Head: Dr William H Foddy
Graduate coordinator: Dr Jan van Bommel
The department offers postgraduate programs in three disciplinary areas: anthropology, sociology and comparative societies. The department can provide supervision for research degrees at the masters and PhD levels by drawing on the research expertise of twenty-six academic staff across the campuses of Clayton, Caulfield, Peninsula and Gippsland. The academic strengths of the department include social theory; comparative and historical studies; the analysis of western societies and Australia in particular; Asia; social change and `development'; women, gender studies and feminism; social policy; cultural studies; research methods.
The department offers two masters programs by research (100 per cent) or by research and coursework (66 per cent), and a masters qualifying program. Students may enrol in a Master of Arts in anthropology and sociology by coursework and research (MA) or Masters Qualifying in anthropology and sociology with a research component (MQual) and choose from among a wide variety of subjects. Alternatively, applicants may enrol in a specialist Master of Arts in applied social research which aims to provide students with a broad range of research skills and equip them for careers in applied social research.
Chris Atmore Feminist poststructuralist theories; media and cultural studies; sexual violence and representation; lesbian and gay studies.
Robert Birrell Immigration policy and the implications; Australian society from an historical and developmental perspective.
Gary Bouma Sociology of religion; sociology of the family; social psychology; sociology of occupations and professions.
Chris Chamberlain Homelessness; social class; the petty bourgeoisie; sociology and public policy.
Bernard Daly Sociology of health and illness; sociology of nursing.
Barry Ellem Prison issues; technological change; environmental issues; the future of work; qualitative research techniques.
Joanne Finkelstein Cultural studies; sociology of fashion and consumer conduct; sociology of self; sociology of health and illness.
William Foddy Self processes; shame and guilt; survey methodology.
Penelope Graham The anthropology of Southeast Asia; ritual, religion and conversion; Asian labour migration; nationalism, ethnicity and the state; orality and literacy.
Peter Hiller Database and general programming for the social sciences; computers in sociology; analysis of data on child abuse; methodology/philosophy of social science; ideology; class/social stratification.
Brett Hough Ethnography of Indonesia (with particular interest in Bali and Java); the performing arts of Bali and Java; contemporary social theory; sexuality and gender; ethnographic film making.
Helen Johnson Ethnography of France (particularly Languedoc-Roussillon); contemporary feminist theory; racial and sexual relations of power; anthropological theory and practise in New Caledonia; women and gender relations across cultures; feminisms across cultures; gender equality in professional development in Southeast Asia.
Ray Jureidini Sociology of work and industry; ethnicity and human rights; ethics of organ transplantation; sociology of the law; economic sociology.
Neville Knight Young people and their groups, in leadership; sociology of religion.
Catherine Lewis Mass media; social history; education; gender, gender studies, family.
Chris Lloyd Sexuality, gender and gender identity; feminist approaches to research; feminist theory; unconscious processes in social life.
Anthony McMahon Men and gender relations; feminist theory; marriage and family; contemporary social theory; sociology of emotions.
Don Miller Religion and social inequality in India and Bali; social theory; socio-cultural construction of `disabilities,' sign language and deaf culture.
Andrew Milner Contemporary social theory; literary and cultural theory; sociology of literature; Milton, Orwell and political writing; literary radicalism in Australia; science fiction.
Dawn Ryan Urban anthropology; Melanesian society; anthropology of religion; population mobility in the Pacific; socio-religious movements in Melanesia; theory and practice in ethnographic fieldwork.
Michael Stevenson Comparative studies of social and cultural transformations; social movements and their political and cultural consequences; third world studies; political economy; the anthropological history of prejudice and discrimination.
Ulla Svensson Gender relations in the family; women, the welfare state and social policies; use of official statistics.
Jan van Bommel Women's studies; women, psychiatry and madness; female subjectivity; qualitative methodology.
Bruce Wearne History of the social sciences; religion and theoretical thought; American sociological thought.
Naomi Rosh White Social construction of identity; sociology of children and childhood; testimony memory and social knowledge; Holocaust.
Robert Wolfgramm Religion; ethnicity and multiculturalism; tradition and politics in Fiji; popular music.
Course code: 0020
Course fee: Local students HECS; international students $A12,000 pa
Coordinator: Dr Jan van Bommel
The degree of PhD is taken by the submission of a thesis of approximately 100,000 words in length on a topic approved by the head of department. Students who are enrolled on a probationary basis may be confirmed as PhD candidates subject to the receipt of a satisfactory report of the candidate's progress at the end of the probationary period. Graduate students enrolled for the PhD are expected to participate in departmental research seminars.
Applicants seeking entry to the PhD should normally have a bachelors degree with honours (H1 or H2A), or the equivalent, or a masters or masters qualifying degree (H2A equivalent) in anthropology, sociology, comparative societies or another related discipline. Applications are judged on their academic merit and in relation to the capacity of the department to offer appropriate supervision.
Course code: 0017
Course fee: Local students HECS; international students $A12,000 pa
Coordinator: Dr Jan van Bommel
The research masters takes the form of masters by 100 per cent research or by coursework and 66 per cent research. Students who are admitted to proceed by thesis only may be asked to attend one or more advanced seminar subjects where this appears desirable. All students will be allocated a supervisor who usually has particular knowledge and expertise in the topic area chosen by the student. The thesis length for 100 per cent research is 60,000 words maximum. The word length for 66 per cent research is 25,000-30,000. Attendance at a fortnightly departmental research seminar is required of all postgraduate research students.
For entry to MA by research, applicants should have an honours degree with a grade of H1 or H2A in the relevant discipline (or equivalent qualification) or MQual in anthropology and sociology with an average grade of H2A.
Course code: 0017
Course fee: Local students HECS; international students $A12,000 pa
Coordinator: Dr Ulla Svensson
This course provides students who already have an honours degree in these or other cognate disciplines with the opportunity to expand, update and deepen their knowledge and understanding. Other students may gain entry to this masters course by first completing an MQual program. Students may choose such a program for various reasons, including the desire to pursue their own intellectual interests, to gain more specialised and detailed understanding of a particular area (such as gender and feminism, social theory or comparative societies), to acquire technical and applied skills and knowledge or to prepare themselves for a PhD and a career in research and teaching.
Upon completion of the Master of Arts in anthropology and sociology, students will be able to evaluate published theoretical and research-based literature in their field of specialisation; understand the concepts central to their field; develop potential research projects in their field.
For entry to MA by coursework and research, applicants should have an honours degree with a grade of HI or H2A in the relevant discipline (or equivalent qualification) or an MQual in anthropology and sociology with an average grade of H2A or above.
Students commencing in 1998 will complete two eight-point subjects and a thesis of 25,000-30,000 words (66 per cent). For students who were enrolled prior to 1998, and who are completing an MA by 100 per cent coursework, these subjects will continue to be offered at twelve points.
* Offered subject to approval.
Course code: 1988Course fee: Local students HECS; international students $A12,000 pa
Coordinator: Dr Ulla Svensson
This program is designed for students with a bachelors degree who want to expand and deepen their knowledge in one or more areas through undertaking coursework and a small research project. The Masters Qualifying in anthropology and sociology qualifies students to apply for entry into the masters by research if grades of H2A or above are achieved; those with H1 grades will be eligible to apply for a scholarship to continue their studies.
Upon completion of the Masters Qualifying in anthropology and sociology, students should have developed an understanding of the main theories and concepts that are relevant to their research interests, and thus have acquired an up-to-date theoretical background to pursue a masters degree. The coursework, covering a range of topics and issues, will help students to select a research topic for further development in the masters degree. The research component of the Masters Qualifying will be equivalent to doing exploratory research to establish the feasibility of undertaking thesis research on this particular topic for the Master of Arts in anthropology and sociology.
For entry to MQual in anthropology and sociology applicants should have a pass degree at credit level or above in the relevant discipline.
All students must take ASM4000 (Research project) and three additional subjects chosen from the following four lists in accordance with the restrictions indicated at the top of each list:
Core subject:
Course code: 0017
Course fee: Local students HECS; international students $A12,000 pa
Coordinator: Dr Ulla Svensson
This course aims to provide students with a broad range of research skills and to equip them for careers in applied social research. The course takes two years full-time or four years part-time, irrespective of the degree qualifications of entrants. All students are required to take any six of the seven coursework subjects listed below. Full-time students take any four of these subjects in the first year, any two of the remaining three subjects, and do the research project in the second year. Part-time students take any two of the seven subjects in the first year, any two of the remaining five subjects in the second year, any two of the remaining three subjects in the third year, and do the research project in the fourth year.
The Master of Arts in applied social research aims to provide students with a broad range of research skills, including data analysis and report writing, so that graduates can pursue careers in applied social research and contemporary public policy.
Applicants who have a pass degree with a major sequence in sociology or a minor sequence in sociology combined with a major sequence in a cognate discipline, with credit level results in the third-year subjects, or a degree at pass or honours level with at least credit level results in other disciplines with relevant work experience in research/policy settings are eligible for admission
Students are required to complete subjects totalling ninety-six credit points (equivalent to six twelve-point subjects) and the research project, SYM5075 (Applied social research project) (15,000-18,000 words)