for people with disabilities.
DSRC develops collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects that build linkages between stakeholder groups, and empower people with disability as participants in research. DSRC contributes to the disability community's ability to develop credible research and policy positions to assist them to engage effectively in public policy debates.
As well as undertaking and managing research, DSRC assists UNSW faculties to develop and deliver educational programs and improve funding outcomes by identifying opportunities for collaborative research programs. DSRC actively promotes the participation of people with disability in higher education, research training and research work and in all aspects of the centre. DSRC will also host forums, seminars and conferences to promote critical disability studies and stimulate discussion about disability policy and research issues.
The Centre is a joint initiative of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law. DSRC works closely with the Social Policy Research Centre. The Centre's research focus includes accessibility and participation across the spectrum of disability as a social experience. 
 
DSRC's core research areas are
  • disability and human rights,
  • international development,
  • critical disability studies,
  • financing of disability services,
  • specialist service design and delivery,
  • housing and supported accommodation,
  • bioethics,
  • employment and
  • income-support. 
 
Research completed or in progress has examined disability community priorities, disability and social work, journalism and media access, human rights, public health, psychology, the built environment, engineering, disability policy, disability services, accessible information, education and inclusion.
 
DSRC welcomes interest from potential PhD students; for more information contact: dsrc@unsw.edu.au or +61 2 9385-9908.
 
For information about enrolment and scholarships contact the Graduate Research School at the University of New South Wales
Email: enquiries.grs@unsw.edu.au or phone: (612) 9385 5500
www.grs.unsw.edu.au
 

Gifted Education Research, Resource and information Centre

 
Since 1991 the University of New South Wales has been noted for its strong academic focus on teaching, research and service in gifted education and this was strengthened in 1997 by the establishment of the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.  GERRIC was formally opened on 19th September, 1997 by His Excellency the Honourable Gordon Samuels, AC, former Governor of New South Wales. 
The foundation of GERRIC was not only an acknowledgement by UNSW of its leadership role in this field of education, but a milestone in the history of gifted education in Australia, being the first centre of research in gifted education established in the Southern Hemisphere.
 
The objectives of the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre include the following:
  • to foster and conduct research on effective education of gifted and talented children, including contractual research on behalf of external Australian or international educational agencies
  • to develop and present UNSW-based courses, workshops and specialist seminars for teachers, school administrators, psychologists, counselors, parents and other groups with an interest in the educational and welfare of gifted and talented students
  • to develop and administer a range of UNSW-based school vacation programs for gifted and talented children and adolescents from pre-school through to senior high school
  • to conduct, on a contractual basis for schools and other educational agencies, a range of teacher inservice programs featuring, as speakers, faculty members, graduate students and associates of the University
  • to write and publish a range of books and audio-visual materials focussing on key issues in the education of gifted and talented students
 
Since 1997, the initiatives taken by GERRIC have had a significant impact on the education of gifted and talented students in Australia and internationally.   More than 1500 teachers from every Australian state, and from across South-East Asia have successfully completed GERRIC’s postgraduate Certificate of Gifted Education (COGE) program which has been offered each year since 1991 and which features, as keynote and visiting presenters, leading international and Australian scholars in gifted education. In 2002 GERRIC, with its academic partner, the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at The University of Iowa, received a major grant from the John Templeton Foundation of Pennsylvania which funded the writing of a two-volume international report on the outcomes, for gifted students, of 18 forms of academic acceleration.   The report A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest students  (Colangelo, Assouline and Gross, 2004) has its own website www.nationdeceived.org.
In 2004-2005 a GERRIC team developed, for the Australian Federal Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) a Professional Development Package for Teachers in Gifted Education and DEST sent this 18 hour course, in book and CD-Rom format, into every Australian school.  In 2005-2006 GERRIC developed and taught, for DEST, a program of 50 workshops for parents of gifted and talented children in regional and remote areas of Australia and, in 2007-2008, a series of advanced professional development workshops for teachers in capital cities and regional centres.
 
For further information on particular GERRIC activities please contact the Centre Director, Professor Miraca Gross AM, telephone (02) 9385 1972 or Centre Manager Mr Robert Urquhart telephone (02) 9385 1993.
The GERRIC website is http://gerric.arts.unsw.edu.au/ and e-mail is gerric@unsw.edu.au

The Centre for Refugee Research

 
The Centre for Refugee Research is an interdisciplinary Centre at the University of New South Wales.  It focuses on refugee flows and resettlement issues in the Asia Pacific Region.  In partnership with state, national, regional and international agencies, the Centre is an initiator of research and innovative education programs.
The Centre was established in 1999.  Eileen Pittaway was appointed Director in July 2000.  The Centre works closely with the refugee advocacy group, the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women (ANCORW) with which it shares office space.
The Centre's Objectives:
  • to provide an international and interdisciplinary centre to initiate programs of enquiry relevant to refugee issues.
  • to conduct research into the social, economic, legal, political, health and medical impacts of refugee intakes in countries of resettlement such as Australia as well as countries of first asylum with whom Australia is likely to have links based on trade and foreign relations.
  • to apply research to the provision of foreign and humanitarian aid for peoples displaced within their own countries as a result of armed conflict as well as for exile and refugee communities internationally.
  • to develop and extend a human rights framework for the analysis of all aspects of the refugee experience, and to evaluate the effectiveness of current human rights instruments for refugee populations.
  • to produce research which will benefit the Australian community by maximising the capacity of refugees to become productive members of society.
  • to benefit refugees, displaced persons and humanitarian immigrants through the provision of research to guide government policies and services.
  • to develop and maintain a country information database about human rights violations around the world that is relevant to establishing refugee status.
  • to disseminate outcomes through a web page, publications and a program of symposiums and conferences.
 
For further information, please contact the Centre:
Phone:  +61 2 9385 1961
Fax:    + 61 2 9662 8991

The Journalism and Media Research Centre

 
The Journalism and Media Research Centre (JMRC) is an initiative of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and it gathers together researchers in the fields of journalism and media.
 
The JMRC aims to:
  • Undertake research of high quality and impact in the fields of journalism, communication, and media
  • Make a significant contribution to public and industry debate as well as policy
  • Provide a focus for journalism, media and related areas across UNSW
  • Offer rigorous, relevant, and excellent education and training for postgraduate coursework and PhD students.
 
The JMRC's core research areas are:
 
The evolving media landscape
This area includes: Media policy, business models, technology, regulation, distribution channels, the changing nature of audiences, and histories of new media.
Social, cultural and health impacts of media consumption
This area includes: The impact of popular media on children and youth, the role of the media in influencing social attitudes, the changing nature of communication and its effect on social, cultural and interpersonal practices and networks.
The ethics and practice of journalism
This area includes: Journalism, democracy and the public's right to know, the evolving workplaces and work practices of journalism, the ethical challenges facing journalism in an evolving media landscape, the history of Australian journalism; the role of news media in public debate.
 
The Centre is staffed as follows:
  • Professor Catharine Lumby. Director of the JMRC
  • Professor Gerard Goggin, Deputy Director of the JMRC. 
  • Associate Professor David McKnight, Senior Research Fellow in the JMRC
  • Dr Kath Albury, ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  • Associate Professor Kate Crawford, ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  • Dr Clifton Evers, UNSW Postdoctoral Fellow.
 
The JMRC welcomes interest from potential PhD students, and will launch its Masters in Journalism in early 2009.

The National Centre in HIV Social Research

 
The National Centre in HIV Social Research (NCHSR) was established in 1990 with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. We are located within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The University of New South Wales, Sydney.
NCHSR is internationally recognised for its contribution to the Australian response to HIV and hepatitis C. While the core of its work has been in the social aspects of HIV, particularly with regard to sexual practice, in recent years NCHSR’s research program has expanded to include social research related to hepatitis C, injecting and illicit drug use, sexual health, Aboriginal health and the Asia-Pacific region.
NCHSR offers a postgraduate program in Health, Sexuality and Culture. The program is guided by a social paradigm that understands persons and communities as social beings. It is designed to provide the empirical skills for researching the fields of sexuality and drugs globally, and to equip students with an understanding of critical debates in social theories of sex, drugs and the politics of health and medicine. It is this mix of practical skills and theory that makes the Health, Sexuality and Culture program unique.
NCHSR offers three degrees:
The MA by Research and PhD are HECS-exempt for Australian and New Zealand permanent residents. The Graduate Diploma incurs a HECS fee.
The minimum requirement for entry into the program is a good Bachelor degree in arts, social sciences or another relevant discipline.

Postgraduate Research:


NCHSR offers three degrees within the postgraduate research program in Health, Sexuality and Culture. All three degrees require students write a research thesis based their own research project supervised and supervised by NCHSR staff.
The length of the thesis for a Graduate Diploma is 12,000 - 15,000; the length of the thesis for a MA by Research is 30,000 - 40,000 and the length of the PhD thesis is 70,000 - 100,000 words.
Much of the research at NCHSR is oriented to the needs of practitioners working in the policy field, but we also encourage conceptual and theoretical inquiry into questions of health, sexuality and culture and their interrelationships.
 
Postgraduate research projects
 
Students at NCHSR are engaged in a range of postgraduate research projects concerned with the changing social and political aspects of sexuality, drug use and blood-borne virus transmission, both here in Australia and overseas. These projects complement and extend the core work conducted by staff at NCHSR, often addressing under-researched or emerging issues, developing complex and critical analyses, and employing a wide range of research methods and theoretical approaches.
Selected projects:
  • Living with hepatitis C in Auckland and Sydney: a comparative study
  • Male factors influencing participation in PMTCT programs in Tanzania
  • Dynamics of Shame: Implications for the Counsellor working in Drug and Alcohol settings
  • Kinship practices among gay men who have become parents through surrogacy
  • Press 'enter': information technologies and writing of sex
  • Impact and effectiveness of sexually explicit HIV/AIDS social marketing campaigns targeting the gay community
  • Safe sex campaigns in Australia and New Zealand
 
If you are interested in applying for entry into a postgraduate degree in Health, Sexuality and Culture at the National Centre in HIV Social Research, the first step is to find an appropriate supervisor (or supervisors) for your research project. Browse our staff pages, which list the research interests and areas of expertise of our staff. You may also find our current research and publications pages useful. Contact the staff members who seem the most appropriate as potential supervisors to discuss your ideas for a research project and your previous experience. If you need assistance identifying an appropriate supervisor please contact the NCHSR Postgraduate Coordinator.
Once a supervisor has agreed to supervise you, you must apply for admission online through the Graduate Research School. The Graduate Research School handles all administrative aspects of postgraduate study.
Please note NCHSR staff are also available to undertake co and joint supervision with other Schools and Centres within UNSW.
For further information please contact the NCHSR Postgraduate Coordinator.
 

Postgraduate Courses:


NCHSR will offer two courses in the Health, Sexuality and Culture post-graduate program in 2010. These courses are also open to students enrolled in other postgraduate programs at the University of New South Wales.
The program is designed for students with a background in the social sciences, humanities or health. It offers specialised core courses in the social theories of sex and drug practices as well as research methods. Students enrolled in the Masters of Arts by Research are required to complete three courses in addition to writing a research thesis. Masters of Arts students can take other courses offered within the university, but must complete two courses within the Health, Sexuality and Culture program. Graduate Diploma students are required to complete two courses in the Health, Sexuality and Culture Program. Students enrolled in other postgraduate programs within the university are welcome to enroll in NCHSR courses. PhD candidates at NCHSR are not required to complete coursework however they are welcome to enroll in the core courses.
Note: Please note that all course offerings are subject to demand; if an insufficient number of students enroll in any particular course, we cannot run it.

For further information on the coursework program refer to our website or contact the postgraduate coordinator.
 
For further information about NCHSR and the postgraduate program please refer to our website or contact the post-graduate coordinator. We look forward to welcoming you to UNSW.

The Social Policy Research Centre

 
The Social Policy Research Centre provides a stimulating and supportive environment for postgraduate study. SPRC offers a unique opportunity for higher degree by research study in areas that explore and extend the theory and practice of social policy in Australia and internationally.
The SPRC has the strongest concentration of social policy researchers in Australia. It has extensive national and international connections and research collaborations with leading universities, research centres and international policy agencies. The Centre's policy research is situated both nationally and internationally.
The Centre's broad skill base stems from its multi-disciplinary staffing profile that includes social policy experts, economists, sociologists, political scientists, historians, psychologists, educationalists, public health experts and statisticians.
 
Our areas of expertise include:
  • Australian, international and comparative social policy
  • poverty, social inequality and standards of living
  • income support and tax/transfer policies
  • family policies and services
  • work, employment and welfare reform
  • organisation and delivery of human services
  • housing policies and spatial dimensions of policy
  • children and young people: policies, services and wellbeing
  • disability policies
  • informal and formal care
  • ageing and retirement policies
  • Indigenous families and communities
  • culturally and linguistically diverse populations
  • policies in the Asia/Pacific region, in particular Chinese social policy

For more information about the SPRC, current activities, future conferences, lectures and seminars, staff members’ research profiles, and lists SPRC reports and other publications check out our website at www.sprc.unsw.edu.au
 
For further information about studying at the Social Policy Research Centre and for queries regarding academic matters relating to research projects, contact the higher degree research coordinators
Professor Bettina Cass or Dr Karen Fisher on study.sprc@unsw.edu.au or phone (612) 9385 7800
 
For information about enrolment and scholarships contact the Graduate Research School at the University of New South Wales
phone (612) 9385 5500

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© The University of New South Wales (CRICOS Provider No.: 00098G), 2004-2011. The information contained in this Handbook is indicative only. While every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date, the University reserves the right to discontinue or vary arrangements, programs and courses at any time without notice and at its discretion. While the University will try to avoid or minimise any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, courses and staff after enrolment. The University may also set limits on the number of students in a course.