happy monday

Even though I spent my last post whining about it, there are some benefits to an 8AM Monday lecture:

1. At 9AM, I'm finished teaching for the day!!
2. I've already had a cup of tea and have been awake for a while, so I'm fully operational while everyone else is is still sleeping or complaining about their Mondayitis. 

Victory! My to-do list for today consists of the following: mark third-year research proposals, clear email backlog, prepare teaching materials for Wednesday and finish book review. Given that I have the entire day at fully operational status, I think these things are doable. Either that, or I'll crash at 1PM and spend the afternoon nursing my newly developed Mondayitis. 

The review I'm working on at the moment is for a book called 'The Internet: An introduction to New Media' by Leila Green. I'll post some preliminary thoughts over the next few days!

Travel mug - not entirely sure why it's reciting Darth Vader quotes... #mondaymysterites!

sudden realisations

At 7PM on a Sunday evening, I'm sitting here at my desk preparing for the 8AM Monday lecture of doom. This semester I ended up lecturing into three courses - two with 8AM starts! - for the first eight weeks of the semester. Fortunately, beloved convenor of these three courses who is currently on research leave has left me with copious notes for at least one course, the 8AM Monday one. So I'm sitting here, studying the slides and going over the readings when it hits me...

SIX MONTHS TO GO!

Or thereabouts. Until my scholarship expires, that is. [Note: 'Sudden-ness' of sudden realisation is actually overstated in this particular telling of the story.] So here are the options ahead:

1. Work like crazy to get my thesis done within the three years (cannot believe it has been three years..);
2. Apply for a scholarship extension, giving me until August 2011;
3. Get a job at the end of my scholarship and muddle through with a vague 'early 2011' submission.

All of these potential options will depend entirely upon how I'm travelling come January. I'm going to aim for 1, hope for 2 and take 3 if something comes up. How does that sound? Okay good, back to work.

posgraduate symposim

Following on from the success of our Postgraduate Symposium last year, we're repeating the event this year. Essentially it's a full day, funded event where postgrads can present whatever they're working on in a friendly and open environment. Last year we had a few first-time presenters which was great, and quite a few people used the platform to test out some ideas they were planning on presenting at a bigger conference.

Many thanks to the Griffith Centre for Cultural Research (GGRS) for funding, and to my fellow organising committee members for all their hard work: Anne Ferguson, Raphael Nowak, Shanene Ditton, Adele Pavlidis, Haya Cohen, Christopher Driver, Patrick Mitchell and Dr Sarah Baker (our academic rep.). Hopefully it'll be a great event! While it's only aimed at local (Griffith) postgrads at this stage, if anyone else would like to come along please let me know!

Call for Papers

‘Mediated: Identity, Subjectivity & Creativity’

‘In the case of identity, as in other cases, the catchword of modernity was creation; the catchword of postmodernity is recycling’ 

(Bauman 1996: 18).

The Griffith Centre for Cultural Research (GCCR) is hosting Griffith’s second annual Cultural Research RHD Symposium, organised by postgraduates for postgraduates. The full-day symposium will include multiple themed sessions where students will present papers-in-progress and a keynote presentation from Professor Graeme Turner, a leading figure in the development of cultural and media studies in Australia. Amongst other responsibilities, Graeme Turner is a professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, Director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies and is the President of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

There is no cost associated with attending. We are inviting RHD students attached to the GCCR or the School of Humanities, along with invited external participants, to submit abstracts for consideration in the program. The event is also open to interested staff and students. The theme for the symposium will be ‘Mediated: Identity, Subjectivity & Creativity’. We are seeking papers on a wide range of topics from students in various disciplines: from sociologists to creative arts practitioners; from writers to historians. We seek to offer an open and inclusive academic space for emerging scholars to share and develop their work, contributing to a broader discussion on contemporary negotiations with subjectivity, identity and creativity.

Date:                  Thursday, November 4, 2010

Location:           Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus

Cost:                  Nil

Keynote:            Prof. Graeme Turner

Lunch:               Provided

Dinner:              At delegate’s expense

Abstracts are due September 24 and should not exceed 200 words.  Abstracts should be emailed to Brady Robards (b.robards@griffith.edu.au) in a standard .doc or PDF format.  Successful contributors will be notified via return email by October 8.  All staff and students interested in attending the symposium (open to Honours, Masters and PhD students) are invited to register their interest by September 24 with Brady at the above address.


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