Faculty of Arts

ROOMERS WRITING WORKSHOPS

Tony Birch is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing in the School of Culture & Communication and is well known for his engagement in arts events and public and community forums around Australia. One project he has particularly valued is his involvement in Roomers Writing Workshops. Since 2009 Tony has run creative writing workshops and provided mentorship to local writers and artists as part of this ongoing community arts project. In collaboration with former BA student Esther Singer, 'Roomers' assists the rooming house and homeless community in Melbourne, and publishes three editions of Roomers Magazine annually. Through the contribution of teachers and mentors such as Tony, it aims to give residents an opportunity and incentive to improve literacy and communication skills. It also provides a means of reducing social isolation and encouraging community participation, as well as providing an outlet to publish creative work. Tony considers this to be some of the most rewarding teaching that he does.

CORRANDERRK: WE WILL SHOW THE COUNTRY

Julie Evans is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social and Political Sciences, and Giordano Nanni is a recent PhD graduate and research associate. Over the last two years, they have worked together with Jennifer Balint and Nesam McMillan from Criminology on a verbatim theatre project 'Coranderrk: We Will Show The Country', which has now been performed at a number of venues around Melbourne and on Country in Healesville. Conceived by Giordano and co-written with Andrea James, and directed by Rachael Maza Long, the project emerges from the research team's interest in structural justice as well as a commitment to social media and engagement with communities beyond the University. In collaboration with organisations such as Ilbijerri Theatre, the Koorie Heritage Trust, Education Victoria-Wannik, La Mama, Arts Victoria and VicHealth, as well as the University of Melbourne, the production has brought back to life the voices of Coranderrk residents from the 1880s - including Aboriginal elder William Barak - through readings of their official testimonies before the Government's 1881 Inquiry into the 'Coranderrk Aboriginal Station'. Recently supported by an ARC Linkage Grant, plans are to extend this project to schools around Victoria.

AUSTRALIAN GAY AND LESBIAN ARCHIVES

Graham Willett is a Senior Lecturer in Australian Studies in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. An enthusiastic promoter of links between the University and community-based archives and historians, Graham has links with a number of organisations but in particular the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, of which he is currently the President. Established in 1978, the purpose of the Archives is to collect and preserve historically significant materials that document the lives of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgendered people, and queers of all kinds; to preserve a rich and diverse history for future generations and to educate the public about the history of these communities through public programs, exhibitions and publications. The collections include material from the early twentieth century through to the battles for liberation and equality and the more recent rise of queer politics and identities. In addition, Graham co-hosts the annual Melbourne Queer History Walks as part of the Midsumma Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Festival and has been actively involved in organising the national community-focused Homosexual Histories conferences for many years. Also curator of the City of Melbourne's City Gallery exhibition 'Camp As...' in 2005, Graham sees such community-facing activities as central to his work as a historian in this area.

LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN AUSTRALIA AND EAST TIMOR

John Hajek is Professor and Convenor of Italian Studies in the School of Languages and Linguistics, and Director of the Research Unit for Multilingualism and Cross-cultural Communication (RUMACCC). For almost two decades John has been working on bilingualism, mother tongue maintenance and early literacy in Australia and East Timor. After working with members of the East Timorese community in Melbourne, he collaborated on the East Timorese Phrasebook with Alexandre Vital Tilman, an East Timorese refugee long resident in Melbourne. Published in Tetum and three other languages, the publication has been used by international aid workers, military personnel and visitors who needed local language skills immediately, and was also intended to help the English language skills of young East Timorese. John also developed a short intensive course, Tetum for Beginners, which he previously taught at the University. In collaboration with colleagues from RUMACCC, John has also been active in running free seminars for parents, early childhood and pre-school workers, grandparents and teachers, organized to address issues faced by many Australian communities seeking to raise children bilingually. Presented in association with Community Languages Australia, the Ethnic Schools Association of Victoria (inc) and Victorian Multicultural Commission, these ongoing seminars discuss positive strategies for language learning and maintenance in an Australian context. He is now actively working with others to develop anItalian-English bilingual programme for Victorian primary schools.

THINKING THROUGH ANCIENT CULTURES PROGRAM

Andrew Jamieson is Lecturer in Archaeology in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies and the Curator of the University of Melbourne's antiquities collection. Andrew specializes in the study of ancient ceramics and the archaeology of the ancient Near East and Egypt, and has collaborated with a wide range of community organisations. Working at sites around the world, in the mid-1990s he was deeply involved in the UNESCO post-war salvage operations in Beirut. He has also been involved in a range of curatorial, conservation and field projects with Heritage Victoria and is a member of Victorian Heritage Council's Archaeology Advisory Committee. Thinking Through Ancient Cultures is an exciting educational program that provides year 7-12 students with an opportunity to experience the fascinating world of Classics and Archaeology. Designed by staff in Classics and Archaeology and coordinated by Andrew, this program is offered in cooperation with the Ian Potter Museum of Art and aims to quite literally put ancient cultures in the hands of students. Andrew also regularly provides community talks on his work and guided exhibition tours.

CARLTON HARMONY DAY

Sara Wills is a Senior Lecturer in Australian Studies in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. Sara's research interests lie in the field of Australian migration, multicultural and refugee studies, and in 2010 Sara was proud to be invited to join the Steering Committee for the 2011 Harmony Day held at the Carlton Housing Estate. Part of a University-wide initiative to engage with the local community, Sara was able to assist in this initiative of the Carlton Local Area Network, by attending meetings, assisting with organisation, and providing opportunities for students to become involved in volunteering opportunities, in interviewing residents and recording the day’s events. Working with project leader Ennalies Oudedijk from North Yarra Community Health, and with expertise provided by students Mia Spizzica and Troy Nankervis, documentary footage is being produced that will be used to promote Harmony Day in future. Planning is already underway for the 2012 event, to which the University again hopes to contribute.

MELBOURNE HISTORY PODTOURS

Partner: 774 ABC Melbourne

Andrew May is an Associate Professor in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. This co-production of the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies and the ABC developed three innovative audio podtours on aspects of Melbourne's history and culture. The tours took advantage of the University's research expertise on Melbourne's history, in alliance with the ABC's production, storytelling and marketing expertise. The podtours are available as individual downloads together with a pdf of the walk route. The University research team included students from internship subjects. From an applied history perspective, working in new media created new challenges for the production of historical knowledge and engagement with audiences; for the ABC, the project reconfigured the value of its sound archive, which became more valuable for its audience when accessed along geographic lines.