8-14 September 2025
This one day forum, at the start of Africa Week and Social Sciences Week, showcases Africa-Australia relevant work from a range of scholars across the AAUN. The Forum topic for this year is “Australia Africa Knowledge Teamwork: Policies, Priorities, People”. Around 100 expert participants from academia, government, diplomats, business, agencies will attend and present. Abstracts are invited.
Are you ready to tell the world about an important social issue and showcase your creativity? Swinburne’s high school student TikTok challenge aims to showcase the social issues that are important to young people and highlight the role that technology plays in our everyday lives. Whether you're interested in sociology, history, Indigenous studies, political science, media studies, or any other social science discipline, this challenge is for you! The competition is open to all current Victorian high school students. The most engaging video will win $300, with $100 prizes for the most creative, and Swinburne student choice awards. Step 1: Create an engaging and informative TikTok video that explains a social issue that is important to you, and how it is impacted by technology. Make sure your video is captivating, concise, and visually appealing. You can use creative animations, text overlays, or any other TikTok features to enhance your content. Your video should aim to educate and entertain viewers, providing them with valuable insights and fostering curiosity about our technologically embedded social world. Step 2: Include the hashtags #SSW2023 & #SwinSocialSciences in the caption of your TikTok video. Step 3: Follow and tag @SSW2023 and @SwinHASS in your video to ensure your entry is […]
Join Dr Will Dobud to discuss recent updates in adventure and outdoor therapy research. Will describes evolutions of how we conceptaulise practice, namely around pathways client’s experience for change – through success and mastery, shared experiences, and hope for a better future. Attendees will examine what works, and more critically, what doesn’t in outdoor therapy practice. Register your attendance here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/outdoor-therapies-pathways-for-change-and-the-trail-ahead-w-dr-will-dobud-tickets-695873555537?aff=oddtdtcreator
HDR students from Swinburne's School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education present their original and ground-breaking research for discussion.
This report presents the findings from the 2022 CGEPS grants. This research explored how conceptions of gender equality are informed by an understanding of the experiences of diverse groups of women – in this case, migrant and refugee women in the public sector, specifically local councils. We sought to investigate how the pursuit of gender equality in Victoria, Australia, considers the diversity of women's needs and experiences. The findings presented in this report are best understood as both a challenge and an opportunity for the Commission, for local councils and for the public sector more broadly. This report prioritises the experiences of migrant and refugee women working in local councils and highlights the systemic barriers to their career progression. The findings highlight the importance of paying specific attention to the experiences of migrant and refugee women. Considering this cohort's diversity of identity and circumstances is crucial while tailoring efforts to improve their workplace experiences. This launch is being held in conjunction with Social Sciences Week, to find out more please visit SSW or Social Sciences Week at Monash.
Understanding lived experience is a national mental health priority and has a vital role in shaping the policy and practices aimed at improving social support for suicidal distress in LGBTIQA+ communities. This panel brings together expert social science academics, LGBTQIA+ community sector support services and advocates to present research about the lived experience of suicidal behaviour within culturally diverse LGBTIQA+ communities, including First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people and LGBTIQA+POC. The panel will detail key insights from interviews with 20 lived experience participants, recruited from across Australia including 3 First Nations LGBTQA+SB people, 7 LGBTQA+ POC and 10 LGBTQA+ people. Themes discussed focus on the importance of intersectionality (the overlapping impact of multiple forms of discrimination) when understanding LGBTQA+SB lives, experiences of suicidal distress and the formal and informal support. Recommendations for policy and practice will be outlined, including the need to improve knowledge, awareness, and access to support services that are inclusive of intersectional experiences. We will also outline how, through a process of participatory co-design, this lived experience research has been translated into an online training module that is available for delivery from Switchboard, Victoria. This research was funded by Suicide Prevention Australia. Panelists: Katherine Johnson (RMIT), Vanessa Lee-Ah Mat […]
Join us for one or both of two online seminars exploring transformative justice and peace on the African continent. Session 1: Transformative Justice and the African Union: Unsettling the Dominant Discourse and Practice of Transitional Justice 4 September, 1-2 pm Online only Speaker: Dr Wendy Lambourne, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, Discipline of Sociology and Criminology, University of Sydney Transitional justice as a field of practice has become standardised around four ‘essential and complementary’ key pillars derived from the Joinet principles against impunity: criminal justice, truth-seeking, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence/institutional reform. These four key pillars were defined by the United Nations in 2010 as central to supporting transitional justice in countries seeking to build peace at the same time as addressing the legacies of mass human rights violations. I have argued that the imposition of these four pillars as the only model of transitional justice not only undermines the principles of local ownership and contextualisation, it is also incompatible with a process of transformative justice and the ultimate goals of peace and reconciliation. The African Union has subsequently developed a Transitional Justice Policy and Framework for the region that takes a broader, more flexible and localised perspective which is […]
Join us for afternoon tea at RMIT’s Garden Building (City Campus) to discover more about the role digital technology is playing to advance social impact on a global scale. Explore the applications of digital tech for social good Understand how industry is using digital tech to combat modern slavery Celebrate the launch of our new online short course designed to harness digital tech to drive social impact This event is open to businesses, government, academics and the community as part of the Digital Innovation Futures Festival. Event details: RMIT's Business and Human Rights Centre, Associate Professor Shelley Marshall will take us on an exploration of the applications of digital technology for social good, and how we can play in their acceleration and spread. Get involved in an interactive panel discussion with Andre Clarke from AskYourTeam and Greta Korthaus from the United Nations Global Compact to understand how industry is combatting modern slavery with digital technologies. Official launch of RMIT Digital3’s online short course Advancing Social Impact with Digital Technologies produced with RMIT's Business and Human Rights Centre. This short six week course guides participants through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is a blueprint for how businesses can […]
This presentation reports on findings from a large-scale survey that is part of an Australian government funded project entitled, Understanding and Addressing Everyday Sexisms in Australian Universities. The project is situated within the context of the negative impact of gender-based discrimination upon the higher education sector in Australia and internationally. Although sexual harassment and overt discriminatory practices receive a great deal of attention within university policy and staff training, this research also shows that significant career damage occurs through an accumulation of ‘everyday sexisms’. Preliminary survey results from academics highlight differential awareness of everyday sexism within the academy. The speaker: Dr Emily Gray is Senior Lecturer Education Studies and Higher Degrees by Research Delegated Authority at RMIT’s School of Education. As a researcher, Emily is interested in questions of gender and sexuality and with how these identity categories are lived and experienced within social institutions. Her key research interests therefore lie with questions related to gender, social justice, student and teacher identity and with wider social justice issues within educational discourse and practice. She also writes on popular culture, public pedagogies and audience studies, online fandom and media and popular culture as pedagogical tools. She is co-founder of #FEAS Feminist […]
The Centre for Urban Transitions and the Victorian Hydrogen Hub at Swinburne University of Technology proudly present an inspiring online forum centered around the theme of “Sustainable Futures" during Social Science Week. This engaging event will serve as a platform for interdisciplinary discussions on sustainable futures, with a specific focus on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability. Join us for an enriching experience featuring talks from three esteemed speakers, representing CUT and partner organizations. Together, they will lead dynamic discussions on the creation of sustainable pathways for the future. Discover the critical importance of addressing socioeconomic disparities in car dependency for sustainable futures, as Prof. Takemi Sugiyama enlightens us with his profound insights. Dr. Steve Rodgers will shed light on the significance of fair energy transitions in our journey towards a greener society, offering a vision of how we can collectively move towards a sustainable energy future. In addition, Dr. Olamide Shittu will share innovative strategies for improving plastic resource recovery in Australia through circular and collective impact approaches, paving the way for a more sustainable and eco-friendly future. This event is not limited to the academic community but is open to the broader Swinburne community, our networks, […]
The humanities, arts and social sciences sit with the possibilities and tensions of living with artificial intelligence. Are we entering an era of extraordinary creativity, an explosion in our capacity to conjure ideas, images, and sounds? Are we flourishing with AI? The arrival of AI has been heralded by technologists with utopian dreams – the expansion of our imaginations, the escape from mundane tasks. Are these dreams becoming a reality? Join us for an informative debate that will not only entertain but also showcase the breadth of talent and inquiry across our Faculty. All welcome! Food and refreshments provided. Panellists: For the affirmative Prof Deb Brown A/Prof Jason Lodge Dr Awais Hameed Khan For the negative A/Prof Andrew Phillips Dr Luke Munn Dr Leah Henrickson About HASS Research and Innovation Week Debate: 'Humans flourish with Artificial Intelligence' Join us for an informative debate that will not only entertain but also showcase the breadth of talent and inquiry across our Faculty.
A/Prof Marietta Martinovic leads The Beyond the Stone Walls Advisory Collective (BSWAC), which comprises of people with criminal justice lived experience, RMIT staff and students. As part of Social Sciences Week 2023, BSWAC will run an interactive session, which comprises of a diverse panel and workshop discussion. This session will centre on the themes of inclusivity, diversity and social collaboration with diverse lived experiences. This thought-provoking session will provide an opportunity to put fresh perspectives into practice. Participants will leave the session with their biases and preconceived beliefs shattered. Panellists include: Pattie - Lived Criminal Justice experience representative, BSWAC Michael - Lived Criminal Justice experience representative, BSWAC Kate Kennedy - Researcher Lived Criminal Justice experience, BSWAC Igor Tomic - Senior Program Manager, Justice Services, Corrections Victoria Melanie Field-Pimm - Development Manager, VACRO
Peer review is considered a hallmark of quality in academic research. But peer-review is a highly diverse process that is sometimes contradictory or unclear. Join our panel for this timely discussion as part of Social Sciences Week. This session explores what ‘quality’ in peer review means and what kinds of peer-review processes are emerging in the social sciences and humanities. Panellists will briefly offer their views and experience before a Q&A session with the audience. Dr Rachael Brown Rachael Brown is Lecturer in the School of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences at the Australian National University, primarily at the intersection of the philosophy of biology, philosophy of cognitive science, and philosophy of science. Rachael is particularly interested in the evolution of cognition and behaviour, the relationship between Evo-devo and the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis, model-based reasoning in biology and philosophy, and methodological issues in the study of animal behaviour and cognition. Dr Jason Chin Jason Chin is senior lecturer at the College of Law at the Australian National University, the former (2020-21) President of the Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-research and Open Science (AIMOS), and the inaugural registered reports editor for Forensic Science International: Synergy. He is […]
For Social Science Week, SICS Radio will be diving into how AI is changing the face of research and education in information and communication studies. Our four contributors are academics directly from the School of Information and Communication Studies and have been exploring this hot topic in recent research studies and publications. Dr Kay Oddone is interested in researching the impact of generative AI on school education; and in particular, the leading role Teacher Librarians might play in designing learning with and about these new platforms and tools. Dr Lizzy Tait is researching the ethical applications of AI and algorithmic literacy as well as the impact of AI on the professional knowledge and skills of LIS practitioners and the implications of these new technologies on the future of the profession. In conversation with students and colleagues, Dr Travis Holland is investigating what role generative AI will have in the future careers of media and communication professionals and how will it impact and change the work of those who already occupy those roles. Dr David Cameron is the Newsroom and Content Coordinator for the Division of People and Culture. With our show title (and some of this very blurb) coming straight from Chat GPT itself, this episode of […]
Join us for one or both of two online seminars exploring transformative justice and peace on the African continent. Session 1: Transformative Justice and the African Union: Unsettling the Dominant Discourse and Practice of Transitional Justice 4 September, 1-2 pm Online only Speaker: Dr Wendy Lambourne, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, Discipline of Sociology and Criminology, University of Sydney Transitional justice as a field of practice has become standardised around four ‘essential and complementary’ key pillars derived from the Joinet principles against impunity: criminal justice, truth-seeking, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence/institutional reform. These four key pillars were defined by the United Nations in 2010 as central to supporting transitional justice in countries seeking to build peace at the same time as addressing the legacies of mass human rights violations. I have argued that the imposition of these four pillars as the only model of transitional justice not only undermines the principles of local ownership and contextualisation, it is also incompatible with a process of transformative justice and the ultimate goals of peace and reconciliation. The African Union has subsequently developed a Transitional Justice Policy and Framework for the region that takes a broader, more flexible and localised perspective which is […]